{"id":11622,"date":"2017-12-27T08:10:52","date_gmt":"2017-12-27T15:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=11622"},"modified":"2020-09-24T11:54:32","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T17:54:32","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-216-boulder-hill-11-18-17-tunnel-ridge-11-19-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=11622","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 216 – Boulder Hill (11-18-17) & Tunnel Ridge (11-19-17)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lucky Dingo!\u00a0 Expedition No. 216 was going to have two parts.\u00a0 Mark and Hillary were in the Black Hills!\u00a0 Their time was limited, but they could spend a few hours hiking with Lupe and SPHP.\u00a0 Boulder Hill<\/span><\/a> (5,331 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> would be a good destination.\u00a0 A trail goes all the way to the rocky top, and the summit offers some pretty nice views for moderate effort.<\/p>\n

Loop and the gang arrived at the Boulder Hill trailhead of Flume Trail No. 50 before noon.\u00a0 Everyone hit the trail, heading SE through a Ponderosa pine forest which had been greatly thinned since the last time Lupe and SPHP were here.\u00a0 Only 0.33 mile from the trailhead, a saddle was reached between Boulder Hill and Storm Hill to the NE.<\/p>\n

Beyond the saddle, a spur off Flume Trail No. 50 followed a dirt road S.\u00a0 The spur soon left the road, leading around the S side of Boulder Hill to the SW.\u00a0 Although Boulder Hill was only 0.5 mile S of the trailhead where Lupe had started, by the time she had circled around to the SW base of the rocky summit ridge, the Carolina Dog had already gone more than 0.75 mile.<\/p>\n

The fun part of the climb was all that was left now!\u00a0 The trail leading up the ridge wound around among the rocks, passing near numerous viewpoints along the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mark, Hillary & Lupe near the start of the short, but fun climb up the rocky ridge on top of Boulder Hill<\/strong>. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at one of the first vantage points. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Hillary gazes toward Black Elk Peak<\/span><\/a> (7,231 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (L). Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Hillary leading Mark on the way up. The trek to the top only takes 5-10 minutes. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trek to the top only took 5 or 10 minutes, plus a little time spent checking out views along the way.\u00a0 Although this was Lupe’s 6th ascent of Boulder Hill, Mark and Hillary had never been here before.\u00a0 They both seemed pretty happy with the interesting hike up, and the views available from the summit.<\/p>\n

Of course, Lupe and SPHP never tire of seeing the world from a nice high point like Boulder Hill.\u00a0 Having Mark and Hillary’s company was a big added bonus!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe, Hillary & Mark arrive at Boulder Hill’s summit. This was the first time Mark and Hillary had been here, but Lupe’s 6th ascent. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe was glad Mark & Hillary had taken the time to visit Boulder Hill with her. Their company was a rare treat! Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boulder Hill has two separate summit areas.\u00a0 They are practically right next to each other, and of about equal height.\u00a0 Naturally, Lupe, Mark, Hillary & SPHP visited both.\u00a0 It was only about 40\u00b0F and a chilly breeze was blowing, so the stay on top of the mountain was fairly brief.\u00a0 Soon everyone started down again.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mark & Hillary start down. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lower down, on part of the ridge better protected from the breeze, everyone stopped to relax and have a longer look around.\u00a0 Mark & Hillary had brought sandwiches.\u00a0 SPHP had apples and chocolate chip cookies.\u00a0 Lupe had Taste of the Wild.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, it turned out that Lupe wasn’t the only Carolina Dog conducting tours of Boulder Hill today.\u00a0 Another Carolina Dog named Legos appeared!\u00a0 Legos was snappily dressed, and leading a man and a girl up the trail.\u00a0 In an odd coincidence, it turned out Mark and Hillary had met the man at a store only yesterday.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe wasn’t the only Carolina Dog giving tours of Boulder Hill today! Snappily dressed in orange & gray, Legos appeared during break time. Legos was leading a man and a girl up the mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Legos eventually led his party on up the trail.\u00a0 Mark and Hillary needed to get going, too.\u00a0 They had a social engagement this evening, and would return home to Colorado tomorrow.\u00a0 Except for the return trip to the trailhead, Lupe’s trip to Boulder Hill was over.<\/p>\n

Lupe had enjoyed the outing, and SPHP really had fun visiting with Mark and Hillary.\u00a0\u00a0 They’d had a good time, too, and felt Boulder Hill had been a great choice for the amount of time they’d had available.<\/p>\n

The next morning the lucky Dingo was back in action, again!\u00a0 Things were back to normal.\u00a0 Just Loop and SPHP set out on Deerfield Trail No. 40 going up Rapid Creek from Silver City (10:13 AM, 41\u00b0F)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Lupe has been on this section of the Deerfield Trail many times.\u00a0 In fact, she first came here in January, 2012 on both Black Hills, SD Expeditions No. 1 & No. 2.\u00a0 In a sense, this was where her life of adventures began.\u00a0 SPHP had a new peakbagging destination in mind for her today, but the first part of the journey along Rapid Creek, was familiar territory.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
On Deerfield Trail No. 40 near Silver City. This was familiar territory! Lupe’s first two Black Hills, SD expeditions way back in January, 2012 had been here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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One of several fine footbridges across Rapid Creek upstream of Silver City.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Loop on the bridge. Though there were quite a few footprints in the thin layer of snow, Lupe saw no one on or off the trail all day long.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had a great time exploring the forests alongside the trail.\u00a0 She was mainly looking for squirrels to bark at, and found a few, which made her very happy.\u00a0 Loop checked out the views along Rapid Creek, and visited an old abandoned horizontal mining shaft which she ventures into every time she comes this way.\u00a0 The shaft is only 20 or 25 feet long, but would make a great Dingo shelter in wet weather.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Going upstream from Silver City, Deerfield Trail No. 40 is never far from Rapid Creek, the largest stream in the entire Black Hills.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at the entrance to the horizontal mining shaft. This mining shaft is only a few feet off Deerfield Trail No. 40, and makes a great Dingo cave!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Looking out from near the end of the shaft.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Continuing upstream on the trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At another bridge over Rapid Creek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deerfield Trail No. 40 is a beautiful, easy trek along Rapid Creek.\u00a0 After she’d gone about 2 miles, though, Lupe was getting close to the Canyon City area where she would leave the trail.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Shortly after crossing yet another bridge, Lupe arrived at this bend in Rapid Creek. She was almost to Canyon City and would soon leave Deerfield Trail No. 40.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This little swampy area comes just before Kelly Gulch close to Canyon City.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No town or much of anything else is at Canyon City these days.\u00a0 It’s only a spot along the trail, and a point on the map.\u00a0 About 0.25 mile before she got there, Lupe left Deerfield Trail No. 40 and Rapid Creek behind.\u00a0 She turned N following a path up Kelly Gulch.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Following the snowy path up Kelly Gulch. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kelly Gulch was the start of Lupe’s search for her peakbagging goal for the day, the summit of Tunnel Ridge<\/span><\/a> (5,905 <\/span><\/strong>ft.)<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Loop wasn’t in Kelly Gulch very long, though.\u00a0 After only 0.2 mile, she came to a little parking area.\u00a0 Two roads left this point.\u00a0 The better road continued on up Kelly Gulch.\u00a0 Lupe took USFS Road No. 142.1D up Spurgeon Gulch instead.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
On USFS Road No. 142.1D going up Spurgeon Gulch. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had gained very little elevation down along Rapid Creek.\u00a0 She gained some coming up Kelly Gulch.\u00a0 Her climb really began in earnest, though, here in Spurgeon Gulch.\u00a0 The Carolina Dog gained elevation steadily now.\u00a0 She came to an unmarked intersection where a side road turned W, but she continued straight ahead.\u00a0 USFS Road No. 142.1D, if that’s what it still was, deteriorated and steepened.<\/p>\n

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Apparently USFS Road No. 142.1D sees little use these days. As Lupe followed it up Spurgeon Gulch, she came to places where the road was totally blocked by deadfall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After going 0.75 mile up Spurgeon Gulch, Lupe arrived at a saddle in a small grassy open area where the road reached a “T” intersection.\u00a0 Some heavily forested hills could be seen from here.\u00a0 They weren’t far away, and the terrain seemed confusing.\u00a0 SPHP wasn’t certain which way Lupe should go.<\/p>\n

Loop needed to work her way N, but straight N went down into another deep ravine.\u00a0 Staying on the roads, she had her choice of NE or W.\u00a0 The American Dingo tried the road going NE first.\u00a0 This road climbed gradually and seemed promising, but it soon turned R wrapping around a hillside until the position of the sun told SPHP that Loop was going S.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the saddle at the upper end of Spurgeon Gulch. She had come up from the R. The road she’d been on came to a “T” intersection here. Photo looks NE along the branch Lupe explored first.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Going S wasn’t going to work at all.\u00a0 Lupe had a decent view of the hills nearby.\u00a0 It didn’t look like there was any way this road could turn N without losing a bunch of elevation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The first road Lupe tried from the saddle went NE. It soon curled around a hillside and turned S leading to this view. This was definitely the wrong way. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loop turned around and returned to the saddle.\u00a0 Time to try the road going W.\u00a0 Almost immediately, it angled NW and started gaining elevation steadily.\u00a0 Promising once again, but Lupe hadn’t gotten too far before she reached a bend where this road curved sharply around to the S, too.\u00a0 Hmm.\u00a0 What now?<\/p>\n

At the bend, the ravine the road had been climbing continued NW.\u00a0 Lupe could see a stand of large brown-barked Ponderosa pines on a slope below rock outcroppings.\u00a0 Why not keep going that way?\u00a0 It seemed like the best option.\u00a0 Lupe left the road, continuing NW up the ravine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe among the large brown-barked Ponderosa pines after leaving the road. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loop only had to follow the ravine a little way before she appeared to be approaching the upper end of it.\u00a0 She turned N, scrambling up between the rock formations to reach a small ridge.\u00a0 On the other side, not very far below her, Loop saw another road heading NW.\u00a0 That was promising!\u00a0 Lupe worked her way down to the road and followed it.<\/p>\n

Loopster was still gaining elevation, though more slowly than before.\u00a0 Eventually this new road joined another one heading NNW, exactly the direction Lupe needed to go.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at the intersection with another road that went NNW. She had come up the road seen on the L. NNW is toward the camera, and just the direction Loop needed to go. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The road leading NNW gained only a little more elevation before topping out.\u00a0 The terrain ahead was now mostly flat to rolling.\u00a0 Lupe had succeeded in reaching the top of Tunnel Ridge, but exactly what part of it wasn’t clear yet.<\/p>\n

Tu<\/span>nnel Ridge<\/span><\/a> (5,905 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> is roughly 3 miles long N\/S, and as much as 0.50 to 0.75 mile wide E\/W.\u00a0 It was all forested, so it was hard to see very far ahead.\u00a0 There didn’t seem to be any definite ridge line to follow.\u00a0 Loop was probably only 0.33 to 0.50 of the way from the S end.\u00a0 The true summit was near the N end, which meant it was probably 1.5 to 2 miles N of Lupe’s position.<\/p>\n

The road eventually bent NW and started going downhill.\u00a0 By now, Lupe had seen occasional glimpses of higher ground perhaps a mile or more to the NNW.\u00a0 Trying not to lose elevation, Lupe left the road traveling N through a level forest, hoping this area would connect somehow with the higher ground she’d seen in the distance.<\/p>\n

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Somewhere up on Tunnel Ridge, Lupe left the road to head N through this forest looking for the summit. This proved to be a dead end. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instead, Loop eventually found that the terrain dropped off rather steeply.\u00a0 This was a dead end.\u00a0 She had to return to the road.\u00a0 This happened once more, a little farther on.\u00a0 The road went NW downhill again, and Lupe made another foray off the road.\u00a0 She climbed N toward a high point, but on the other side, the terrain dropped steeply.<\/p>\n

From the high point, Lupe went NW down a long slope, rejoining the road again at a gate near a saddle.\u00a0 At the saddle was a “T” intersection with another road passing E\/W over the mountain.\u00a0 No road continued N from here, but the land sloped up, so Lupe left the road a third time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Continuing N off road for the 3rd time. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was only partway up when she saw the high point to the N again.\u00a0 She was definitely getting closer.<\/p>\n

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As Lupe continued her climb, the higher ground she had seen a while ago came back into view. She was definitely getting closer! Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By now, SPHP was confident Lupe was closing in on the summit of Tunnel Ridge.\u00a0 The topo map showed 4 separate areas enclosed within 5,880 foot contours.\u00a0 The central contour enclosing the most area contained a site elevation of 5,905 feet, which was likely the true summit.\u00a0 On the way there, Lupe explored the SW 5,880 foot contour, which contained the 2nd largest amount of territory.<\/p>\n

The terrain within the SW 5,880 foot contour was pretty flat, but Lupe found a spot with a view toward Black Elk Peak<\/span><\/a> (7,231 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at the high point of the 5,880 foot contour SW of the true summit. This was pretty flat territory! Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A glimpse toward Black Elk Peak<\/strong> (R on horizon) from the SW 5,880 foot contour. Photo looks SSE with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the SW high point, Lupe headed for the true summit.\u00a0 As she got close, she reached yet another unmarked road.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Approaching the true summit, Lupe came to this road. Photo looks NNE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A short trek on this latest road led Lupe gradually up to a flat area which had to be the true summit.\u00a0 No views, really.\u00a0 The summit of Tu<\/span>nnel Ridge<\/span> <\/a>(5,905 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> was just another slightly higher spot in the woods.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Success! Loop at the true summit of Tunnel Ridge<\/strong>. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
About all there was for a view from the top of Tunnel Ridge<\/strong> was this tree-broken glimpse of a distant ridge to the S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Partly to check out another small area enclosed within a 5,880 ft. contour, and partly just to see what was there, Lupe left the true summit to explore a broad ridge to the SE.\u00a0 Loop went all the way to the end.\u00a0 The terrain was all lower than where she’d just been.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
At the end of the ridge SE of the summit. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There wasn’t anything much different to see on the SE ridge, so Lupe returned to the true summit.\u00a0 On the way, she posed on a mighty, massive rock outcropping.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Oh, OK, so it wasn’t a mighty, massive rock outcropping – just a minor one. Lupe still looked pretty good on it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was only mid-afternoon, but the sun was already low in the sky.\u00a0 The G6 was 5+ miles away.\u00a0 Loop needed to get going.\u00a0 There wasn’t much reason to hang around the summit, anyway.\u00a0 On the way back, Lupe retraced virtually the exact same route she’d taken to Tunnel Ridge, minus some of the unnecessary forays that led to dead ends in the forest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Starting back, still close to the summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At the saddle where a road goes E\/W across the mountain. All the roads Lupe came to on Tunnel Ridge were unmarked. The one leading back to Spurgeon Gulch is seen beyond Looper. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looper’s journey to Tunnel Ridge had been a peakbagging success.\u00a0 She’d made it up onto the ridge and found the true summit.\u00a0 Of course, other than the pretty spots down along Rapid Creek, she hadn’t really come to much in the way of views.\u00a0 Due to the forest, Tunnel Ridge didn’t have much to offer in the way of scenic rewards.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A rare distant view on the return trip. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet the journey to Tunnel Ridge had been a good day.\u00a0 The maze of unmarked roads and promising routes that led nowhere had been confusing, but solving the puzzle was a fun challenge.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP enjoyed unbroken peace and solitude from start to finish.\u00a0 And now a previously unknown part of the map was at least partially explored.<\/p>\n

Just being on the move, exploring and sharing this cool day outdoors in the pine forest, made Lupe’s journey to Tunnel Ridge another adventure worth remembering (5:14 PM, 35\u00b0F)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Back on Deerfield Trail No. 40, heading for home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

Lucky Dingo!\u00a0 Expedition No. 216 was going to have two parts.\u00a0 Mark and Hillary were in the Black Hills!\u00a0 Their time was limited, but they could spend a few hours hiking with Lupe and SPHP.\u00a0 Boulder Hill (5,331 ft.) would be a good destination.\u00a0 A trail goes all the way to the rocky top, and … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 216 – Boulder Hill (11-18-17) & Tunnel Ridge (11-19-17)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11588,"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":[105,9,633,106,864,104,863,304,862],"class_list":["post-11622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-boulder-hill","tag-carolina-dog","tag-hillary","tag-lupe","tag-mark","tag-south-dakota","tag-tunnel-ridge"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_8223.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\/11622","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=11622"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22506,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11622\/revisions\/22506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}