Parker Peak – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 197 – Parker Peak & Horse Trap Mountain (3-27-17)

Start (10:49 AM, 54°F)

Crocuses! Lupe discovered pale, lavender crocuses along the trail, not many, but a few here and there. No denying it now, spring had arrived in the Black Hills! As far as Lupe was concerned, crocuses were infinitely better than the cacti she had been reluctantly dealing with on her recent Black Hills expeditions. SPHP couldn’t have agreed more.

Crocuses herald the arrival of spring in the Black Hills.

The trail had led Lupe right up to the top of the broad ridge. The ridge ran for miles E/W, and had a number of large extensions to the S. Most of the ground up here was rolling grasslands, rimmed by Ponderosa pines along the edges, with more pines scattered in various places across the open ground.

Lupe arrives up on the broad ridge that ran for miles E/W. The survey benchmark, at the top of the pipe seen sticking up out of the ground beneath her, provided SPHP with a good indication of her precise location. Photo looks SW.

The question was, which way to go from here? The plan was to follow 4WD roads up on this huge ridge to Lupe’s two peakbagging objectives of the day – Parker Peak (4,848 ft.) and Horse Trap Mountain (4,682 ft.), but neither mountain was in sight, nor was any road visible. Maybe the old roads shown both on the Peakbagger.com topo map and SPHP’s old Black Hills USFS map didn’t even exist anymore? Entirely possible.

What was for certain was that Parker Peak, the high point of Fall River county, was miles away at the far W end of this ridge. Horse Trap Mountain, however, was somewhere closer by to the S. Maybe it was still E of here?

Lupe explored E along a fence line, going up to the crest of a gentle rise where a few large pines were clustered. Looking E and SE from here revealed nothing. All the terrain was nearly as high, and a lot of it was forested. No sign of Horse Trap Mountain.

The only thing Lupe discovered by going E was that crocuses weren’t present up on top of this ridge. Instead, her feared cactus nemesis was. Not a lot of cactus, but enough so SPHP carried her over one small patch. The cactus wasn’t a surprise, SPHP had expected it. Even up on this high ridge, Lupe was still below cactus line.

Going farther E didn’t look promising. Lupe retraced her steps, returning to where the trail had first brought her up to the top of the ridge. At the fence corner, Lupe came to a pipe sticking up out of the ground. SPHP hadn’t noticed it before. A survey benchmark at the top of the pipe provided a clue, such a good clue that after consulting the maps, SPHP knew exactly where Lupe was. Horse Trap Mountain was more than 2 miles SSW of here.

SPHP started leading Lupe WSW down toward an earthen dam for a dried up stock pond. However, Loop was now wary. The foray to the E had shown her that cactus was present. She followed SPHP reluctantly.

Crossing the earthen dam, Lupe didn’t notice the one cluster of cactus growing on it. Her confidence started returning. SPHP enticed her SW up to the top of the next rise without much of a problem. By staying where there were trees, the chance of encountering more cactus was reduced.

Unfortunately, the ridge didn’t have enough trees to provide continuous shade. Lupe soon realized cactus was up here, too. She insisted upon returning to her now familiar method for dealing with cacti. The Carolina Dog stood or sat motionless while SPHP scouted ahead. She would only come when SPHP sat on the ground to signal that the route was safe.

In some places it wasn’t safe. SPHP had to carry the American Dingo a few times over the thicker cactus patches. It would sure help to find a road, any kind of a road. Lupe would be willing to trot along a road confident that cactus wouldn’t be on it.

Lupe was in luck! A little down over the other side of the rise, she did find a road. The road was faint and seldom used, even grassy, but it was a road. Upon reaching it, Lupe was immediately relieved of the worst of her cactus worries. She was willing to travel the road without her time consuming cacti technique being employed.

The grassy road went S. Within minutes, Lupe passed by the ruins of an old cabin. A little farther on, the road came to a major intersection in a clearing. Dirt roads radiated out in 4 or 5 directions. Ahead, across a tree filled canyon, Lupe saw an interesting butte in the distance. SPHP didn’t realize it at first, but this was Lupe’s first view of Horse Trap Mountain.

Lupe near the major dirt road intersection. The butte in the distance is Horse Trap Mountain. Photo looks SSW.

A canyon was between Lupe and the interesting butte. Consulting the topo maps, SPHP realized the interesting butte was very likely Horse Trap Mountain. To get there, Lupe would have to take the road leading W. If it was the road shown on the topo map, it would soon make a big detour to the NW to get Lupe around the end of Falls Canyon.

The road did exactly as the topo map showed. Not only was Lupe ever more confident about the cactus situation, but SPHP was increasingly confident of the existence of the road system shown on the topo map. Things were going well!

After rounding the NW end of Falls Canyon, the road turned S. Lupe hadn’t gone as far S as the map showed she would need to in order to reach a turn to the W, when another road angling that direction appeared. After another quick map consultation, SPHP concluded this road was most likely a short cut to Parker Peak. Did Lupe want to go there first or to Horse Trap Mountain?

Lupe went W for Parker Peak. The short cut worked. The new road eventually intersected the main route shown on the topo map. Everything went fine. The roads, which were only a mix of dirt and grass the entire way, served as a Dingo superhighway. Lupe was making great progress! It was an easy trek. The route was level or close to it most of the time. What elevation changes Lupe came to were all gradual.

She often had beautiful views along the way.

Lupe enjoyed beautiful views on her way to Parker Peak. The high ridge in the distance is more than a mile SE of Parker Peak. Photo looks SW across Hell Canyon.

The high point straight up from Lupe is the top of Parker Peak protruding barely above an intervening lower ridge. Photo looks W.

View to the NW. The dark high point on the far horizon a little R of Center is **Wildcat Peak (5,500 ft.)**. The ridge on the far R is **Elk Benchmark (5,669 ft.)**. The closer forested hill on the L is an unnamed peak a couple miles N of **Matias Peak**.

As Lupe got closer to Parker Peak, the views gradually changed.

The same unnamed ridge SE of Parker Peak, but now looking SSW at it across Hell Canyon.

Another view to the NW, this time looking a little more N with less help from the telephoto lens.

Looking down Hell Canyon toward Horse Trap Mountain (R of Center). Photo looks SE.

The road passed to the N of a skinny lower ridge 0.5 mile E of Parker Peak. Lupe left the road to climb up on the skinny ridge for a good view of her objective, now in clear view.

Parker Peak from the skinny ridge 0.5 mile to the E. The skinny ridge was topped with colorful rocks. Photo looks W.

Lupe returned to the road after leaving the skinny ridge. She was closing in on Parker Peak rapidly now! In hardly any time at all, she was on her way up.

After leaving the skinny ridge, Lupe rapidly closed in on Parker Peak. Photo looks W.

The road Lupe was on reached the roomy summit area near the S end. The true summit was along the W side almost at the N end. On her way there, Lupe saw 4 concrete foundation corners, and discovered 2 survey benchmarks. The foundation corners were all that were left of a former fire lookout tower.

Lupe stands on one of the old concrete foundation corners. All four of them are in view. They were all that remained of the old fire lookout tower. Photo looks SW.

The first survey benchmark Lupe came to on Parker Peak as she headed N along the W side of the summit area.

Lupe on top of Parker Peak. Part of the town of Edgemont, SD can be seen in the distance on the far R. Photo looks SW.

The second survey benchmark Lupe came to. This one was also near the W side of the summit area. By the time Lupe reached it, she was within a few tens of feet of the N end of the mountain.

Lupe stands next to the northernmost survey benchmark. Part of an old retaining wall is behind her on the L. Edgemont, SD is now seen in the distance at Center. Photo looks SW.

Lupe arrived at the highest rocks on Parker Peak (4,848 ft.) at the N end of the summit area to claim her peakbagging success of Fall River county’s highest point. The views were splendid!

**Matias Peak (4,780 ft.)** is the forested hill on the R. Photo looks WNW.

Lupe starts settling in at the Parker Peak summit for a little rest break. Far below her lofty perch, the intersection of Hwys 89 & 18 is seen on the far L. The **Mickelson Trail** slants from the L to the Center before turning due N. Photo looks N.

Horse Trap Mountain (L) from Parker Peak. Photo looks SE.

At the summit, Lupe was ready to relax. She was thirsty and hungry, lapping up a couple bowlfuls of water, and crunching up most of the Taste of the Wild supply. Then she rested while SPHP petted her. She encouraged SPHP to continue whenever it looked like there might be a break in the Dingo lovefest.

*What? You aren’t done giving me love already are you? Please continue!*

The sun was still fairly high in the sky. Lupe had plenty of time to get to Horse Trap Mountain. Lupe and SPHP loitered at the summit for a long time. Parker Peak was the highest point around. Lupe could see long distances in nearly every direction.

The time came to move on. Lupe had a last look at the fantastic view to the N.

Then Lupe began working her way toward the S end of the summit area. She posed for a few photos along the way.

Near the edge of the W face. Photo looks SW.

Matias Peak (R) from Parker Peak. Photo looks WNW.

At the S end of the summit area. The curved road on the far R is the old highway to Edgemont. Photo looks SSW.

Looking from the S end of the summit area back toward the true summit. Photo looks NNE.

After going all the way to the S end of Parker Peak’s summit area, Lupe started her journey to Horse Trap Mountain. She took the road she had come up back down off Parker Peak, and headed E retracing her route.

All the roads shown on the topo map really did exist! In fact, even more roads existed than shown. None of these roads amounted to much. They were all simple grass and dirt pasture trails, but they allowed Lupe to occasionally take minor shortcuts. Surprisingly little cactus was around, but the Carolina Dog was happiest staying right on the roads where she didn’t even have to think about her sharp, spiny enemy.

Lupe went 2 miles E before turning S for Horse Trap Mountain. It was still 1.5 miles away. The trek S was easy and relaxing. Lupe stopped briefly at a few of the better viewpoints along the way.

The trek to Horse Trap Mountain was relaxing and beautiful. Photo looks SW towards highlands on the far side of Hell Canyon.

As she drew near Horse Trap Mountain, Lupe came to a place where she had an impressive view of Falls Canyon.

Nearing Horse Trap Mountain, Lupe had this impressive view of Falls Canyon. Photo looks SSE.

Horse Trap Mountain from the W edge of Falls Canyon. Photo looks S.

At last, Horse Trap Mountain was dead ahead. However, a large ravine was between Lupe and the mountain.

Lupe reached this open ground where Horse Trap Mountain was dead ahead. However, a large ravine was between Lupe and the mountain. Photo looks S.

The road brought Lupe down to a narrow saddle leading to the NNE ridge going up Horse Trap Mountain. To the W was the large ravine. To the E was Falls Canyon. The road turned sharply and began to descend into Falls Canyon.

No road went up Horse Trap Mountain, but the NNE ridge was an easy climb for Lupe. She soon arrived up at the NE end of the football fields long summit area. First she took a look at the grand views to the E and SE from here. She could see Flagpole Mountain (4,320 ft.) and several other peaks she had visited on recent expeditions.

It was fun to see them all again from this new vantage point.

Lupe on the rocks at the E edge of the Horse Trap Mountain summit area. **Flagpole Mountain (4,320 ft.)**, which she had visited recently on **Expedition No. 195**, is seen in the distance at Center. Impressive Falls Canyon is in the foreground. Photo looks SE.

**Flagpole Mountain** (R of Center) from **Horse Trap Mountain**. Photo looks SE with help from the telephoto lens.

A couple of peaks Lupe had visited in the Seven Sisters Range exactly a month ago on **Expedition No. 193** are in view on the far horizon. **Peak 4371** is near the L edge of the photo, and **Peak 4310** is a little to the R of it. The closer barren hill only 2 miles away at Center is **Roundtop Hill**. Lupe has never been there. Photo looks ESE.

The top of Horse Trap Mountain was mostly open grasslands dotted with Ponderosa pines. The summit area was shaped like an elongated circle, longest NE/SW, and sloped gradually to the S. The summit’s edges were rimmed all around with cliffs of modest height.

The true summit of Horse Trap Mountain (4,682 ft.) was evidently somewhere along the N or NW rim. After admiring the views of spacious Falls Canyon and the distant peaks to the E and SE, Lupe went to find it.

The summit of Horse Trap Mountain was open grassland dotted with Ponderosa Pines. Photo looks W from the NE end of the mountain where Lupe came up. From here, Lupe went to find the true summit, heading beyond the trees seen on the R.

A short, easy stroll brought Lupe to the highest rocks and true summit of Horse Trap Mountain along the N rim. She could see the top of Parker Peak (4,848 ft.), where she had been only a couple hours ago from here.

Lupe at the true summit of Horse Trap Mountain. The top of Parker Peak, where she had been only a couple hours earlier, is on the horizon at Center beyond a branch of Hell Canyon. Photo looks NW.

Looking N from the true summit at the territory Lupe traveled across to reach Horse Trap Mountain.

Looking SW from the true summit. Lupe’s a little hard to see, but she’s right in the center of this photo.

Lupe and SPHP took a 15 minute break to enjoy the views from the true summit. Lupe polished off the rest of her Taste of the Wild supply, and tanked up on water again.

When break time was over, the American Dingo took a counter-clockwise tour of the edge of Horse Trap Mountain’s summit. Beautiful views were in every direction. Some of them were quite different from the usual Black Hills terrain, and reminded SPHP vaguely of sights seen in much higher mountain ranges.

Looking WNW. Parker Peak is in view again on the R.

Lupe along the NW rim. The rough, rocky terrain seen here was fairly typical along the edges of Horse Trap Mountain’s summit. Photo looks NE.

SPHP was impressed with this view of the lower part of Hell Canyon, which seemed to be on a rather grand scale for the Black Hills. Photo looks SW.

Another look at Parker Peak. Photo looks NW.

Lupe liked this big view of Hell Canyon, too. Photo looks WSW.

Looking S. The high plains of western South Dakota are seen beyond the end of the Black Hills.

Lupe at the S end of the summit area. The cliffs along the escarpment here weren’t as high as elsewhere around the mountain, but the views were still great. Photo looks W along the S escarpment.

Falls Canyon and Flagpole Mountain (R) from the S end of Horse Trap Mountain. Photo looks SE.

After going clear around the W end of the mountain all the way to the S end, Lupe traveled N across the grassy center of the summit area to return to the true summit of Horse Trap Mountain for a final time. She took a second 15 minute break here. It was a glorious place to be!

The sun was starting to sink in the W. Lupe still had a couple of hours left before sunset, but it was miles back to the G6. The vast majority of her journey would be a pleasant trek along the same dirt and grass roads up on the big ridge, but near the end Lupe would have to navigate that field with cactus and then find the trail down.

It was time to leave Horse Trap Mountain.

Looking NE along the way to start back down off Horse Trap Mountain.

The return journey in the evening light was wonderful! Spring was in the air, and by now Lupe realized there really wasn’t much cactus around. She romped through the fields and forests. To complete her joy, the Carolina Dog even found a squirrel to bark at. No cactus bothered her. Lupe found the trail leading down off the big ridge.

The sun was long down. Not much twilight remained by the time Lupe reached the G6 again (7:36 PM, 50°F).

On the long drive home, Lupe barked at cows and horses until it was so dark SPHP concluded she could only smell them, not see them. Expedition No. 197 wasn’t officially over until the American Dingo finally decided there was nothing left out there worthy of being barked at.

Maybe a dry barker would like something cold and wet to soothe it? The Sonic Drive-Inn was still having its half price drink sale after 8 PM, and it was already after 9 PM. Would Looper like to go get a milkshake? Yes, indeed! SPHP didn’t have to ask twice.

A great day of adventure finished with Lupe relaxing on the bed slurping up chocolate milkshake from a bowl, while SPHP worked on the strawberry one. And then it was lights out.

A Carolina Dog twitched now and then during the night, but whether she was dreaming of Parker Peak, Horse Trap Mountain, adventures past, or adventures yet to come, was impossible to tell.

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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 126 – Battle Mountain, Parker Peak & Pilger Mountain (4-11-15)

Lupe got to do a little peakbagging in the southern Black Hills on this bright, clear warm day in early April. Her first peak was Battle Mountain (4,434 ft.) near Hot Springs, the site of a fight between the Cheyenne and Sioux tribes in 1869. SPHP had to drive around on the streets just E of Hwy 385 where it came into Hot Springs from the N to discover that Thompson Avenue is the correct street to turn off Hwy 385. A block or two from Hwy 385, it becomes Battle Mountain Road. SPHP parked the G6 on Sheridan Street a block N of Battle Mountain Road. It was 9:07 AM and 52°F out when Lupe left the G6.

Lupe near the start of Battle Mountain Road.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the air was totally calm. SPHP knew it was going to get hot fast and was anxious to get up Battle Mountain before the climb became too sweaty. The climb was a straight forward trudge up Battle Mountain Road involving an elevation gain of over 900 feet. There were scattered trees on mostly open ground for the first part of the climb, but as Lupe got close to the top of the mountain, there was more forest and shade. SPHP also started noticing a fair amount of trash along the road and began collecting it in a couple of extra plastic grocery bags.

The little lookout tower on Battle Mountain.

The top of Battle Mountain had an assortment of towers and wires and sheds on it. SPHP soon discovered that there was also a considerable amount of broken glass around too. To prevent Lupe from slicing up her paws on the broken glass, SPHP carried her from rock to rock for a few pictures in the summit area. The best views were to the SE towards Angostura Reservoir out on the prairie just outside of the Black Hills, and to the S towards the large hill S of Hot Springs. There was also a view of Hot Springs, SD to the W.

Looking SE towards Angostura Reservoir from Battle Mountain. — Angostura Reservoir is near the center of the photo faintly blue on the horizon. Looking SE from Battle Mountain.

The Golden West telephone tower from Battle Mountain.

Due to the broken glass, Lupe was not allowed to stay up at the summit of Battle Mountain for very long. SPHP did not even attempt to pick up any glass, fearing that the longer Lupe was up there, the greater the chance she would get hurt. However, SPHP did completely fill two plastic grocery sacks with trash on the return trip down the mountain. These were deposited in the trunk of the G6 for sorting, recycling and disposal the next day. Plenty more cleanup needs to be done on Battle Mountain, but at least things are a bit better than when Lupe arrived.

The town of Hot Springs, SD to the W of Battle Mountain.

The Golden West telephone tower sits on a sub peak just W of the summit of Battle Mountain.

It was 11:07 AM and 62°F by the time Lupe made it back to the G6. Although a new idea for one of her Black Hills Expeditions, Lupe graciously agreed to a short tour of Hot Springs, SD for the sake of her blog readers. She stopped by Evans Plunge, the Kidney Springs Gazebo downtown and the Mammoth Site, all Hot Springs attractions of some merit.

Evans Plunge is one of the main attractions in Hot Springs, SD. The main facility includes a large indoor pool with a pebble bottom and a couple of water slides. SPHP loves hot springs as a place to relax, get some exercise and clean up when traveling. Evans Plunge is one of the best. — **Evans Plunge** is one of the main attractions in Hot Springs, SD. The main facility includes a large indoor pool with a pebble bottom and a couple of water slides. SPHP loves hot springs as a place to relax, get some refreshing exercise and clean up when traveling. Evans Plunge is one of the best! Sadly, Lupe never gets to enjoy the hot springs.

The Kidney Springs gazebo near Fall River near downtown Hot Springs, SD. — The Kidney Springs gazebo near Fall River in downtown Hot Springs, SD.

Lupe near Fall River in downtown Hot Springs, SD. Note the blue bison on the building at right.

Lupe at the little waterfall not far from the Kidney Springs gazebo in Hot Springs, SD.

Hot Springs, SD has many old buildings of sandstone architecture. SPHP didn't read the plaque until later and did not realize there was something different on side 2. Oops! — Hot Springs, SD has many old buildings of sandstone architecture. SPHP didn’t read the plaque until later and did not realize there was more info on the other side. Oops!

A better look at the awesome blue bison which was more interesting to SPHP than the sandstone architecture.

Many thousands of years ago mammoths roamed the Hot Springs area. A few Neanderthals still do, and can likely be found partying on Battle Mountain on Friday and Saturday nights. If in the area and so inclined, you can now go there and pick up their trash, or join them in their festivities. The mammoths are long gone, and despite the Neanderthals, now Dingoes rule the earth! At least when not blinded by the sun.

Once her tour of Hot Springs was over, Lupe headed W on Hwy 18 towards Parker Peak (4,848 ft.), the county high point for Fall River County. Although Parker Peak is on National Forest land, it is completely surrounded by private property. SPHP hoped to obtain permission for Lupe to climb Parker Peak, but was unsuccessful in locating the landowner.

Lupe NNW of Parker Peak, the highest point in Fall River county.

Parker Peak from the W. Parker Peak is on national forest land, but surrounded by private property. Lupe did not get to climb it.

Giving up on Parker Peak, Lupe and SPHP headed NW out on dusty Pilger Mountain Road into a remote part of the SW Black Hills with the intention of reaching Pilger Mountain (4,788 ft.). Neither Lupe nor SPHP had ever been out in this area before. The scenery was quite interesting and western. SPHP stopped the G6 a couple of times for photos along the way. From Pilger Mountain Road, SPHP took Elbow Canyon Road up to its junction with USFS Road No. 319.

SPHP's favorite rock formation and favorite dingo along Pilger Mountain Road. — SPHP’s favorite rock formation and favorite dingo along Pilger Mountain Road.

The junction of Elbow Canyon Road and USFS Road No. 319 was up on top of a broad open ridge. SPHP was surprised to see several pickup trucks with horse trailers parked near the junction. No one was around, so Lupe and SPHP just added the G6 to the collection of vehicles. It was 1:18 PM and now 73°F when Lupe and SPHP headed N on USFS Road No. 319.

USFS Road No. 319 heads NNW from the junction with Elbow Canyon Road for about 5 miles before going over Pilger Mountain. Lupe and SPHP followed it all the way. The road remains up on a broad ridge of open grassland for the first few miles at the S end. There are some pine trees around, but they tend to be near the edges of the ridge or up on various knolls and high spots along the way. The road very gradually gains elevation for most of the distance with only one drop of any significance, which is about a mile from Pilger Mountain. As No. 319 gets closer to Pilger Mountain, the ridge narrows considerably and the road enters a forest.

Neither Lupe nor SPHP was really enthused about the heat this early in April. Out on the exposed grassland and wearing a fur coat, Lupe was too hot to really enjoy the trek. She plodded along right behind SPHP hoping for water breaks, which came fairly frequently. The Black Hills are well behind normal precipitation so far in 2015. March and April have seen virtually no moisture in the southern hills. USFS Road No. 319 was parched and dusty. Despite the much warmer than normal weather experienced since early March, the grass has not greened up much at all due to the lack of moisture.

At least the hike was easy, since the rate of climb heading N was so gradual. SPHP did enjoy the views which frequently presented themselves along the ridge. Sometimes the views were to the W or SW into Wyoming. At other times they were to the E back towards the main body of the Black Hills. The views weren’t the only thing attracting attention. SPHP was also surprised by the occasional presence of people. A red jeep came along from the S after a while. Later on, a group of 7 or 8 ATV’s and motorcycles appeared from a minor side road and roared N along No. 319. The jeep, ATV’s and motorcycles later reappeared heading back S while Lupe was still heading N.

As the afternoon wore on, a welcome breeze began to stir up out of the W. It slowly gained in strength, although most of the time Lupe only heard it up in the trees. The breeze did help some though. It started to get a bit cooler too. Lupe started perking up when the road finally entered the forest. By then it wasn’t all that much farther to Pilger Mountain.

Lupe up on top of the rock SPHP decided may as well be considered the summit of Pilger Mountain.

Pilger Mountain turned out to be just a somewhat higher spot near the N end of the 5 mile long ridge. The summit area was a couple hundred yards wide E/W and even longer N/S, and so flat it was difficult to say where the true summit was. Lupe and SPHP went all around the area looking for the highest point. SPHP hoped to find a USGS Benchmark, but never did. Finally, SPHP concluded the highest point was likely one of several rocks near the center of the area. There was one slightly higher spot toward the forest on the E side of the mountain, but it was not natural. You could tell it was the result of human excavations. At any rate, it could only have been a couple of feet higher.

Lupe up on top of the largest rock formation on Pilger Mountain, near the NW end of the summit area.

Most of the top of Pilger Mountain was grassland with scattered pines. However, the grassland was surrounded by forest along the edges, so there weren’t many places to get a good view. Toward the NW, Lupe found the most impressive rock outcroppings on Pilger Mountain. A short distance beyond them was a small cliff with some pretty decent views off to the W and N. In the distance to the NNW, SPHP saw Elk Mountain (5,669 ft.) where Lupe had been a week prior on Expedition No. 125. There were also some pretty good views to the E from some high ground at the far SE corner of the summit area on Pilger Mountain.

The trip back to the G6 from Pilger Mountain was more fun than the trip to the mountain had been. The sun was getting lower and the temperatures were cooling down. The breeze was blowing harder, but not enough to be at all annoying. Only one more ATV appeared to disturb the serenity and seclusion. SPHP saw a couple of pronghorn antelope bouncing away down on the grasslands near Robinson Flats near the S end of the trek. There were some really wild looking canyons and ridges nearby to the SW and Lupe picked up the scent of something exciting over there. She ran back and forth sniffing the ground in a state of agitation and expectation, enjoying some mystery only the dingo’s nose knew about.

This view to the NE was taken from the ridge S of Pilger Mountain.

Lupe reached the G6 again at 7:23 PM. By now it was a totally acceptable 57°F out. All of the pickup trucks and horse trailers were gone. Only the G6 remained. SPHP gave Lupe one more drink of water before she hopped into the G6 for the dusty ride home. She rode with her head outside the window, with a big smile on her face and her tongue hanging out in the breeze.

It wasn’t until reaching the pavement at the highway that SPHP made Lupe get her head back inside the window. Lupe still wasn’t done. She stood with her paws on the dash and launched into a barking frenzy at every cow she passed until it got too dark to see them. A few cows glanced up from the grass wondering what the heck was that? What a great dingo day!

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