8:54 AM, 45ºF, Rolling Hills Road 1.75 miles N of Nemo Road at the start of USFS Road No. 777 – Not a ray of sunshine anywhere, but pretty warm out for the end of January. With only a skiff of snow on the ground and a leaden sky, it felt more like late fall than the depths of winter. Good day for a mood march, and the locked gate over USFS Road No. 777 meant there ought to be plenty of solitude.
Loopster was fired up for it! Anxious to get going, she led the way on the first 0.125 mile down No. 777 to the junction with No. 771.1A (3 miles E of Steamboat Rock on the topo map). The intersection was marked with not one, but two brown wands. One saying No. 777.1A as expected, the other saying TR8282.
No. 777.1A headed NW up a shallow valley hemmed in by rolling hills. The hills were all forested with Ponderosa pines that had been thinned during logging operations at some point, so it was possible to see much of the terrain. Lupe kept an eye out for deer, but didn’t notice any yet.
After 0.2 mile, the American Dingo came to a fork in the road. Seemed that No. 777.1A was over and done with already. USFS Road No. 777.1B, marked with a wand, angled off to the R. Another wand indicated that USFS Road No. 527 went to the L. Taking No. 527, Lupe went on.
No. 527 continued NW up the shallow valley. A sad breeze sighed in the pines, but it wasn’t windy in the valley. Another 0.2 mile, and another road veered off to the R. This one only had a wand saying the road was closed. The trek went on. A grassy road, also to the R, looked interesting, but Lupe skipped it, too.
The valley narrowed, and No. 527 steepened a bit. A rougher, somewhat larger ridge featuring numerous minor rock outcroppings was on the R. Just beyond this ridge, the road leveled out. No. 527 was split in several places due to deep depressions worn into the original route. Yet another unmarked road veered off to the R, disappearing into the forest.
Beyond the flat region, No. 527 resumed its climb. Partway up this slope Lupe came to an open gate. After going through the gate, she continued higher, but the road soon leveled out again. SPHP could now see a rock formation off to the NE, a high point several hundred feet away. Leaving the road, SPHP led Looper toward it.
The rock formation wasn’t all that big. Upon arriving, the Carolina Dog easily climbed to the top. Way off to the NW, Lupe could see the summit of Custer Peak (6,804 ft.).
SPHP searched around the rock formation.
Naw, not what we’re looking for, Looper.
Doesn’t surprise me, SPHP. This isn’t much of a mountain!
Oh, we’re not climbing mountains today, Loopster! We’re in search of two caves. I thought Erskine Cave might be over here, but it’s been so long since I’ve been there, I don’t really remember what the area around it looks like.
Caves! Why are we looking for caves, SPHP?
We’re just doing one of our old style expeditions today, Loop. Remember the days way back before we got so wrapped up in peakbagging? We used to wander here and there up gulches and valleys, seeing whatever there was to see. Felt like doing that today. I’ve thought for a long time that we ought to go find Erskine Cave and Ice Cave just for fun! So here we are.
I’ve got news for you, SPHP! American Dingoes enjoy climbing mountains, and wandering hither and yon is fine, too, but we’re really not all that keen on subterranean adventures. Remember the Dragon Caves? Spooky! Enough to make your hackles stand on end! You took me dragon hunting! We must have been nuts! We were lucky the dragon didn’t return while we were in there. Took that huge risk, and we never did find the dragon’s treasure, or any damsels in distress!
No reason to worry about dragons at Erskine Cave or Ice Cave, Loop. They’re both way to small for a dragon to fit inside. Besides, I’ve read that the USFS has blocked off the entrances. Don’t think we can go inside either cave anymore, at least not very far.
We can’t go in? Seems kind of pointless to even go looking for these caves, if that’s the case. Can’t say I’m terribly disappointed, though.
Well, who knows if it’s true, or not? We’ll go take a look. Even if it turns out the entrances really are blocked, still fun just to try to find the caves. Something different, a break from peakbagging!
You’re off your rocker, SPHP! Maybe I’ll see some deers while you search for your goofy caves? Sounds like a deer will be the high point of the day.
I guess caves are apt to be low points, being underground and all, Looper, although I seem to remember the entrances to both caves being up on hillsides. Anyway, Erskine Cave doesn’t appear to be around here. Maybe we haven’t gone far enough yet? C’mon, let’s keep going!
Returning to No. 527, Lupe continued NW. Felt like she was getting pretty high as the road climbed out of what remained of the valley. Near the edge of a big clearing No. 527 reached a broad flat region. Shortly after Lupe entered this clearing, the first side road she’d seen to the L appeared. A wand said this was TR8281. This point was about 1.5 miles from where Lupe had first turned NW on USFS Road No. 777.1A.
Toward the far end of the clearing stood a forest of tall pines on the R (E). As No. 527 took Lupe past these pines, a wooden pole fence was visible 150 feet back in among the trees. No signs. However, a faint remnant of a road partially covered with slash led toward the fence.
Hmm. A little odd. This might be it! Lupe went to investigate.
The fence formed a semi-circle convex toward the W. A depression could be seen 50 feet on the other side. As Lupe got closer, no doubt remained.
Ah-ha! Found it, Loop! You’ve reached Erskine Cave!
Peering into the depression, a steep, snowy slope went 25 or 30 feet down to a fence closing off the cave entrance.
So, this is it, huh? That’s great, SPHP! You go first! I’ll stay up here and guard the entrance.
Alrighty, I will!
The snowy slope was slick, but not so steep that SPHP couldn’t get down there in one piece.
The fence turned out to be metal. Possible to peer in between the bars and see a little more of the cave, but that was about it. Even if the entrance hadn’t been blocked, SPHP hadn’t come prepared to do any spelunking. Still, it was kind of cool just being at the mysterious entrance.
So what’s it like down there, SPHP? Can you see anything interesting?
Just a metal fence, and beyond it a little of the cave entrance. Come on down, and see it yourself, Loop. Nothing to worry about!
Did you say you’ve been into Erskine Cave before, SPHP?
Yes! Several times, Looper, but long before you were ever even around. It wasn’t blocked off back then. Anyone could go inside.
Really! What’s down there? What’s it like?
Hah! Been so long ago, I can barely remember, Loop. I do remember a tight spot close to the beginning that has to be crawled through. You even crawl up at one point. It then opens up after that for a while, but I don’t remember for sure if it gets large enough to stand up. I think it did.
How far in did you go?
Maybe a few hundred feet? Can’t really say any more. It was very cool, though. Toward the end, you crawl quite some distance, but it eventually gets too tight to go any farther. Not a place for claustrophobics, that’s for sure! I do remember it goes a lot farther in than Ice Cave does.
Were there any side passages, or just one long cave?
Yes, I believe there were side passages, but they played out pretty quickly. I only remember one sort of long route.
Was it full of bats?
Nope, never saw any bats at all.
Was it dark?
What kind of a question is that, silly Dingo? Black as Death, if your light went out! Always carried a flashlight with extra batteries, plus tied a strong string to a rock near the entrance and unraveled it while exploring, just in case something bad happened. Happily, never actually had to use it. Anyway, no more questions. We’re done here. So, if you will just stay another minute or two, I’ll get your picture from partway up, OK?
Returning to USFS Road No. 257, Lupe kept going. The road was flat at first, then climbed gently heading due N between a dense forest on the L (W), and a shattered one on the R (E). 0.33 mile from Erskine Cave, Lupe came to another open gate, a less elaborate one in a barbed wire fence. A few hundred feet farther and No. 527 reached its high point.
0.25 mile after starting downhill, Lupe came to a 4-way intersection at a big flat open saddle. TR8285 went SE, and a blocked road went NE. Lupe simply stuck with USFS Road No. 527 (TR8282) as it now went down a scenic valley. Another 0.50 mile brought Loop to a T intersection with USFS Road No. 144.2B, which was marked as TR8283.
Which way to the Ice Cave, SPHP? That’s where we’re going next, isn’t it?
Yup! Go R, Loop!
No. 144.2B went downhill a bit then climbed 40 or 50 feet going around the N side of a hill. Once past the high point, the road wound ENE as Lupe descended into yet another valley.
Looper had already seen a number of deer in the forest, but now topped that with a coyote sighting. Seeing a coyote was very exciting! Lupe would have gone over to have a sniff with it, but the coyote was far away. Already aware of SPHP, the coyote quickly disappeared in tall grass. All the American Dingo could do was stand on the road whining about how deliberately unfriendly the wild dog had been.
You’re killing my social life, SPHP!
Yeah, join the club! One of my strong points.
After a mile or so, a yellow and gray cliff appeared ahead. A fork in the road came into sight below it. A tiny pond shown on the topo map near this junction (Point 4497) turned out not to exist.
Upon reaching the fork, Lupe took the road marked as TR8287. It curved off to the L, heading up onto Stagebarn Ridge. The other branch, which went R continuing down the valley, was marked TR8284.
TR8287 curved up past the gray and yellow cliff. As Lupe got close to the top of Stagebarn Ridge, she came to another junction. TR8286 headed NW from here, but Loop stuck with TR8287, which now curved R (SE) heading up to a higher part of the ridge. The road soon topped out. Off to the E was the first big distant view of the day, a panorama looking over Stagebarn Canyon all the way to the prairies beyond the Black Hills.
Stagebarn Ridge was enormous and lower toward the SE where the road was heading. Lupe hadn’t gotten far beyond the road’s high point when SPHP paused to check the map.
What’s it say, SPHP?
Looks like we’re about 0.5 mile N of the Ice Cave now. We need to leave the road here to go search for it.
This road doesn’t go to the cave?
Nope. Just continues SE down a draw and dead ends.
Leaving TR8287, Lupe crossed a small field and entered the forest. This part of Stagebarn Ridge was a series of non-descript minor ups and downs. The forest had been thinned, so it was relatively open territory, but plenty of slash had been left on the ground by the loggers. SPHP stumbled along, as Lupe watched for squirrels or deer.
After maybe 0.33 mile, Lupe reached a flat area at the top of a little hill. Possibly HP4600 on the topo map? If so, Lupe wasn’t far from the Ice Cave now. A clearing could be seen to the S, although with the sky so overcast, SPHP wasn’t certain if it was SE, due S, or SW. Heading over to it, the clearing extended off to the R, which was the right direction.
After passing through the clearing, another hill was directly ahead.
I’m thinking this is it, Loop! The Ice Cave ought to be somewhere up on that hill. Keep an eye out for any kind of an opening. If I remember right, it ought to be easy to spot.
According to the map, the cave entrance should have been on the near side of the hill, but Loopster went right on up to the top without seeing any sign of it. The cave didn’t seem to be anywhere up on top, either. Lupe reached the far side of the hill. A road was visible heading off toward more hills.
Keep going, SPHP?
Not sure, Loop. Doesn’t seem right that it could be that much farther.
Well, there’s no cave here.
No, there isn’t. Hang on, let me check the map again.
Any exciting conclusions?
Maybe. If we really were at HP4600 earlier, that road we see from here, which doesn’t appear on the map at all, might be heading for the HP4581 region. That’s way too far S. Kind of think maybe we’re already too far S.
Go back then?
Yeah, I think so, let’s try shortcutting back N to the region W of HP4600.
Heading N, Lupe crossed a big field in the upper end of a drainage before reaching a heavily forested saddle SW of HP4600. Surprisingly, a road curved up to this point from the canyon to the W.
Lupe followed the road farther up the slope. She’d barely gotten started when there it was – the Ice Cave!
Good job, Looper! Yes, this is the Ice Cave, alright, but how do we get down there? It’s just a vertical drop on all sides!
You tell me, SPHP! You’re the one who has been here before. Did you use a rope?
Hmm. I don’t remember using any rope. But I don’t remember any issue getting into the cave, either.
Circling around to the SE, Ah-ha! – another opening!
Here we go, Looper!
A path led down through an opening so large that even SPHP didn’t have to duck.
The short tunnel led down into the pit with vertical walls that Loop had discovered first.
Along the W side of the pit, a jumble of rocks, many coated with an odd, thin, light-green layer of moss or algae slanted down into a dimly lit region. The American Dingo, now turned spelunker from peakbagger, began a wary descent into the gloom.
It wasn’t far to the bottom. Still enough light to see, but the camera worked better using the flash.
At the bottom was a solid rock wall, containing a single dark recess. Other than that, there was just the slope of collapsed material Lupe had come down. No doubt that dark recess was the route deeper into the Ice Cave.
Look, Loop! It’s not blocked off!
Oh, joy! Are you sure about this, SPHP? We aren’t going in, are we?
Yeah. We won’t go far. Hold on a minute, I’m going to put new batteries into the flashlight. These are about shot.
An illusion! The dark recess wasn’t a passage at all. 2 or 3 feet back in was just another part of the solid wall of rock. SPHP searched along the lower edge of the entire rock wall, soon exhausting all possibilities. The whole thing was as solid and continuous as could be.
Huh! I don’t get it? Where is the opening into the rest of the cave?
You sure there’s more to it than this, SPHP?
Yah. Absolutely positive. Ice Cave isn’t as long as Erskine Cave, but it went at least 50 or 100 feet into absolute darkness, something like that. The passage wasn’t as tight as at Erskine Cave, either.
And what was in there?
At the very end there was a room, easily big enough to stand and move around in. From the ceiling, a huge icicle hung down.
That sounds awesome! Explains the Ice Cave name, too! Was the icicle dripping?
Oh, it was super cool! Don’t remember for sure if the icicle was dripping, but I suppose it must have been, at least part of the time.
Shining the flashlight around some more, a glint of metal revealed bars fastened into the slope of debris Lupe had come down.
Hey, Loopster! Here it is! The passage into the lower cavern.
Oh, it is blocked off! What a relie … I mean, what a crying shame!
Yeah, it’s a pity! Would be fun to go in there again.
Looks like a mighty tight opening, SPHP.
Yeah. I thought it was larger. Such a long time ago, though.
Hey, SPHP! There’s a bigger opening over here!
Is it blocked, too?
Yes, come and take a look.
Oh, that’s it! This must have been the way we went in before.
We?
Yes. The only other time I’ve been to this Ice Cave was with my friend, Mark. He lived not too far from here and knew about this place. I’d never heard of it before.
Mark? The Mark Anderson with his friend Hillary that we climbed Boulder Hill with a few years ago?
Yup, one and the same.
Well, I guess that’s about all there is to see here now, Looper. Nothing more we can do with all the cave entrances blocked.
Yes, such a tragedy, isn’t it? Can we go?
Sure. But what did you think of Erskine Cave and Ice Cave?
Much more interesting than I thought they would be, SPHP! I’ve learned some dark secrets, past and present, and can see where spelunking might be fun! Think I’ll stick to peakbagging, if you don’t mind, though. Never going to see any deers or squirrels in a hole in the ground!
True dat! OK, c’mon, let’s get out of here.
So are we done for the day, SPHP?
Not quite, Loop. Want to explore a little more of Stagebarn Ridge? Maybe we can get a good view of Stagebarn Canyon? It’s really quite impressive from down in it. Kind of wonder what it looks like from above?
Fine with me! Let’s do it!
Heading NE, Lupe went back up and over HP4600. From there she worked her way N, crossed TR8287, then went SE up onto another portion of Stagebarn Ridge a mile away from the Ice Cave.
The views were pleasant, but not as impressive as SPHP expected. Lupe got to see part of Stagebarn Canyon, but never went far enough SE to see South Stagebarn Canyon, since the portion of the ridge overlooking it appeared to be heavily forested. A chocolate coconut bar, apple, and Taste of the Wild break was taken at a point where Bear Butte (4,422 ft.) could be seen off in the distance.
Break time over, Lupe headed NW. Blue sky! For the first time today, the sun was breaking through the clouds. The wide open spaces of Stagebarn Ridge were beautiful in the late afternoon sunlight!
Lupe sniffed and roamed on the way back to TR8287. Once there, she faced the same long road hike back. The Carolina Dog did not go past the Ice Cave again, but Erskine Cave was right along the way, and she did stop by to peer into it once more. Mostly, though, it was a fun, quiet trek watching for deer as the light began to fade. Loopster saw some, too!
Never did see that coyote again, though! (End 5:11 PM, 41ºF)
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