11:30 AM, start of USFS Road No. 257 off Horse Creek Road (No. 243) – Lupe’s first 2 Black Hills Expeditions had both been to the same place, an easy scenic trip up Rapid Creek on Deerfield Trail No. 40 from Silver City to Canyon City. Today, the plan was for something new. The Carolina Dog was going to climb a mountain! Old Bald Peak (6,130 ft.) in the central Black Hills was the chosen destination, one neither Lupe nor SPHP had ever been to before.
Sunny and not too cold, but very windy as Lupe set out heading NNW on USFS Road No. 257. Low pine-covered hills were to the L, and a big open field was to the R. Lupe had only gone 0.33 mile when an exposed rocky high point appeared ahead on the L.
The high point was out in the open beyond the pines. Lupe did not care for how strong the chilly wind was when she reached the top. However, this high point did provide some good preliminary views. Old Bald Peak was somewhere 3 or 4 miles NW of here, and Lupe could see some of the terrain she would be exploring on the way there.
To the NE, Lupe could also see a line of scenic barren hills, most of which had burned in a forest fire years ago. Those hills looked like they would be fun to explore someday, too!
Eager to get out of the wind, the American Dingo quickly abandoned this first high point. USFS Road No. 257.1A split off to the L from No. 257 just ahead. Taking No. 257.1A, Lupe was glad to enter the forest as the road headed NW up a sheltered valley.
After 0.50 mile, the road curved W, and in another 0.25 mile, turned N. Lupe left No. 257.1A here, continuing W through the forest. Climbing to the top of a ridge, she saw the snowy NE face of a much higher ridge to the SW. The higher ridge looked like a good place to get a better feel for the lay of the land. The Carolina Dog might even be able to spot Old Bald Peak from up there!
However, to get over to that next ridge, Lupe would first have to cross the Horse Creek valley. SPHP paused for a sandwich while thinking it over. Lupe must not have been hungry yet, because she immediately buried the piece of sandwich SPHP shared with her, no doubt intending to save it for a rainy day.
The sandwich disposed of, Lupe continued W, beginning a descent into the Horse Creek valley. Arriving at the edge of the forest, the valley floor was visible from here. A dachshund was barking and chasing several horses around a field, a sight that Lupe found fascinating.
Hmm. Must be some private property down there. Checking an old Black Hills National Forest map confirmed that a long, narrow strip of private property ran up the E side of the Horse Creek valley. Lupe needed to get across it to continue W to the next ridge.
Although Lupe was reluctant to leave her view of the dachshund and horses, SPHP led her NW down to the fence line, then N along it to where a cross fence marked the boundary between properties. Figuring Lupe could be across the private property in only a few minutes with no harm done, SPHP hopped the fence and headed W.
As Lupe crossed the skinny N end of their field, the horses were still in sight well to the S. No worries on their account, they scarcely seemed aware of the Carolina Dog’s presence. However, as soon as Lupe entered the field, several big dogs came running this way from the neighbor’s house N of the fence.
This promptly summoned their owner, who hopped in a truck and was waiting for SPHP a couple of minutes later as Lupe reached Horse Creek Road after crossing the field. Questioning SPHP, he finally left with a warning not to approach his place. His dogs were not friendly.
A disposition evidently shared by their owner! Don’t worry, Lupe! We’ll return by some other route.
Unfazed, Lupe crossed Horse Creek Road and began climbing.
A trek up the forested slope just N of the snowy steep face eventually got Lupe up to the top of the next ridge. Surprisingly open terrain provided excellent views in most directions. While it was still somewhat windy, the breeze was no longer as powerful as it had been earlier.
Back in the direction Lupe had come from, Peak 5800 was visible about as high as where the Carolina Dog was now along the line of barren hills.
The highest ground on this ridge was some clear terrain toward the SE. Even though Lupe didn’t need to go that way, she went over there to check out the view. A patchwork of brown trees among the dark pines indicated the presence of a pine bark beetle infestation between here and False North Point (6,130 ft.) and Five Points (6,221 ft.).
Other than the pine bark beetle damage, the view of False North Point and Five Points with higher hills in the distance was quite impressive. Despite the wind, another rest break was taken here before heading NW back to where Lupe had originally come up.
A fairly deep valley filled with snow and aspens was immediately to the W. On the other side of this valley was another ridge about as high as the ridge Lupe was on. Looking NW, a mountain was visible not too far away, with slightly higher peaks beyond it.
SPHP had only an old Black Hills USFS map along, which contained no topographical information at all. One of those peaks to the NW had to be Old Bald Peak, but which one? On the other paw, maybe not. Was Old Bald Peak even in view yet? SPHP wasn’t sure. None of the hills Lupe could see from here looked like a “bald” peak at all.
The ridge Lupe was on was connected to the ridge beyond the snowy valley by a saddle at the upper S end of the valley. Might as well head over to the far ridge to see what the situation looked like from there.
After getting around the S end of the snowy valley, Lupe turned NNW upon reaching the far ridge. Without a topo map, SPHP still couldn’t tell which of the hills in sight might actually be Old Bald Peak (6,130 ft.). Undaunted, the Carolina Dog followed the ridgeline, determined to at least make it to the closest significant peak.
Reaching the far N end of the ridge, Lupe tried to stay on the highest ground possible as she continued NNW. Most of the time she traveled through pine forests, sometimes orange forests where the pine needles were all dead, the trees having recently been devastated by pine bark beetles. At other times, she worked her way through dense stands of young aspens.
Although the Carolina Dog visited a series of minor high points along the way, nothing was visible from any of them that made SPHP think Lupe was on, or necessarily even close to, Old Bald Peak.
The American Dingo eventually did make it to the top of the mountain to the NNW. The views from here were much the same. Had Lupe reached the summit of Old Bald Peak? Had she even seen it today? Maybe. Who knew? SPHP wasn’t sure, but suspected that Old Bald Peak might still lie farther NW.
Another deep valley separated the Carolina Dog from a couple of slightly higher peaks in that direction. Unfortunately, Lupe had gotten a late start this morning. The formerly annoying wind was now just a breeze, but the sky had clouded up, darkening as the day wore on. Completely overcast now.
Starting to feel like what it was, chilly and late on a quietly dying winter afternoon. The light would soon fade. Lupe couldn’t go any farther.
Back to the SSE, 13.5 month old Lupe saw the snowy valley. Far beyond were peaks she would eventually climb on expeditions yet to come – Mount Warner (5,889 ft.), Samelias Peak (5,856 ft.), Five Points (6,221 ft.), False North Point (6,130 ft.), Harney Peak (7,242 ft.), South Dakota’s highest mountain, and others.
Today, though, they were all mysterious places, part of an unsuspected and unknowable future.
Lupe left the first mountain she had ever climbed wandering the forest on a long NNE slope. Losing more than 500 feet of elevation, she finally came to a USFS road. Turning SE, she followed it down a valley SPHP suspected would take her back to Horse Creek Road.
A surprise was in store! Lupe hadn’t gone too far, when she came to an elk carcass laying in a field near a junction with a side road. That called for some serious sniffing! Lupe was enthralled!
Once Lupe was able to pry herself away from the unfortunate elk, the road trek continued.
In short order, this road did lead back into Horse Creek Road. The first sign of civilization, a generous description to be sure, was a collection of ancient battered vehicles and large quantities of other metallic junk rusting away in a field. Nearby was a small, dilapidated wood-sided home, surrounded by more trash. Amazingly, someone still lived there. Smoke was coming out of the chimney.
Still more than 2 miles back to the G6. All an easy road hike, though! When she got close to the joint where the unfriendly dogs lived, Lupe gave it a wide berth, slinking through the forest on the opposite W side of Horse Creek Road. A little farther on, she got to sniff and play for a minute with a nice dog named Mollie at another property.
6:00 PM, start of USFS Road No. 257 – Pitch dark when Lupe reached the G6 again. What a day! Lupe had climbed her very first mountain, and wandered not only off-road, but off-trail, for the first time ever. Except for the strong wind at the start, it had all been grand. A real adventure, even if Lupe never did find or climb Old Bald Peak (6,130 ft.)!
Note: More than 9 years later, while writing this post in February, 2021, SPHP carefully evaluated written notes, topo maps, and these photos, and determined that Lupe had actually climbed Peak 6043, 0.75 mile ESE of Old Bald Peak, on Expedition No. 3. She had definitely seen Old Bald Peak, though, and at the time of this writing, has climbed it on 3 occasions since then, the first being during Expedition No. 33 on 11-4-12. No photos exist of that first ascent.
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 147 – Silver Peak & Old Bald Peak (11-24-15)
Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 242 – New Year’s Eve Peak, Peak 6070 & Peak 6043 (12-17-18)
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