Even though it was a gorgeous day, within a minute of eagerly hopping out of the G6, Lupe hopped right back in. She didn’t want to get back out either. She’d heard gunfire. It was distant, way off to the NW, but almost continuous.
If there is anything Lupe hates, it is the sound of gunfire. As far as Lupe was concerned, she would rather forego her chance to roam the Black Hills than risk being shot. Lupe felt safe curled up inside the G6. SPHP could just go on without her.
For a few minutes, SPHP let Lupe be. The G6 was parked at the start of USFS Road No. 366.1 near its junction with South Rockerville Road (11:06 AM, 49°F). While Lupe hid out, SPHP walked over to take a look at Battle Creek. It wasn’t real big, but did have some flow. Lupe would enjoy getting a drink out of it now and then, once she got going.
Even though it was only natural and sensible for Lupe to want to hide until the gunfire stopped, there wasn’t any real danger that she was going to get shot. She was 3 miles SSE of an area where people often target practice. It would go on all day, on a nice day like today. Lupe would just have to get used to it.
SPHP returned to the G6, and opened a door hoping Lupe was ready to go by now. No way! She wasn’t leaving her G6 fortress, not even with SPHP’s encouragement. For a few minutes, Lupe moved from seat to seat trying to stay as far away from SPHP circling the G6 as possible. Finally, SPHP managed to get her out.
Lupe wanted to get back in, but the doors of the G6 were now shut. SPHP started up the road. Reluctantly, Lupe followed. At least she felt a little safer close to SPHP. All day long she was like SPHP’s shadow. Hardly any running around or exploring on her own, she just stuck to SPHP like glue. Now and then a squirrel managed to get her attention, but not very often.
Reluctantly or not, Lupe was on her way. Lupe and SPHP followed No. 366.1 NW up Tepee Gulch. The whole area was very pretty. Battle Creek flowed down a forested valley hemmed in on both sides by big rock formations. There were quite a few fords across the creek, but it was easy to just leap over it.
Lupe’s first peakbagging goal of the day was Echo Peak (4,790 ft.). Echo Peak was only about one mile NNW of the G6, so after Lupe had gone about 0.5 mile along USFS Road No. 366.1, it was time to start looking for it. Down in Tepee Gulch, it was hard to tell which hill might be Echo Peak. Lupe would have to start climbing.
Lupe and SPHP left USFS Road No. 366.1, crossed Battle Creek and headed N up a side road marked No. 6501. This ATV trail was very rough and deeply rutted, but gained elevation as it left Tepee Gulch passing between two hills. When the road looked like it was soon going to level out, Lupe turned NW up a side ravine. She went only a little way up the ravine before turning N to climb up onto the SE end of a ridge.
The ridge was so heavily forested, it wasn’t possible to see anything except trees. SPHP thought Echo Peak still had to be somewhere off to the NW, so Lupe started off in that direction. Within just a few minutes, SPHP spotted a relative high point toward the W where there was a rock outcropping. Lupe and SPHP went over to investigate.
Off to the W was a somewhat higher forested hill. It didn’t look terribly impressive, but SPHP was pretty certain it must be Echo Peak. There was no direct route to it, but it appeared that Lupe could continue NW and then turn SW to get over there.
More interesting than Echo Peak, was the view to the SW. Off in the distance was a side view of Mt. Rushmore (5,725 ft.).
Lupe and SPHP left the first high point continuing NW through the forest. Pretty soon, Lupe reached another high point where there was another rock formation, but the views weren’t as good as from the first high point. However, it did look pretty easy to traverse a little saddle to the SW to reach Echo Peak.
This second high point also featured some more big rocks a bit farther NW. Lupe went to check them out. There were partial views off to the NW, but for a really clear view, Lupe would have to climb up on the scariest high rocks. Lupe and SPHP decided to skip it, and just continue on to Echo Peak.
It didn’t take long for Lupe and SPHP to get there. The mountain had looked so heavily forested from the first high point, SPHP wasn’t at all certain there would be any decent views from Echo Peak, but it turned out there were.
Lupe could see quite a long way to the S and SE from the top of Echo Peak. There was another nice view of Silver Mountain (5,405 ft.) and Boulder Hill (5,331 ft.) off to the NW. The most important view, though, was off to the W. Lupe had two more peakbagging objectives in that direction. Until SPHP saw the view to the W, it still wasn’t even certain yet that Lupe was actually on Echo Peak.
She was! Off to the W were the two mountains SPHP had hoped to see – Tepee Peak (4,800 ft.) and Eagle Mountain (5,254 ft.). There was no doubt now that Lupe was on Echo Peak.
Tepee Peak is almost the exact same elevation as Echo Peak, and looked like an easy climb. Eagle Mountain, however, was 450 ft. higher. The huge rock outcropping at the N end was concerning. It didn’t look like anything Lupe could climb. Maybe there was a way up, though. Lupe and SPHP would just have to check it out when Lupe got there.
After a short break on Echo Peak, Lupe and SPHP started NW on the way to Tepee Peak, Lupe’s next peakbagging objective.
Going NW down Echo Peak started out just fine, but as Lupe lost elevation, the mountain got steeper and steeper. SPHP decided it looked easier going SW instead. It was better, but still pretty steep for a while. Lupe lost about 350 ft. of elevation going down Echo Peak before she reached Battle Creek again down in the valley.
After getting a good long drink out of Battle Creek, Lupe crossed it and started climbing Tepee Peak from the E. Parts of Tepee Peak were not nearly as heavily forested as Echo Peak had been. There were signs of fire on some of the trees. Fewer trees meant better views. The best view as Lupe climbed up the E slope was of Silver Mountain and Boulder Hill to the N.
As anticipated, it was a pretty easy trek up to the top of Tepee Peak. Lupe approached the summit from the NE. The top of the mountain was forested to the N, but there were good views in other directions.
Lupe and SPHP shared a chocolate coconut granola bar, while enjoying the views. The big rock formation at the summit of Eagle Mountain didn’t look any easier to climb from here than it had from Echo Peak.
Lupe had now completed 2 of her 3 peakbagging objectives for the day, Echo Peak and Tepee Peak. Her most challenging objective, Eagle Mountain, was still ahead. SPHP was really beginning to have doubts whether Lupe could actually reach the true summit of Eagle Mountain. Even if she couldn’t, though, it was clear she could get pretty close easily enough.
There wasn’t an easy way down off Tepee Peak going W. It was just too steep in that direction. Lupe and SPHP went down heading SE. Lupe had to lose quite a bit of elevation before reaching the valley to the S. Once she got there, she turned NW and started following a faint road up to the saddle just W of Tepee Peak.
When Lupe reached the saddle, there were barbed wire fences. A camper could be seen parked a short distance ahead among the trees. Lupe was more interested in the 4 deer that scampered away up the barren hill to the W. She had to stay and wait for SPHP, though. SPHP was busy picking up beer cans and a couple of broken bottles. Beer drinkers are the messiest and most adventurous people alive.
From the saddle just W of Tepee Peak, Lupe and SPHP climbed up along the mostly barren rocky ridge line. SPHP lifted Lupe over one dangerous downed barbed wire fence. There must have been a considerable amount of private property in this region. Lupe and SPHP started seeing private homes and cabins down in the valley to the N, and later on to the W.
Lupe crossed two good gravel roads. From the second and higher one, Eagle Mountain was now looming close to the NW. It still didn’t look encouraging.
Lupe crossed the second good gravel road and followed a steep jeep trail up the SE slope of Eagle Mountain. The jeep trail ended before reaching the top. Lupe and SPHP continued climbing. Lupe’s first objective was the high point at the S end of Eagle Mountain. It clearly wasn’t going to be as high as the summit block at the N end, but it wasn’t all that much lower. It might be as high as Lupe could get.
When Lupe reached the high point at the S end of the summit ridge, the situation didn’t look any more encouraging. The summit ridge wasn’t all that long, but it was quite rocky, and not very wide. After spending a little time relaxing at the S end, it was time for Lupe to go N. Lupe had often found that there were ways up rock formations that looked pretty imposing from most directions.
Lupe came to a place where there was a nice glimpse to the W toward Hardesty and Samelius Peaks, and Mount Warner.
Lupe lost a little elevation as she followed the summit ridge N. She came to a rocky spire that forced her around to the W. When Lupe got around the rocky spire, she was confronted by Eagle Mountain’s N summit block. It was probably 25-30 ft. higher than where Lupe had been at the S end of the mountain.
Lupe and SPHP reached the S end of the N summit block. Any decent rock climber could probably go right on up, but it looked beyond anything Lupe and SPHP could tackle. The E side of the summit block was even worse, a sheer drop that was completely out of the question. However, it looked like there might possibly be a route up from the W.
Lupe and SPHP scrambled over to the W side of the summit block. It turned out the possible route up was an illusion. There was no way up. A glance toward the N didn’t look the least bit promising either. Lupe wasn’t going to get to the true summit of Eagle Mountain. That success would have to await some adventurous rock climber on another day.
So, that was it. No Eagle Mountain summit success for Lupe, although she probably got within 25 feet of the top. Well, 2 out of 3 peakbagging goals accomplished wasn’t too bad.
Lupe seemed cheerful enough. She was as bright-eyed and happy as ever. Exploring Eagle Mountain had still been an adventure! Lupe and SPHP returned to the S end of the summit ridge for a final look. Then it was back down the SE slopes the way Lupe had come up.
Lupe and SPHP followed the same route back until Lupe was getting close to the saddle area just W of Tepee Peak. There, she left the ridgeline, and headed SE down into a little draw filled with young aspens. SPHP lifted her over the dangerous downed barbed wire fence again.
For Lupe the best part of the day was just beginning. The sun was getting low, and the gunfire was finally starting to taper off. She was now going away from it, and down where she couldn’t hear it as clearly. Lupe resumed her normal behavior on a Black Hills expedition. She ran through the forest, going up and down the hills, sniffing and checking for squirrels.
SE of Tepee Peak, Lupe and SPHP reached Battle Creek again. As Lupe continued downstream, she came to a road which started as a rough trail, but gradually improved. The quiet valley was beautiful in the fading light. Lupe found several really nice dispersed camping sites along Battle Creek. SPHP collected plenty of Lupe Treasures in the form of beer cans and other trash.
Battle Creek led Lupe back to USFS Road No. 366.1 again. Now it was an easy stroll back to the G6 (5:34 PM, 41°F). The reluctant American Dingo had made it to the top of Echo and Tepee Peaks, but Eagle Mountain still belongs to the eagles.
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