Twin Sisters – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 227 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Spring Creek to Twin Sisters & Brush Creek (4-29-18)

Start – 9:09 AM, 68°F, Spring Creek trailhead of Centennial Trail No. 89

Half a dozen vehicles were at the Spring Creek trailhead off Sheridan Lake Road when Lupe arrived. Apparently the day was going to get off to a busy start, at least by the Carolina Dog’s standards.

Lupe didn’t mind having an opportunity to meet a few people and sniff with other dogs. They were all likely to be concentrated around this first part of the trail along Spring Creek and Sheridan Lake. She would have plenty of solitude soon enough. Loop was eager to get going, and was underway as soon as SPHP was ready.

The Spring Creek trailhead provides access to Flume Trail No. 50 and the 111 mile long Centennial Trail No. 89. A spur trail follows Spring Creek upstream for a mile to Sheridan Lake where intersections with both of the main trails are found. Spring Creek is one of the larger streams in the Black Hills. The upstream trek is easy and beautiful.

By **Spring Creek** only a short distance from the trailhead.

Several beam bridges cross Spring Creek on the way to Sheridan Lake. Before the first bridge a shortcut to the Dakota Point trailhead appears on the R. This seldom used side route is easy to miss, if not looking for it. The shortcut avoids the rest of Spring Creek and Sheridan Lake entirely.

Lupe wasn’t looking for a shortcut now. Water in all its forms lends beauty and tranquility to almost any scene. The American Dingo had plenty of time to take the scenic route. She skipped the shortcut and went on to the first bridge.

On the first beam bridge across **Spring Creek**. Lupe would cross a couple more of these bridges on her way to Sheridan Lake.

Lupe did meet several people and a couple of dogs, but only briefly. A fisherman hadn’t had any luck fishing Spring Creek. Although the sky was overcast, everyone was enjoying the unseasonably warm day.

The spur trail was practically level almost all the way to Sheridan Lake. Near the dam the trail became steeper, but not for long. Loop was soon up on the S end of the dam. She had reached Centennial Trail No. 89.

Lupe arrives at **Sheridan Lake** near the S end of the dam. Photo looks NNE.

Lupe could have taken Centennial Trail No. 89 SE along Sheridan Lake from here. Alternatively, Flume Trail No. 50 branches off just S of the dam. However, the plan was to explore the Centennial Trail N to the Brush Creek trailhead, a distance of nearly 8 miles.

The American Dingo trotted across the dam heading N. At the far end, a winding stone stairway led to the top of a small hill.

Looking S at the Sheridan Lake dam. The hill on the R is **Bluelead Mountain (5,170 ft.)** where Lupe had seen a mountain lion on Leap Day in 2016. The more distant higher hill R of Center is **Calumet Ridge (5,601 ft.)**.

E end of **Sheridan Lake**. Photo looks SW.

Leaving Sheridan Lake behind, Lupe crossed a footbridge over the Spring Creek outlet.

This footbridge spans the narrow chasm where Spring Creek flows out of Sheridan Lake. Lupe crossed it on her way to the Dakota Point trailhead.

After crossing this last bridge over Spring Creek, Lupe had nearly a mile to go on Centennial Trail No. 89 to get to the Dakota Point trailhead. This entire route was on an old road through the forest. For the first 0.5 mile, the road went N up a valley until it reached a saddle. At the saddle, the road leveled out and turned W the rest of the way.

No vehicles were at the Dakota Point trailhead. The road hike from Sheridan Lake to get here had been a bit dull. However, Lupe still had 6.8 miles to go to get to the Brush Creek trailhead, and the trail was about to get more interesting. The trail crossed a gravel road becoming a single track going downhill on the other side.

Being on the single track was more fun. The trail went both up and down in a forest that had been thinned. Overall, Loopster lost a little net elevation by the time she reached Sheridan Lake Road 0.5 mile NW of the Dakota Point trailhead.

After passing the Dakota Point trailhead, Centennial Trail No. 89 becomes a single track for 0.5 mile on the way to Sheridan Lake Road. Photo looks NW.

Once Lupe crossed Sheridan Lake Road, Centennial Trail No. 89 took her NW up a long valley. This was the start of a much more private and less traveled region.

Lupe had hardly gotten started up the valley when she crossed a tiny trickle of a stream. The day was quite warm, very warm if wearing a fashionable fur coat like Lupe was. The tiny stream featured a small, rather slimy green waterhole. The American Dingo was not shy about helping herself to a slimy drink, and a quick slimy, cooling bath.

*Slime? What slime? This is great! Nice and cool!*

Centennial Trail No. 89 followed an abandoned USFS Road up the long valley. The grassy road seemed like a part of nature.

Going up the long valley. Photo looks NW.

The trail continued NW or N following a maze of old roads. Most of this area was forested, but Lupe passed a few meadows, too. At one point she went by a large rock formation on the R. It was the only one, though. This wasn’t rough territory.

Lupe gained elevation steadily at a modest pace. A mile from Sheridan Lake Road she reached a minor crest. Beyond the crest the trail brought her to a large power line.

About a mile from Sheridan Lake Road, Lupe reaches a big power line. Centennial Trail No. 89 follows the power line for a couple hundred yards before disappearing back into the forest on the R. Photo looks NE.

Centennial Trail No. 89 turned NE here, following the power line for 200 yards before heading E back into the forest. Lupe quickly crossed a small saddle before losing elevation slowly as the trail entered a more open region. Stands of aspens were common.

After leaving the power line and crossing a small forested saddle, Lupe enters a shallow valley where aspens were common among the pines. Photo looks ESE.

Much of the Centennial Trail sees only light use. Trail maintenance is spotty. In many places trail markers are missing, have faded or fallen over. Unless some degree of alertness is maintained, it can be easy to miss turns. SPHP sensed Lupe might be approaching one of these places. The trail was going E or even SE. Somewhere around here, it would have to turn N again fairly soon.

The grassy road the trail followed took Loop well into the aspens before she reached the turn N. Fortunately, this turn was marked. Otherwise it would have been so easy to keep following the grassy road SE.

Centennial Trail No. 89 turns N (L) here. Fortunately, the turn is marked by an arrow on the brown wand (R). Photo looks ESE.

As soon as the trail turned N, Lupe began gradually regaining the nearly 100 feet of elevation she had lost on the way down into the aspens. She regained it all and more before reaching another saddle in a pine forest. This saddle was SE of High Point 5302 and SW of High Point 5331.

It was time for a short break. Small rock outcroppings a little SE of the trail seemed like a good spot. Lupe had water. She wasn’t interested in her Taste of the Wild yet, but was quite happy to help SPHP out with that chocolate granola bar.

Although there had been sections of downhill on the way here, none of them had been too significant. For the most part, Lupe had been gaining elevation. She was now at 5,200 feet, the highest point she would reach while actually on Centennial Trail No. 89 all day.

At the high point of Centennial Trail No. 89 between the Brush Creek trailhead and Sheridan Lake. Lupe’s at 5,200+ feet here. Photo looks N.

When break time was over, Lupe started the first significant downhill stretch she’d come to all day. At first, on the steepest part of the decline, Centennial Trail No. 89 followed an old road. Once Looper had lost 200 feet going generally N, the trail swung E while losing another 150 feet.

After losing more than 200 feet of elevation from the high point, Centennial Trail No. 89 leaves the road here to skirt the hillside on the L. Photo looks E.

Although the Black Hills are full of deadfall timber resulting from a pine bark beetle infestation, Lupe came to very little deadfall on the portion of Centennial Trail No. 89 that she explored today. This short stretch was an exception. Photo looks ENE.

0.75 mile from the high point where Lupe had taken her short break, Centennial Trail No. 89 bottomed out. It now started up a valley that led NNE. Lupe was about to enter the Bald Hills, an area of grasslands covering 2+ square miles within the Black Hills National Forest. She soon arrived at a saddle E of Twin Sisters (5,244 ft.).

Centennial Trail No. 89 passes right by the **Twin Sisters**. The **E Twin Sister** is the hill seen here. Photo looks WSW.

The E Twin Sister is the highest, and sits along the edge of the Bald Hills. Centennial Trail No. 89 goes right by it. This was an opportunity for Lupe to get a little peakbagging in! Loop and SPHP left the trail and made the short climb to the top.

Loop arrives at the summit of the **E Twin Sister**. **Peak 5800** is seen on the L. The lower grasslands are part of the area known as the Bald Hills. Photo looks WNW.

**Peak 5800** is on the L. The most distant forested hill R of Center is the mountain Lupe knows as **New Year’s Eve Peak (6,046 ft.)**. Photo looks WNW.

The summit of the E Twin Sister was a short ridge running N/S. Deadfall timber littered the entire N end, and part of the S end, too. A patch of ground right at the true summit was open and only a bit rocky. Many dead trees had fallen over, but enough dead and live pines were still standing to mar the views in most directions.

Still, this wasn’t a bad vantage point. Lupe could see a number of peaks she had been to before. She also enjoyed a commanding view of the Bald Hills to the E.

**Five Points (6,221 ft.)** (L of Center) is on the horizon. The nearest ridge beyond Lupe is the lower **W Twin Sister**. Photo looks SW.

Lupe liked this commanding view of the **Bald Hills**. Photo looks E.

The temperature must have been in the 70’s °F. The physical exertion of following the trail and climbing E Twin Sister was enough to make it seem very warm. Lupe and SPHP were both ready for water and a longer break. The Carolina Dog thought maybe it would be best to eat the other chocolate granola bar right now before the chocolate melted. That seemed like a good idea, and the deed was done.

The heat made Loop and SPHP lazy. Twin Sisters was a nice spot with at least some views. Why not relax a bit? Lupe laid down next to SPHP. She enjoyed being petted while scanning the Bald Hills below for any signs of movement. A few insects buzzed by. The warm air and light breeze felt good when you weren’t doing anything.

SPHP woke up. The American Dingo was still right there. She hadn’t moved a muscle. The sky had been overcast when Lupe arrived up on Twin Sisters, but now it was sunny. That really had been a nice break, but it was time to get going. Loop and SPHP headed NE down toward Centennial Trail No. 89.

After a nice long break up on Twin Sisters, Lupe heads back down to Centennial Trail No. 89. Photo looks NE.

Centennial Trail No. 89 headed NE losing elevation as it crossed the Bald Hills. It looked like it was going to go down a long valley, but instead curved E. The trail climbed again staying in the Bald Hills a little longer before turning N and heading for the trees. Before it reached the forest, Lupe took another look back at Twin Sisters.

Looking back across the Bald Hills toward **Twin Sisters** (L), **Peak 5800** (Center) & **New Year’s Eve Peak** (R). Photo looks SW.

0.5 mile NE of Twin Sisters, Centennial Trail No. 89 entered the forest once more. Lupe lost elevation gradually over the next 0.5 mile. The trail rounded a ridge and came to a tiny Dingo-sized forest.

Approaching the tiny forest. Photo looks NNW.

After climbing through the tiny forest, Lupe reached a saddle where she crossed a gravel road. On the other side Centennial Trail No. 89 began losing elevation again. The Carolina Dog was now on the final stretch approaching Brush Creek.

Near the start of the final stretch leading down to Brush Creek. Photo looks N.

*I’ll have you know this was a very exciting part of the trail. I found a squirrel!* Photo looks N.

Before long, Lupe was at Brush Creek. Brush Creek didn’t amount to much. Hardly a trickle. However, there were a couple of nice pools of water. The Carolina Dog was glad to see them!

*I was so thirsty after barking at that squirrel!*

*Maybe we should follow streams all the time now that it’s getting warm out? So nice to be able to cool off!*

The Brush Creek trailhead was across a gravel road from Brush Creek. One vehicle was here, but no one was around. The trailhead featured a map and information about Centennial Trail No. 89.

Centennial Trail No. 89 winds 111 miles from Bear Butte near Sturgis, SD to Wind Cave National Park in the southern Black Hills.

At the Brush Creek trailhead, Lupe was somewhere around 8.5 miles from where she’d started out at the Spring Creek trailhead this morning. This was far enough for one day, since she now had to go all the way back. When SPHP was done looking at the posted map and information about the trail, Lupe set off again. This time she was heading S.

By the time Loopster made it back to the Bald Hills, the sunny day had vanished. A thunderstorm was approaching out of the SSW.

A thunderstorm was approaching out of the SSW by the time Lupe made it back to the **Bald Hills**. The **E Twin Sister** is dead ahead. Photo looks SW.

Loop and SPHP left the trail to take a shortcut across the Bald Hills to Twin Sisters (5,244 ft.). The original plan had been to climb both the E and W Twin Sisters on the return trip, but with the storm approaching, Lupe would be lucky to beat it to just the E Twin Sister.

People were shooting guns somewhere off to the E not too far away. Lupe couldn’t see them, but the sound of gunfire so close by made her a nervous wreck. She wanted to find a place to hide, but SPHP urged her on toward the E Twin Sister.

Pasque flowers, the state flower of South Dakota, were blooming out on the Bald Hills.

When Loopster reached the summit of the E Twin Sister again, she felt better. The gunfire was far away now. She really wasn’t as safe as she thought, though. Trees swayed in a gusty S wind, light rain was falling, thunder rumbled, and occasional lightning flashes could be seen only a few miles away.

Back at the summit of **E Twin Sister** for the 2nd time today. Photo looks NW.

**Five Points** on the horizon seen through light rain. Photo looks SW.

**Five Points (6,221 ft.)**. Photo looks SW.

Although the storm wasn’t bad yet, due to the lightning SPHP was eager to leave the summit almost as soon as Lupe arrived. All thoughts of climbing the W Twin Sister had gone out the window, too.

When SPHP started down, Lupe didn’t follow. She wanted to stay. She felt safe from the gunfire here, and apparently had fond memories of the earlier nap on E Twin Sister. Clearly, the Carolina Dog was hoping for a repeat performance.

Despite the storm, Loopster wanted to stay up here on **E Twin Sister**. She was looking forward to another nap!

Loopster still had a long way to go. Even if there hadn’t been a storm, there wasn’t time for another nap. SPHP coaxed Loop into returning to the trail.

The storm struck only a glancing blow. It rained, but never too hard. After a while the sun came out. The air was cool now. It was evening. The secluded trek along Centennial Trail No. 89 was wonderful. Loop saw deer and wild turkeys. She went on and on, sniffing happily.

Another storm came and went, striking another glancing blow. Lupe got wet, but not soaked. Near the end of the day, she took the shortcut leading down to the spur trail near the first bridge over Spring Creek. The sun was down and light was fading by the time Lupe was closing in on the Spring Creek trailhead again. It wasn’t dark when she arrived back at the G6, but would be soon. (8:06 PM, 52°F)

Time to head home for Alpo, and a night dreaming of days yet to come on Centennial Trail No. 89.

Evening on Centennial Trail No. 89, Black Hills of South Dakota, 4-29-18

Links:

Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition

Next Trail Section South:

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 228 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Spring Creek to Samelius (5-6-18)

Next Trail Section North:

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 229 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Brush Creek to Rapid Creek & Perrin Mountain (5-14-18)

Centennial Trail No. 89 Brochure & Map

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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 199 – Twin Sisters Twice & Castle Rock (4-12-17)

Start (10:25 AM, 54°F), intersection of Dog Song Road & USFS Road No. 373, 4 miles SE of Pringle.

Cool rainy weather, even a skiff of snow, had delayed Expedition No. 199 for several days, but Lupe was finally on her way! Although she had finished up the last of the Brian Kalet peaks she was going to climb in the southern Black Hills on Expedition No. 198, she was still headed S, just not quite as far S as before.

Lupe’s first peakbagging objective for the day was the high point of the Twin Sisters Range (4,980 ft.). The Twin Sisters Range is really no more than a 2 mile long ridge running E/W within the Black Hills. For some reason this ridge, which isn’t particularly high even compared to nearby terrain, has its own name on the maps while countless similar ridges do not.

No matter, if the Twin Sisters Range was on the maps, that was good enough for Lupe! After she reached the high point, the plan was to explore much of the rest of the ridge. Maybe Lupe would even go on to Elk Knob, another minor high point 0.5 mile farther S?

Approaching the area from the W, it became clear Lupe would not only have an easy time up on the ridge, she would have some great views, too. The Twin Sisters Range looked barren and exposed.

The W end of the Twin Sisters Range looked barren and exposed. Lupe was going to have some great views up there! Photo looks E from Dog Song Road.

At the starting point. The G6 is parked just off Dog Song Road (not pictured). Lupe would follow USFS Road No. 373 to get to the W end of the Twin Sisters Range, about a mile E of here. High Point 5017 is the ridge seen in the background. Photo looks SE.

From the G6, Lupe followed USFS Road No. 373 going E toward the W end of the Twin Sisters Range. This was a super easy, level stroll in upper Cold Spring Creek valley. The creek must have been underground here. It was nowhere in sight. A steady E breeze made the day seem cooler than it really was, but meadowlarks were singing cheerfully. Lupe was cheerful, too! She liked this place.

Shortly after setting out, Loop reached a locked gate across No. 373 at the W end of an area serving as the water supply source for Wind Cave National Park. The 0.5 mile long area is not connected to the rest of the park, located 2 miles farther E. No vehicles could go beyond the locked gate, but Lupe could. It didn’t take her long to reach the far E end where she found no gate, only a cattle guard.

After passing through the park water supply area, No. 373 angled SE and entered a thinly forested area. Lupe began to gain elevation. The W end of the Twin Sisters Range was now close at hand.

Getting close to the W end of the Twin Sisters Range. Photo looks E from USFS Road No. 373.

Lupe followed No. 373 gradually uphill until she was SW of the W end of the Twin Sisters Range. Here, SPHP led her off the road to begin the real climb.

Lupe and SPHP left the road to begin the climb up to the W end of the ridgeline here. Photo looks NE.

After all the cactus she had been having to dodge for the last couple of months while climbing Brian Kalet peaks farther S, Loop wasn’t at all certain leaving the road was a good idea. In fact, she was pretty positive it wasn’t. This barren ridge looked a lot like some of those cactus-infested areas. She begged SPHP to carry her.

The Twin Sisters Range was a few hundred feet higher than most of the peaks Lupe had been climbing lately. It was definitely sunny and exposed, which is good for cactus, but SPHP hadn’t seen any yet. Maybe this area was high enough to be above cactus line? Cactus usually disappears somewhere in the 4,700 to 5,000 foot range in the Black Hills.

SPHP didn’t carry Lupe, only encouraged her to keep climbing. She followed somewhat reluctantly. However, her confidence grew as she made rapid progress up the slope without encountering any cacti.

Shortly before reaching the ridgeline, there was movement on the ground. Lupe saw a snake! It was gray-green and smallish, but coiled up and surprisingly active. SPHP didn’t know what kind of snake it was, but it was clearly harmless.

Lupe came across this snake as she neared the top of the ridgeline. It was harmless, but surprisingly active on this cool, breezy day.

Even though the snake was harmless, SPHP was a little concerned about seeing it. The snake seemed plenty lively despite the cool, breezy day. Snakes are quite rare in most of the Black Hills, but are much more common at lower elevations. In all her expeditions and adventures in the Black Hills, Lupe has never seen a rattlesnake.

One of the reasons Lupe had been climbing the lower Brian Kalet peaks of the southern hills early in the year when it was cold out was to avoid encountering rattlesnakes. Due Lupe’s small size, a rattlesnake would be much more of a danger to her than to SPHP, and she might not know to stay away if she came to one.

Lupe might be above cactus line here, but seeing the harmless snake proved she wasn’t above snake line yet. SPHP couldn’t ever remember seeing a rattlesnake above 5,500 feet in the Black Hills, but that was more than 500 feet higher than the Twin Sisters Range. Seeing the harmless snake also proved spring had progressed far enough along so snakes were now active.

Dry, sunny, and topped by a layer of weathered limestone undoubtedly offering plenty of little caves and crevasses to hide in, the Twin Sisters Range did look like prime rattlesnake country. Still, seeing a single harmless snake didn’t mean the area was infested. SPHP encouraged Lupe to stay close from now on, though, as she finished her climb.

It only took Lupe a couple more minutes to reach the top at the W end of the ridge. The views were excellent!

Lupe reaches the W end of the Twin Sisters Range ridge. The views were excellent! Without any trees around, Loop could see in every direction. Photo looks W at the Cold Springs Creek valley she had traveled through to get here.

The high point of the Twin Sisters Range (R) from near the W end of the ridge. Photo looks ENE.

The Twin Sisters Range High Point (4,980 ft.) was less than 0.25 mile away. An easy stroll E along the ridge, and Lupe was claiming her first peakbagging success of the day! That was easy!

Lupe reaches the summit cairn at the Twin Sisters Range High Point. Photo looks W.

The lower end of the Cold Spring Creek valley. Photo looks ENE.

With the 360° view available from the Twin Sisters Range High Point, Lupe could see many mountain peaks she had visited in the past, including a lot of the ones she had been to in the last couple of months in the southern Black Hills. Most of them were many miles away.

Looking N toward **Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.)**(Center). **Mount Coolidge (6,023 ft.)**(far R) is also in view.

**High Point 5017** is the large, barren ridge in the foreground. On the far horizon are **Parker Peak (4,848 ft.)**(L) and **Matias Peak (4,780 ft.)**(Center). Photo looks SW.

Much of the territory around (and including) the Twin Sisters Range had burned years ago. This photo looks NW at some of the devastation.

From the summit, Lupe could see the rest of the Twin Sisters Range ridgeline to the E. She would get to explore much of this territory on her way to Elk Knob. It looked like fun! The Carolina Dog would enjoy great views all the way.

Looking SE at the rest of the Twin Sisters Range ridgeline. Lupe would have a great time exploring it on her way to Elk Knob! Buffalo Gap is in view in the distance at the edge of the hills a little R of Center. **Peak 4160** is the long ridge to the L of it at Center. **Unkpapa Peak (4,280 ft.)** is the long ridge to the R. Lupe had been to both only 10 days ago on Expedition No. 198.

After enjoying the views from the breezy summit, Lupe headed SE down the ridge starting her trek to Elk Knob. For 5 minutes, it was fun being able to see so much. In an instant, everything changed.

Looper, you OK?!

Yes, of course! You were right, no cactus up here. Makes life a lot more pleasant! This is way better than some of those other mountains.

Yeah, but we’re not staying. Time to go! There’s worse things than cactus. Hear that buzzing?

With these big soft Dingo ears, how could I not hear it?

Well, remember that sound. That’s a rattlesnake. Poisonous, perhaps deadly to Dingoes if one bites you! We must have passed within a few feet of it seconds ago. It’s right over there somewhere. Stay here! Don’t go over there.

Yikes! Are you serious?

Very. Two snakes in what, maybe 20 minutes, up here? One of them poisonous. It changes everything. We aren’t going to spend hours strolling around on Rattler Ridge courting disaster. Forget that. If you like this place, we can come back another time, like on a warmish day in December or January. Won’t be any snakes then.

Yeah, suddenly I’m thinking this place would look gorgeous with a couple inches of snow on the ground!

Yup, exactly, let’s skedaddle, but stay close till we’re down off this ridge.

The buzzing had lasted maybe 20 seconds before it stopped. SPHP pitched 8 or 10 rocks back toward the source, but the buzzing didn’t start up again. SPHP walked a little closer, but saw nothing. Maybe the snake had slithered into some hole? Didn’t matter, there wasn’t any doubt. A rattler had been there. Elk Knob wasn’t happening. Not today. No way!

Looking NW back up at the Twin Sisters Range High Point. This was as far as Lupe got on her way to Elk Knob due to the rattlesnake she’d heard only a few minutes ago.

Lupe didn’t go back up to the Twin Sisters Range summit. She took a shortcut going SW down off the ridge. This route was more direct and less steep than the way she’d come up. She came to no more snakes.

The return trip to USFS Road No. 373 was uneventful. SPHP did see the one and only cactus patch of the day, but it was easily avoided. The most exciting thing Lupe encountered along the way was some sort of huge ant festival going on at a rotting log.

Lupe starts down the S side of the ridge. If you want a good idea of what prime rattlesnake territory looks like, this is it. Photo looks W.

Lupe saw no more snakes. The most exciting thing she saw coming down off the ridge was this big ant festival being held at a rotten log.

All’s well that ends well. Loopster reached USFS Road No. 373. At least she had made it to the top of the Twin Sister’s Range High Point! Elk Knob could wait.

On the way back to the G6 along USFS Road No. 373. Photo looks WNW.

The stroll back to the G6 along the road was nice and relaxing. The whole journey to the Twin Sisters Range High Point hadn’t taken long, only a little over an hour and a half (12:07 PM, 54°F). There was oodles of time left in the day.

That was OK! SPHP had a backup plan. There was another Twin Sisters on the maps Lupe could visit.

On the way back to Hwy 89 on Dog Song Road, SPHP stopped the G6 for this look back at the Twin Sisters Range High Point (L). *Goodbye Rattler Ridge!* Photo looks E.

Well, Loopster, that was it! We are done with this low country stuff now until it gets cold again in the fall. No more cactus. No more snakes. We are staying high. If we manage not to fall off of anything and can avoid the barbed wire, we should be golden. Of course, there’s always mountain lions, and hunters, but oh well, never mind. We’ll be fine.

That sounds, great! I can’t tell you how sick I was getting of cactus.

No doubt, but you were getting better at handling it, too. We had fun! Saw some great stuff.

Maybe, not nearly enough squirrels, though. So where we going now?

Twin Sisters again. Another Twin Sisters (5,920 ft.), a different one. These next Twin Sisters are W of Custer. They are nearly 1,000 feet higher than the ones we just left. Should be plenty of trees, no cactus, no snakes, and maybe you will see some squirrels.

I hope you’re right. Strange that both places have the same name.

Yeah, actually, there is a third set of Twin Sisters (5,244 ft.) in the Black Hills, too. It’s even farther N, between Pactola and Sheridan Lakes, practically right off the Centennial Trail. You’ve already been there, but it was a long time ago. You weren’t even 14 months old yet. So after this next set, you will have visited 3 different Twin Sisters in the Black Hills.

Like a whole litter of sisters!

You could say that.

When Lupe jumped out of the G6 again at Comanche Park campground off Hwy 16, she knew instantly this place was more to her liking (12:59 PM, 52°F). She sniffed the air briefly, then took off running in circles. It was true! No more cactus! One of the first trees she checked even had a squirrel in it! Things were definitely looking up.

The new Twin Sisters were less than 2 miles away. Lupe and SPHP headed S through Comanche Park campground. A little beyond it, a few houses were around, part of some subdivision, but the private property wasn’t hard to avoid. Most of the area was national forest land.

The terrain Lupe traveled through was rolling and forested. Much of the forest had been thinned, so it was quite open and easy to see what was ahead. Before long, the N Twin Sister (5,920 ft.) was in view. It was the highest of the two.

The N Twin Sister comes into view S of Comanche Park campground. Photo looks S.

Lupe headed straight for the mountain. As she got closer, it looked like it might be best to start up along the NW ridge. The climb wasn’t difficult, although it became steeper as Lupe got higher up.

When she was already fairly high, Lupe reached a prominent point capped by some unusual looking rocks. The rocks formed a couple of platforms, one large and one small. Lupe got up on both to look around. From the smaller platform, she had a decent view to the NNE.

Lupe on the small platform of cool rocks on her way up the N Twin Sister. She was already high enough to have a pretty decent view from here. Photo looks NNE.

A happy finally-out-of-cactus-country American Dingo on the smaller platform. **Sylvan Hill (7,000 ft.)** is the distant ridge on the R. Photo looks NNE.

Trees blocked the views from the larger platform. Still, it was fun climbing around on the interesting rocks.

Lupe below the highest rocks of the larger platform.

Lupe finished her climb following the N ridge. The route was modestly steep, but not difficult. Soon Looper was standing on a stump at the very top of the N Twin Sister. Since this was the highest sister, she’d already accomplished her peakbagging goal here. Easy, squeezy!

Ta da! Lupe stands on a stump at the summit of the N Twin Sister. Since this was the highest one, she was able to claim another Dingo peakbagging success! The S Twin Sister is in view beyond her. Photo looks S.

The summit area was plenty roomy. Three prongs radiated out from the central high point. One off to the N, one to the E. The third and longest prong sloped down to the SW. The views were best from the two shorter prongs, due to breaks in the forest.

Lupe at the edge of the E prong. **Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.)** (Center) is the high point on the horizon. Photo looks ESE.

The summit area on the N Twin Sister was plenty roomy. This photo looks W from the E prong, and shows more than half of the summit area.

Lupe and SPHP took a break near the summit. Lupe had her Taste of the Wild and water. SPHP consumed an apple.

A number of birds were flying around. The Bluebird of Happiness showed up and hung around for quite a while. Lupe was glad to see him! She was certain now that her past few months of cactus ordeals were over. The Bluebird of Happiness would never steer you wrong, would he?

The Bluebird of Happiness paid Lupe a visit up on the N Twin Sister. It had been a year since she’d last seen him up on **Twin Buttes (4,949 ft.)** during **Expedition No. 166**. Maybe the Bluebird of Happiness had a thing for twins?

After the break, Lupe went down into the saddle leading to the S Twin Sister. It was an easy jaunt down a modestly steep slope. The climb up the S Twin Sister was steeper, but not bad. A lot more rocks were over here. Lupe went up along the NW side since there were cliffs on the N and NE sides.

Lupe got up on the cliffs for a look back at the N Twin Sister.

On top of the cliffs along the NE edge of the S Twin Sister. The N Twin Sister where she had just been is in view. Photo looks N.

The S Twin Sister had a much larger summit area than the N Twin Sister. There were two high points, one to the N and one to the S. The N one seemed to be a little higher than the S one, but Lupe found great viewpoints from both. Trees always blocked the views to the NW, but it was possible to see in any other direction from some part of the mountain.

Lupe took a tour of the entire summit area. She enjoyed lots of fabulous views.

Lupe at the edge of the S rim of the S Twin Sister. **Parker Peak (4,848 ft.)** (L) and **Matias Peak (4,780 ft.)** (Center) are barely in view in the haze on the horizon. Photo looks S.

**Peak 5846** is the closest big ridge on the R. Photo looks SE.

Lupe stands at the SW end of the S Twin Sister. A lower rock platform seen on the R stuck out a little farther to the W. A small connecting saddle made it possible to get onto the lower platform. Photo looks SSW.

Looking down across a gap toward the lower platform. Photo looks SW.

The view through the gap between the platforms. Photo looks SSE.

Looper on the lower platform. Photo looks S.

*Can I come down yet? …. Sure, that was great Loop, thank you!*

Lupe at the S high point of the S Twin Sister. The topo maps give the elevation here as 5,889 ft. Photo looks NNE.

After touring the whole area near the S high point, Lupe returned to the cliffs near the N high point for a final look around.

The N Sister (L) from the cliffs at the N end of the S Sister. The large gray rock formation sticking up out of the forest on the R is Castle Rock. Photo looks N.

Loop on top of the cliffs along the far NE edge of the S Sister. Peak 5846 (Center) is the first big ridge seen in the distance beyond her. Photo looks SE.

Looking S across the summit area of the S Twin Sister from near the N end.

Having completed her explorations of the S Twin Sister summit, Lupe went back down the NW slope and crossed the saddle over to the N Twin Sister. Down in the saddle she found a pretty grouping of crocuses.

Crocuses (officially Pasque flowers) are the state flower of South Dakota. They bloom in early spring in the Black Hills.

Lupe returned briefly to the summit of the N Twin Sister before heading down the N ridge.

Lupe back at the summit of the N Twin Sister. Photo looks N.

On the way down the N ridge, Lupe could sometimes see a large, gray rock formation off in the forest to the NNE. This was Castle Rock (5,600 ft.). SPHP had also caught a glimpse of Castle Rock off to the E on Lupe’s way to the Twin Sisters. It wasn’t terribly high, but the sides looked like nearly vertical walls – not anything a Dingo could climb.

Castle Rock as seen on Lupe’s way down the N ridge of the N Twin Sister. Photo looks NNE using the telephoto lens.

Despite not being any larger than hundreds, maybe thousands, of similar rock formations in the Black Hills, Castle Rock had its own name and was shown on the maps. Since it was kind of on the way back to the G6, SPHP thought Lupe might as well go check it out. Even if she couldn’t climb Castle Rock, she could say she’d been there.

Surprisingly, when Lupe arrived, it looked fairly easy to climb at least partway up from the S end. Lupe began climbing. She needed a boost at one scrambly spot, but to SPHP’s amazement, she made it all the way to the top of Castle Rock!

To SPHP’s amazement, Lupe made it all the way to the top of Castle Rock. Photo looks N.

Castle Rock wasn’t all that tall, but it jutted up high enough to be well above the surrounding forest. Consequently, Lupe had views in every direction. The true summit of Castle Rock was near the N end of the formation where several large boulders sat on the rest of the granite. Lupe got up on one of these boulders.

Lupe on one of the huge boulders at the true summit near the N end of Castle Rock. Photo looks N.

*Hah! And you thought I couldn’t do it, SPHP. Not a bad Dingo perch either, I can see for miles!* Photo looks SSW.

After scanning the forest below for deer and squirrels from her lofty perch, Lupe got off the big boulder to explore the summit area some more. It wasn’t very large, but was kind of dramatic with all the huge rocks around and cliffs to the E & W.

Lupe exploring the summit area. Twin Sisters are in view on the L. The highest boulder of all on Castle Rock is seen on the R. Photo looks SSW.

Of course, the Twin Sisters where Lupe had just been were in view to the SSW.

Twin Sisters (Center) from Castle Rock. Photo looks SSW.

After a brief summit area inspection, Lupe returned to the huge boulder.

After a few more minutes enjoying the views from her favorite lofty perch, it was time to go. Retreating back down the S end the way she had come up was the only feasible route. Soon Lupe was down and on her way back to the G6.

Expedition No. 199 should have been over now for all practical purposes, but by the time Lupe made it back to the G6 (5:34 PM, 52°F), SPHP had hatched a new plan.

Near Mount Rushmore is another mountain shown on the maps called Old Baldy Mountain (5,605 ft.). Lupe had never been there, even though it was in the Peakbagger.com data base. SPHP had always assumed based on its location near many other impossible-for-a-Dingo-to-climb soaring granite formations that Lupe wouldn’t be able to climb Old Baldy.

However, Loopster’s unexpected success reaching the top of Castle Rock made SPHP start thinking maybe she could also get to the summit of Old Baldy Mountain? Time to check it out!

On the way home, Lupe dropped by the Wrinkled Rock Climbing Area (6:09 PM, 50°F). A short walk along one of the paths brought Lupe to a view of Old Baldy Mountain.

*Forget about this one, SPHP, unless you’re ready to spring for a helicopter ride! This one’s not happening!* Old Baldy Mountain (Center). Photo looks ENE.

Directions:

Twin Sisters Range High Point: Dog Song Road (USFS Road No. 682.1) leaves Hwy 89 1.7 miles S of Pringle. The junction with USFS Road No. 373 is 3 miles from the highway.

Twin Sisters (W of Custer): Comanche Park campground where Lupe started is 6 miles W of Custer on the S side of Hwy 16. However, it may be possible (and necessary when the campground is open) to start much closer on an alternate route from the E. Click here for details.

Links:

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