{"id":10110,"date":"2017-06-06T08:10:59","date_gmt":"2017-06-06T14:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=10110"},"modified":"2020-09-24T10:26:36","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T16:26:36","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-204-clayton-pond-crooks-tower-peak-6820-5-13-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=10110","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 204 – Clayton Pond, Crooks Tower & Peak 6820 (5-13-17)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Start: 9:43 AM, 68\u00b0F, intersection of Long Draw Road (USFS Road No. 209) & USFS Road No. 209.2D<\/em><\/p>\n

Loop barely got started on USFS Road No. 209.2D when it curved to the N and started going uphill.\u00a0 Not the way she needed to go.\u00a0 An unmarked grassy side road curved W continuing down the valley.\u00a0 Lupe took it instead.<\/p>\n

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Lupe leaves USFS Road No. 209.2D to take the grassy side road seen beyond her down the valley to Merow Spring. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As usual, Lupe was in a great mood!\u00a0 She was ready for action on this gorgeous spring morning.\u00a0 She trotted ahead of SPHP, frequently leaving the road\u00a0to sniff and explore the narrow, forested valley.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0downhill\u00a0grade\u00a0gradually became steeper.\u00a0 The road\u00a0turned\u00a0to dirt and rock.\u00a0 After 0.5 mile, Lupe\u00a0came to\u00a0an ancient\u00a0trough brimming with water.\u00a0 A\u00a0steady stream trickled\u00a0out over\u00a0one edge.\u00a0 Below the trough was a muddy pool, where additional water seeped out of the ground.\u00a0 A separate clear stream\u00a0bubbled right up out of the road.<\/p>\n

Lupe had reached Merow Spring.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the ancient water trough at Merow Spring. It was completely full of water with a steady trickle overflowing the top of the edge on the L. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The muddy pool below the water trough. Loop started to venture into the pool for a drink, but sank into the mud so deeply that she backed off and drank from a tiny clear stream bubbling up right out of the road instead. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Carolina Dog\u00a0helped herself to\u00a0a\u00a0drink from Merow Spring, but finding nothing else of interest here, she continued on down the road.\u00a0 For a little way, the\u00a0tiny stream\u00a0originating at\u00a0Merow Spring wound around in the nearby forest, before sinking back underground.<\/p>\n

The day was unseasonably warm.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe and SPHP enjoyed the shade\u00a0of the heavily forested valley.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on USFS Road No. 232.2C down in the narrow, shady valley W of Merow Spring. The morning was unseasonably warm with nearly cloudless skies, so the shade was nice to have. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Less than 0.5 mile W of Merow Spring,\u00a0the\u00a0narrow valley\u00a0merged with a wider valley of sunny green meadows.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches the wider valley W of Merow Spring. Photo looks SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe turned S, roaming freely\u00a0through the bright meadows, exploring up\u00a0the larger valley.\u00a0\u00a0She\u00a0soon discovered a stream.\u00a0 The stream,\u00a0though quite\u00a0small, was much larger than the\u00a0one at Merow Spring.<\/p>\n

This stream was actually upper Spearfish Creek, the same Spearfish Creek that carved famed scenic Spearfish Canyon in the northern Black Hills.\u00a0 This far upstream the valley did not exhibit the\u00a0huge limestone cliffs present in Spearfish Canyon, but\u00a0rock walls were\u00a0exposed in a few places along the valley’s edge.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe exploring the green meadows along the upper reaches of Spearfish Creek. The creek is small here, but has many tributaries farther downstream. By the time it reaches its more famous lower region in Spearfish Canyon, Spearfish Creek is one of the largest streams in the Black Hills. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Limestone walls exposed along the edge of the valley. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loop was super excited when she heard a squirrel in the forest!\u00a0\u00a0For some odd reason, the squirrel did not immediately climb a tree when it saw\u00a0Lupe racing straight\u00a0for it.\u00a0 Instead,\u00a0the squirrel\u00a0waited until the last possible moment to scramble to\u00a0safety\u00a0beneath a large fallen tree.<\/p>\n

The American Dingo was frantic to get at the poor squirrel!\u00a0\u00a0The foolish squirrel was down on the ground,\u00a0cornered beneath the fallen tree!\u00a0\u00a0This was the opportunity of a lifetime!\u00a0 Lupe bounded and danced around the tree, stopping to dig furiously in several places.\u00a0 The dirt flew, but she couldn’t get at the squirrel, which was\u00a0by now chattering loudly, thoroughly alarmed by the situation.<\/p>\n

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Lupe was keen on digging lunch out from under the fallen tree, but the squirrel proved elusive. How to get at it?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When digging didn’t work, Lupe decided to rip the tree apart!<\/p>\n

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The Carolina Dog resorts to ripping the dead tree apart!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP called Lupe away, spoiling all the fun.<\/p>\n

Loop, come on!\u00a0 Leave that squirrel alone!<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t you humans have any survival instinct at all, SPHP?\u00a0 Help me, don’t scold me!\u00a0 Squirrels that aren’t smart enough to climb a tree are what we Dingoes call lunch!<\/em><\/p>\n

Come!\u00a0 Now!\u00a0 I brought lunch, and you know it.\u00a0 Taste of the Wild, good for Dingoes!<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, but not as much fun!<\/em><\/p>\n

Now!<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, all right.\u00a0 Sheesh.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe came.\u00a0 Puppy ho!\u00a0 Onward!\u00a0 Meanwhile a\u00a0greatly relieved nervous wreck of a squirrel made a mental note to climb way, way up a tall tree immediately if it ever caught so much as a glimpse of\u00a0a ferocious Carolina Dog again.\u00a0 Whew!<\/p>\n

Loop trotted along happily for a few minutes before deciding to drag herself on her belly through Spearfish Creek to cool off.\u00a0 She dried herself off on the green grass,\u00a0then continued her upstream explorations.\u00a0 About 0.75 mile from where she’d reached the Spearfish Creek valley, the terrain opened up where several valleys came together.\u00a0 The creek curved away up into a small valley to the E.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe along Spearfish Creek shortly before she left it where it turned and went up a smaller, steeper valley to the E. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP recognized this place.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe had been here once before over 4 years ago on Expedition No. 57 way back on 5-4-13.\u00a0 Back then she had come down Clayton Draw from the S looking for Clayton Pond.\u00a0 She had found it, too, up in a side valley off to the NW.\u00a0 Visiting Clayton Pond again\u00a0was Lupe’s first real objective for today’s Expedition No. 204.<\/p>\n

Where Spearfish Creek turned E, Lupe left it\u00a0to follow\u00a0the main valley curving W.\u00a0 Soon she was going up\u00a0a wide, shallow side valley to the NW.\u00a0 Clayton Pond wasn’t\u00a0much farther\u00a0now.<\/p>\n

When\u00a0Lupe reached Clayton Pond, SPHP couldn’t help feeling a\u00a0bit disappointed.\u00a0 Clayton Pond hadn’t been very large at all when Lupe had first seen it on Expedition No. 57.\u00a0 Now it was even smaller.\u00a0 It was easy to see why.\u00a0 A breach in the earthen dam showed where the pond had overflowed and eroded away part of the dam.\u00a0 The\u00a0water level\u00a0was now permanently a foot lower than before.\u00a0\u00a0Not much,\u00a0but to the shallow pond,\u00a0one foot made a huge difference.<\/p>\n

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Lupe returns to Clayton Pond for the first time in more than 4 years. SPHP was disappointed to see that the pond was smaller than before due to a breach in the earthen dam. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loop and SPHP strolled completely around the pond before taking a break at the edge of the forest to the E.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The muddy part on the R was all under water last time Lupe was at Clayton Pond. The pond was 50% larger and had a more interesting shape back then. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Looking SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since squirrel wasn’t on the menu due to SPHP’s confounded interference, Lupe settled a little glumly for her usual Taste of the Wild snack.\u00a0 SPHP relaxed while looking at the topo maps, and enjoying the view of what remained of Clayton Pond.\u00a0 Who knew?\u00a0 Another 4 years of erosion, and Clayton Pond might pass into history.\u00a0 May as well\u00a0appreciate what remained of it while one could.<\/p>\n

After 15 minutes of laziness, Lupe was ready to press on.\u00a0 She departed Clayton Pond going SE back to the main valley, where she followed a road S.\u00a0 Her next objective was a mountain\u00a04 miles S of Clayton Pond\u00a0– Crooks Tower<\/a><\/span> (7,137 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, one of the highest points in the Black Hills.<\/p>\n

A mile S of Clayton Pond, Lupe reached\u00a0a part of the valley where she’d had a strange experience back on Expedition No. 57 with a type of creature she’d never seen before or since.\u00a0 At Yellow Jacket Spring she had been, if not pursued, at least vigorously followed, by an odd, fearless, furry\u00a0black and white creature – a skunk!<\/p>\n

The Yellow Jacket Spring skunk had headed straight for Lupe and SPHP the moment it became aware of Lupe’s presence.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0began running over to greet it, but fortunately returned to SPHP when called.\u00a0 The skunk followed (pursued?) Lupe for 10 minutes thereafter, but failed to catch\u00a0her before giving up.<\/p>\n

SPHP had thought the skunk’s behavior peculiar.\u00a0 Maybe it was rabid?\u00a0 Whether it was or not, a Dingo\/skunk encounter was not likely to end well.\u00a0 Much better to avoid any such event.\u00a0 Now, as Lupe approached Yellow Jacket Spring again, SPHP couldn’t help but wonder if the Yellow Jacket Spring skunk or\u00a0its relatives were still around, but Lupe passed through the area uneventfully.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nearing Yellow Jacket Spring where Lupe had been pursued by a skunk on Expedition No. 57. The spring wasn’t flowing today or back then, but probably originates at the water tank barely visible here in front of the largest pine tree on the R. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe made good progress going S up the wide valley, but\u00a0the day\u00a0was sunny and warm.\u00a0 No stream or pond was to be found.\u00a0 SPHP stopped several times along the shady edge of the forest to give Lupe water.\u00a0 Dingo explorations can be a thirsty business!<\/p>\n

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Lupe took one of her quick water breaks near this large limestone outcropping right along the road S of Yellow Jacket Spring. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two miles S of Yellow Jacket Spring, Lupe came to an intersection with South Rapid Creek Road (USFS Road No. 231) near a couple of cabins and a big power line.\u00a0 She was now half way to Crooks Tower from Clayton Pond.\u00a0 She turned ESE on\u00a0No. 231, but followed it only far enough to get E of private property associated with a cabin to the S.\u00a0 Here she came across a side road heading SW into the forest.<\/p>\n

The side road looked promising, so Lupe took it.\u00a0 Being back in\u00a0the shade of the forest again was nice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
On the shady side road S of South Rapid Creek Road. Having some shade again was nice! Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The road curved WSW for a little way, then\u00a0bent back to the\u00a0S.\u00a0\u00a0Before long,\u00a0the road divided.\u00a0 Lupe took the L branch, which started a long climb up a moderately steep slope.\u00a0 A couple\u00a0of water breaks later, the road finally\u00a0leveled out.\u00a0 Ahead was a limestone platform that looked familiar.\u00a0 SPHP was almost certain Lupe had been up there before on several other occasions.<\/p>\n

The limestone platform wasn’t a bad viewpoint.\u00a0 Lupe left the road.\u00a0 She found a place where she could climb up onto the ridge, then went out to the far W end of the platform.\u00a0 Yes, this was the same place!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Looking NW from the limestone platform. Lupe had been here before on several of her expeditions. The views aren’t bad to the N & W from here. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Looking N. This viewpoint is about a mile N of Crooks Tower.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A profusion of pink and white wildflowers were growing on the limestone platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The views were nice enough\u00a0to entice Loopster and SPHP\u00a0to take\u00a0another 10 or 15 minute break here.\u00a0 Crooks Tower was only\u00a0a mile away\u00a0to the S, but still couldn’t be seen.\u00a0 All the views from the platform were toward the N or W.<\/p>\n

Even though Crooks Tower wasn’t in view yet, Lupe knew the way when the time came to get going again.\u00a0 She ran through the forest sniffing everywhere, as she worked her way S.\u00a0 Finally, she could see part of the N ridge ahead.<\/p>\n

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This tree-broken view of the Crooks Tower N ridge is about as good as it gets on the approach from the N. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite having a rather dramatic name and\u00a0being one of the highest points in the Black Hills, Crooks Tower is in an area where\u00a0much of the nearby terrain is heavily forested and\u00a0almost as high.\u00a0 Consequently, the views from the top aren’t dramatic, and there aren’t many places from which it is even possible to recognize the mountain from a distance.<\/p>\n

Several nearby high points on the topo maps\u00a0are enclosed by\u00a0contours of the same\u00a0elevation as the\u00a0contour enclosing the\u00a0true summit.\u00a0 The N ridge led Lupe naturally SE up to the high point in the contour NE of the true summit.\u00a0 Lupe found a crumbling limestone cairn.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches the top of the NE high point. The true summit of Crooks Tower was only a couple hundred yards to the SW, but could still barely be seen, even from here. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe astride what appeared to be a disintegrating limestone cairn on Crooks Tower’s NE high point. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loopster didn’t dilly dally long at the NE high point.\u00a0 She was going to get a good half hour break up on Crooks Tower’s true summit,\u00a0which was only a couple hundred yards away.\u00a0 She easily climbed the mountain’s 20 foot high limestone crest by circling around to the SW, where a short footpath leads right to the summit.<\/p>\n

Ta da!\u00a0 Lupe stood on Crooks Tower<\/a><\/span> (7,137 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> for the 8th time, making it once again the peak Lupe has visited more often than any other.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Loopster taking it easy on Crooks Tower. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Despite how high Crooks Tower<\/strong> is, this pleasant, but none too dramatic view is the best available from the true summit. Black Elk Peak<\/a><\/span> (7,131 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> is seen on the far horizon on the L. Green Mountain<\/a><\/span> (7,164 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> is the distant ridge on the R. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
On the tippy top of Crooks Tower. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Crooks Tower is so easy! No wonder I like to come here.<\/em> Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Loop on a slightly lower limestone ledge only a few feet NW of the true summit. Photo looks NNW at the other decent view from Crooks Tower.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What a beautiful day!\u00a0 Loop and SPHP took it easy for a while.\u00a0 The sun was still very high in the sky.\u00a0 Puffy white clouds floated by.\u00a0 Lupe had plenty of time.\u00a0 SPHP ate the only apple.\u00a0 Lupe had more Taste of the Wild.\u00a0 Water for all.<\/p>\n

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Lupe chillin on Crooks Tower. Photo looks W at the lovely view, assuming you are a Ponderosa pine tree enthusiast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was Lupe’s 8th time on Crooks Tower.\u00a0 It\u00a0had been nearly 2 years since the last time she’d been here on Expedition No. 135<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 Back then she had wound up getting injured down in Trebor Draw after leaving the summit.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP had rushed her (sort of – it took hours to get there) to the the\u00a0Animal Clinic of Rapid City<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0where Emergency Veterinarian Dr. Erin Brown<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>had patched her up late on a Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Poor Lupe!\u00a0 She’d come\u00a0staggering back to SPHP after her operation looking drugged with tears in her eyes.\u00a0 No more Trebor Draw today!\u00a0 That wasn’t going to happen again.\u00a0 Yet Lupe had so much time left in the day, a new plan was hatching in SPHP’s mind.\u00a0 Why not go to another peak Lupe had been to a couple of times before?\u00a0 Peak 6820 was\u00a0less than 4\u00a0miles away to the NE as the crow flies.<\/p>\n

Going to Peak<\/a><\/span> 6820<\/span><\/strong> would make for a long day, and there were no views at all from that forested hill, but so what?\u00a0 May as well do something.\u00a0 Lupe returned to the true summit of Crooks Tower for a final goodbye.<\/p>\n

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Back at the summit one more time. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP tried to persuade Lupe to remain up on the summit block long enough for a bold American Dingo photo taken from below, but Lupe wasn’t having any of that.\u00a0 If SPHP was starting for Peak 6820, she was too.\u00a0 She did consent to a photo of a bold American Dingo beneath the summit block, but somehow it wasn’t quite the same.<\/p>\n

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Bold American Dingo, Lupe, poses undramatically beneath the not-so-towering limestone cliffs of Crooks Tower. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oh, well.\u00a0 Onward!\u00a0 Even though it was nearly 4 miles to Peak 6820 as the crow flies and Lupe knew a good shortcut, so many hours of daylight remained that SPHP led her on\u00a0a long way around she had only taken once before long ago.\u00a0 Lupe started off going SW instead of NE.\u00a0 She\u00a0ended up taking a considerably longer-than-SPHP-remembered tour of the entire\u00a0region along USFS Road No. 631.<\/p>\n

This route was scenic and easy, but\u00a0time slipped by as Lupe traveled all the way from a valley SW of Crooks Tower around to the S, then E and NE sides of the mountain.\u00a0 On the way, Lupe passed by\u00a0the road leading NE into dangerous Trebor Draw.\u00a0 A\u00a0little later on, she discovered Dingo Arch.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
On USFS Road No. 631 S of Crooks Tower. This route SPHP chose was scenic and easy, but miles longer than it needed to be. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Looking NNE up the same hillside along USFS Road No. 631 S of Crooks Tower.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe discovered Dingo Arch E of Crooks Tower, on a slope above USFS Road No. 631 near the road’s highest point. Arches are uncommon formations in the Black Hills. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The long march on USFS Road No. 631 eventually brought Lupe\u00a0to a\u00a0valley leading\u00a0all the way down to South Rapid Creek Road (USFS Road No. 231).\u00a0 Lupe followed this major gravel road N until she was within sight of the junction with Besant Park Road (No. 206).\u00a0 Many deer were grazing in a lovely green field here, but they fled at Lupe’s approach.<\/p>\n

By now, the angle of the sun was noticeably lower.\u00a0 The blue skies and puffy white clouds\u00a0prevalent earlier in the day had given way to a more darkly overcast scene.<\/p>\n

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Many deer were grazing in this lovely green field when Lupe arrived, but they fled at Lupe and SPHP’s approach. The junction of South Rapid Creek Road & Besant Park Road is at the far end of this big field on the R. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was still 1.5 miles from Peak 6820 as the crow flies.\u00a0 She wouldn’t have the benefit of a road the rest of the way.\u00a0 Was there still enough time remaining for all the bushwhacking she would have to do?\u00a0 Yeah, Loop could make it.\u00a0 She had been through parts of this region before.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP left South Rapid Creek Road, crossed the green field, and headed SE up into the forest.<\/p>\n

The forest was a complete\u00a0mess.\u00a0 Deadfall timber everywhere.\u00a0 Slow, slow, slow! After a long struggle, Lupe finally made it up to a clearing at the top of a ridge.\u00a0 She was already almost as high as Peak 6820, but still quite a distance from it.\u00a0 Exactly how far was\u00a0impossible to tell.\u00a0 The flat terrain and dense forest at the edge of the clearing made it\u00a0difficult\u00a0to see a thing.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches the clearing at the top of the ridge after a long struggle through copious deadfall timber. Although she was quite high, Peak 6820 was nowhere in sight. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peak 6820 was somewhere to the NE.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP plunged into the forest again.\u00a0 More deadfall.\u00a0 Tons of it.\u00a0 Zigging and zagging like drunks looking for a way through.\u00a0 Nothing looked the least bit familiar.\u00a0 Everything was just a jumble of dead trees beneath the still standing forest.<\/p>\n

Lupe came to a higher, short rocky ridge.\u00a0 High Point 6801?\u00a0 Who knew?\u00a0 No views were available even from here.\u00a0 The only other time Lupe had come to Peak 6820 from this direction was her first time up it on 10-8-14, more than 2.5 years ago.\u00a0 It hadn’t been this difficult then.\u00a0 Lupe had at least\u00a0caught\u00a0a few glimpses of Peak 6820 from a distance to orient by.\u00a0 Now, nothing.<\/p>\n

N, E, SE –\u00a0Lupe went which ever way seemed easiest to avoid the worst of the deadfall.\u00a0 None of the strange\u00a0structures she had seen on her first trip to Peak 6820 appeared.\u00a0 She had to be getting close, but in the gloom of the forest, it was becoming\u00a0confusing as to which way Lupe should even try to go.\u00a0 Speaking of gloom,\u00a0the forest\u00a0seemed prematurely dark.<\/p>\n

Thunder in the distance.\u00a0 First drops.\u00a0 Rain!\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 Onward!\u00a0 The rain was light, but even so, before long Lupe was wet.\u00a0 She reached another high point.\u00a0 Was this it?\u00a0 Had Lupe stumbled upon Peak 6820?\u00a0 It didn’t look right.\u00a0 SPHP remembered a clearing with a mud hole\u00a0where Lupe had bathed both times she’d been to Peak 6820 before.\u00a0 Lupe searched all around the top of this hill for it.\u00a0 Nada.\u00a0 Wrong hill.<\/p>\n

It must be farther N.\u00a0 Lupe went N on the big hill until\u00a0she began to lose elevation.\u00a0 No sign of Peak 6820 here or anywhere else.\u00a0 Had Lupe gone too far SE earlier?\u00a0 SPHP led her NW down off the big hill.\u00a0 The deadfall wasn’t quite as bad here, but Peak 6820 did not appear.\u00a0 Lightning\u00a0flickered\u00a0in the clouds, thunder rumbled constantly.\u00a0 The rain\u00a0remained light and sporadic, but might become a cloudburst at any time.\u00a0 The forecast hadn’t even mentioned rain today.\u00a0 Figured.<\/p>\n

The Carolina Dog wanted attention.<\/p>\n

What’s wrong with your senses?\u00a0 Don’t you hear\u00a0or see anything, SPHP?\u00a0 Lightning, thunder!\u00a0 Let’s hide!\u00a0 A storm is coming!\u00a0 I’m already all wet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, I know, but we’ll be\u00a0OK.\u00a0 Besides there isn’t any place to hide, and we need to get to Peak 6820 soon, or forget about it.\u00a0 We can’t let it get dark while we sit around out here.\u00a0 We’ll never find a way out of this deadfall at night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Well then, let’s get there fast!\u00a0 What’s in that water bottle of yours anyway?\u00a0 You’ve been stumbling around out here like you’re totally wasted.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m trying to find it, Looper.<\/em><\/p>\n

What, the mountain?<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, of course.\u00a0 I’m just not totally sure which direction it is from here.<\/em><\/p>\n

You mean it’s lost?<\/em><\/p>\n

No, of course not, silly Dingo.\u00a0 Mountains don’t move.\u00a0 They always stay in the exact same place.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, I get it.\u00a0 You mean we’re<\/strong> lost.<\/em><\/p>\n

No, well, I mean we are imprecisely located right now.\u00a0 I know about where we are, just not exactly, which makes it hard to say where the mountain is from here, but I know it can’t be too far away.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe wasn’t buying it.\u00a0 The Carolina Dog looked worried.<\/p>\n

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Sweet! We’re lost in this wretched forest with night and a storm coming on. Any more good news, SPHP?<\/em> The Carolina Dog looked worried.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oh, OK!\u00a0 I suppose you’re right Looper.\u00a0 Apparently it’s later than I thought.\u00a0 Maybe we better give up on Peak 6820.\u00a0 I shouldn’t have taken the long way.\u00a0 Let’s get out of here.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe was in favor of that.\u00a0 SPHP led her NW through the forest.\u00a0 Even though this was the shortest way out, the Carolina Dog had at least a mile of bushwhacking ahead of her.<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later, there it was!\u00a0 Peak 6820!\u00a0 SPHP saw it off to the NE.\u00a0 That hill had to be it, and wasn’t too far away.\u00a0 Lupe could make it.\u00a0 There was still time.\u00a0 SPHP turned on a dime.<\/p>\n

Change of plans, Looper!\u00a0 Forget NW, we’re going NE.\u00a0 Peak 6820 is right over there.\u00a0 Come on!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe led the charge through the forest.\u00a0 Apparently she wanted to get Peak 6820 over and done with fast.\u00a0 The rains came more often and harder.\u00a0 More lightning!\u00a0 More thunder!\u00a0 As the first tiny hailstones bounced on the ground, Lupe and SPHP both saw it.\u00a0\u00a0Up a short slope at the base of a limestone outcropping was a\u00a0perfect little Dingo Cave.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP scrambled up the bank to safety.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the safety of the Dingo Cave somewhere on the upper W slope of Peak 6820. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It hailed briefly twice, but not hard.\u00a0 The hail was only pea-sized at most, so it wasn’t that bad.\u00a0 Rain poured down, though, for 20 minutes.\u00a0 Never a deluge, but by the time it was all over, everything was sopping wet outside.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP watched it all happen from the bone dry shelter of the Dingo Cave.\u00a0 Not a drop fell inside.\u00a0 What were the odds?<\/p>\n

Loopster, my friend, you are one lucky Carolina Dog!\u00a0 We never would have found this place, even if we’d known it was here ahead of time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Loop at the mouth of the Dingo Cave after the storm went by.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pushing past soaking wet bushes on the forest floor, Lupe still got drenched, but the top of Peak<\/strong><\/span> 6820<\/a><\/strong><\/span> was only 5 minutes from the Dingo Cave.\u00a0 She did get there.\u00a0 This was it!\u00a0 The familiar mud hole in the clearing didn’t have much water in it, but what was there was fresh.\u00a0 Heh.\u00a0 As sopping wet as Lupe was, she felt no need for a bath this time around.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe by the little mud hole in the clearing on top of Peak 6820. The glare beyond her is the sun low in the W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
No need for a mucky Dingo bath today!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The top of Peak 6820 is nearly level over a large area, but slightly higher ESE of the mud hole.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went over that way to visit the true summit.\u00a0 Someone else had been here!\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0came across\u00a0a cairn\u00a0she never seen before.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at the new cairn she discovered on Peak 6820. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP\u00a0continued E beyond the cairn.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe\u00a0went to\u00a0the spot she\u00a0has always considered the summit, even though it was scarcely any higher than where the cairn was.\u00a0 And that was it.\u00a0 Success!\u00a0 Peak 6820 visited for a 3rd time!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
At Lupe’s traditional Peak 6820 summit point, perhaps 30 or 40 feet E of the cairn. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sunset\u00a0in 30 minutes.\u00a0 Lupe now faced a race against time.\u00a0 The shortest route back to the G6 was to the\u00a0NW.\u00a0 Lupe had been that way before, but it was too late to even try that direction.\u00a0 It was a total bushwhack through forest and deadfall timber for more than a mile to any road.<\/p>\n

The second time Lupe had come to Peak 6820, SPHP remembered she’d followed a faint road up from the E, arriving at the N end of the summit area.\u00a0 Going E meant going away from the G6, but the faint road led to USFS Road No. 234, a better road which went around the W end of Swede Gulch.\u00a0 If Loop could make it to No. 234, she wouldn’t get stuck out here in the deadfall all night.<\/p>\n

The road to the E was even fainter now.\u00a0 SPHP had a hard time even finding it at first, but it was there.\u00a0 Good thing!\u00a0 Hurry, hurry Dingo!\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP followed the faint road as quickly as possible.\u00a0 SPHP briefly lost\u00a0track of the road\u00a0a few times, but\u00a0the American Dingo\u00a0kept finding it again.\u00a0\u00a0The road\u00a0was\u00a0longer than SPHP remembered.\u00a0 The sun\u00a0set, twilight was fading,\u00a0but Lupe made it to No. 234.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on USFS Road No. 234 E of Peak 6820. By reaching this better road, Lupe escaped the possibility she might get stuck spending the night out here. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seven miles at least back to the G6.\u00a0 The long march began.\u00a0 It rained again, but not as hard as before.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP\u00a0found partial\u00a0shelter beneath a big pine along No. 234.\u00a0 In 10 minutes it was over.\u00a0 Lupe left the road to take a shortcut through big fields heading W along Tillson Creek.\u00a0 On and on.\u00a0 A couple miles later she reached Besant Park Road (USFS Road No. 206) near the SE end of Besant Park.<\/p>\n

The rest of the way back was entirely along good gravel roads.\u00a0\u00a0The Carolina Dog\u00a0trotted along sometimes leading, sometimes at SPHP’s heels.\u00a0 It was an amazing evening.\u00a0 Lightning flashed\u00a0among clouds\u00a0in ever changing directions, but always some distance away.\u00a0 Now and then a brilliant bolt struck the earth.\u00a0 Thunder rolled louder, fainter, then louder again.\u00a0 Dark rumbling clouds threatened rain, but never did more than sprinkle.<\/p>\n

Once Lupe\u00a0begged SPHP to stop\u00a0for a\u00a0rest along South Rapid Creek Road.\u00a0 OK.\u00a0 For 10 minutes, Lupe curled up next to a tree stump, wearily licking tired, muddy paws.\u00a0 Rain threatened again.\u00a0\u00a0Still nearly 4 miles to go.\u00a0 Puppy ho!\u00a0 Let’s get this over with!<\/p>\n

At exactly 11:00 PM (50\u00b0F), Lupe made it back to the G6.\u00a0 She was thirsty.\u00a0 SPHP gave her a big drink.\u00a0 Then she\u00a0jumped in and curled up.\u00a0 Her 13+ hour adventures on Expedition No. 204 were finally over.<\/p>\n

Or were they?<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later, heading\u00a0E on South Rapid Creek Road,\u00a0the\u00a0high beams illuminated something scurrying along as fast\u00a0as it could.\u00a0 Big, furry, low to the ground, black and white.\u00a0 SPHP shouted a\u00a0word Lupe had never heard shouted before\u00a0– skunk!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe leapt to her paws in time to see it.\u00a0 Dead ahead\u00a0a huge\u00a0skunk was racing E for the exact same spot where Lupe had taken her last rest break by the tree stump!\u00a0 The Carolina Dog barked furiously as the G6\u00a0sped by, and the skunk dashed into the darkness.<\/p>\n

By golly, Looper, that Yellow Jacket Spring skunk is still\u00a0on\u00a0your trail\u00a0after all these years!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Clayton Pond in all its glory 4 years earlier. Photo taken on Expedition No. 57, 5-4-13.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
At the hidden Dingo Cave on the W slopes of Peak 6820.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Black Hills Expedition<\/a><\/span> \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0 Check out her Black Hills, SD & WY\u00a0Expeditions\u00a0Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, or subscribe free to new Lupe <\/strong><\/span>adventures<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Start: 9:43 AM, 68\u00b0F, intersection of Long Draw Road (USFS Road No. 209) & USFS Road No. 209.2D Loop barely got started on USFS Road No. 209.2D when it curved to the N and started going uphill.\u00a0 Not the way she needed to go.\u00a0 An unmarked grassy side road curved W continuing down the valley.\u00a0 … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 204 – Clayton Pond, Crooks Tower & Peak 6820 (5-13-17)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[105,9,106,827,206,828,104,207,304],"class_list":["post-10110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-carolina-dog","tag-clayton-pond","tag-crooks-tower","tag-dingo-cave","tag-lupe","tag-peak-6820","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_4576.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10110"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24993,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10110\/revisions\/24993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}