{"id":2090,"date":"2015-10-01T08:10:56","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T14:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2090"},"modified":"2020-09-21T21:35:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T03:35:50","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-139-crows-nest-peak-9-27-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2090","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 – Crows Nest Peak (9-27-15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a forecast high near a ridiculously hot 90\u00b0F on Saturday, 9-26-15, SPHP postponed Lupe’s Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 to Sunday, when it was supposed to be about 10\u00b0F cooler.\u00a0 Even 80\u00b0F is warmer than either Lupe or SPHP like for long days outdoors, but by going far enough W to some of the highest ground in the Black Hills, the heat would at least be tolerable.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP got off to a pretty early start.\u00a0 In a bit of an unusual twist, there was time for a Lupe photo op at the cool Tyrannosaurus Rex outside the Dinosaur Museum<\/a><\/strong><\/span> on Hwy 16 S of Rapid City, SD.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe drops by the T Rex at the Dinosaur Museum on Hwy 16 S of Rapid City, SD. SPHP notes that American Dingoes make much better companions than Tyrannosaurs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"T<\/a>\"\"NW of Deerfield Reservoir in the west central Black Hills, SPHP parked the G6 at the last pullout\u00a0overlooking Castle Creek before reaching USFS Road No. 157.\u00a0 It was 8:10 AM, and a very pleasant 53\u00b0 F\u00a0under totally clear blue skies.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed NW to reach USFS Road No. 157.<\/p>\n

After crossing Castle Creek, No. 157 turned\u00a0and went\u00a0SE for 0.5 mile at the edge of the forest in Castle Creek valley.\u00a0 The road then turned W and went up a side canyon for several miles.\u00a0 Lupe ran around following game trails and exploring the forest.\u00a0 She ran down to Silver Creek to cool off and get a drink.<\/p>\n

\"Silver<\/a>
Silver Creek near USFS Road No. 157.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe cooled off in Silver Creek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eight days earlier, on Lupe’s Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 138 to White Tail Peak<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, there weren’t many fall colors yet.\u00a0 Now nearly all the aspens had turned to yellow blazes of glory.\u00a0 Although Ponderosa Pines are by far the most dominant tree species in the Black Hills, aspens are probably the next most numerous.\u00a0 They are pretty widespread in scattered groups in the central and northern hills.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0saw many beautiful golden aspen trees, a treat that doesn’t last very long.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe saw lots of aspens with beautiful yellow leaves this day. These were along USFS Road No. 157.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

USFS Road No. 157 came to an intersection with USFS Road No. 655.\u00a0 No. 655 went left.\u00a0 No. 157 went right.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went straight ahead towards the WNW on the faint track of an old logging trail.\u00a0 There were more pretty aspens and tall grass.\u00a0 Lupe eventually reached No. 157 again near an intersection with No. 157.1F.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Aspens along the shortcut to USFS Road No. 157.1F.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP checked the maps.\u00a0 No. 157.1F would eventually dead end in Fulton Draw, but the first 0.5 mile or so went N, which would help Lupe get closer to Crows Nest Peak<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(7,048 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>, her peakbagging goal for the day.\u00a0 A quick scouting of No. 157.1F proved disappointing, however.\u00a0 The road started losing elevation, and looked like it would continue to do so.\u00a0 SPHP thought it would be better to go back and stay on higher ground.<\/p>\n

Backtracking nearly to No. 157, Lupe and SPHP headed W into the forest.\u00a0 A wicked looking 6-strand barbed wire fence blocked any advance to the NW.\u00a0 SPHP kept Lupe away from that fence.\u00a0 The terrain looked like it dropped in that direction anyway.\u00a0 Between the fence and the terrain, Lupe and\u00a0SPHP were slowly\u00a0forced to keep turning\u00a0more and more toward the SW.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe was essentially\u00a0just paralleling USFS Road No. 157, which wasn’t far to the S.<\/p>\n

Lupe had been to this same area before on prior expeditions long ago.\u00a0 On at least a couple of those occasions, she had been trying to reach Crows Nest Peak from the S.\u00a0 Too much snow\u00a0and\u00a0lack of time had prevented her from reaching it.\u00a0 SPHP found a deflated helium party\u00a0balloon that had flown all this way from somewhere just to welcome Lupe back to the region.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe is welcomed back to the region\u00a0near USFS Road No. 157 by an errant balloon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP hadn’t gone too far SW, when Lupe came to a road heading W.\u00a0 It had no\u00a0marker, but since Lupe needed to go NW to reach Crows Nest Peak, it was a better choice than No. 157 at this point.\u00a0 Lupe followed the unnumbered road W.\u00a0 Pretty soon she came to a small pond with some cattails growing in part of it.<\/p>\n

\"Aspens<\/a>
Aspens seen from the unmarked road to the little pond with cattails.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the\u00a0cattail pond.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was a game trail heading N into the forest from the cattail pond.\u00a0 Since Lupe seemed to be far enough W so that the land no longer lost much elevation heading N, Lupe left the unmarked road.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP followed the game trail N for quite a long way through the forest.\u00a0\u00a0Just E of the trail was a barbed wire fence.\u00a0 A little way off to the W there was a small ridge of higher ground.<\/p>\n

The forest went on and on.\u00a0 Eventually an eastern\u00a0spur of the ridge to the W forced Lupe and SPHP to climb up on the ridge.\u00a0 Once up on the ridge, Lupe turned away from the fence to head NW,\u00a0allowing her to stay up on the highest ground.<\/p>\n

Lupe was excited to see some of her giant deers (elk) up on the ridge.\u00a0 The giant deers\u00a0saw Lupe, too.\u00a0 They weren’t any happier with the companionship of a\u00a0Carolina Dog than they would have been with a Tyrannosaurus.\u00a0 The giant deers disappeared farther into the forest.\u00a0 Lupe saw more elk and white tail deer now and then as she continued onward.<\/p>\n

Lupe was up in the high limestone plateau country of the western Black Hills.\u00a0 It is rolling territory, mostly forested, characterized by a maze of ridges usually no more than a few hundred feet higher than the intervening valleys.\u00a0 In this kind of terrain, there aren’t typically many places where there are clear long distance views.\u00a0 Although it was possible to catch glimpses of more high ridges a little farther off through the trees, Lupe and SPHP were more or less lost wandering in the forest.<\/p>\n

Of course, SPHP knew roughly where Lupe was, but the area was unfamiliar.\u00a0 Just navigating by the sun, it wasn’t easy to know for certain which way to go.\u00a0 Fortunately, the Black Hills are full of various USFS Roads, ATV trails, and logging roads.\u00a0 Sooner or later Lupe would reach one.\u00a0\u00a0In the meantime, she just needed to keep\u00a0heading NW.<\/p>\n

The ridge ended.\u00a0 Lupe still had not come to any road.\u00a0\u00a0Finally she\u00a0found\u00a0a logging road heading NW, the direction she needed to go.\u00a0 It\u00a0soon ended at an intersection with another logging road.\u00a0 There were more golden aspens nearby, some quite nice specimens, but none of the roads continued N or NW.\u00a0 Lupe took the logging trail heading W, but didn’t stay on it long.\u00a0 SPHP thought she should continue NW through the forest.\u00a0 A 10 minute trek NW brought Lupe to a long, broad open field.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe near the aspens close to the intersection of logging trails.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fall<\/a>
Fall colors, yellow aspens in particular, seem to be a theme of Lupe’s Expedition No. 139 to Crows Nest Peak. Lupe is seen near this magnificent stand close to where she left the logging road to head NW again.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the long, broad open field.\u00a0 Photo looks SW.\u00a0 Lupe had been to the far end of the field seen here on a previous expedition long ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Lupe had never been to this exact place before, SPHP was pretty certain she had been to the far SW end of this same field on a previous\u00a0expedition while\u00a0trying to\u00a0find Crows Nest Peak from the S.\u00a0 Back then SPHP had wanted to explore up this way, but there hadn’t been time.\u00a0 Lupe had plenty of time left to explore today, though.<\/p>\n

Lupe continued NW across the field and went into the forest on the other side.\u00a0 Before too long, she came to a road heading N.\u00a0 She followed it until SPHP noticed some unusual fall\u00a0colors to the NE.\u00a0 Lupe was happy to go take a look.\u00a0 What had caught SPHP’s eye were some aspens that were not the usual yellow – their leaves had turned a light orange.\u00a0 Some of their leaves were even rather reddish.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Wow! Orange aspens. Not your typical aspen fall color. What made these trees turn a different color?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe poses near the biggest stand of orange aspens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Although<\/a>
Although Lupe saw many groves of beautiful yellow aspens on Expedition No. 139, the only orange ones were in this\u00a0one area near\u00a0Crows Nest Peak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the orange aspens, Lupe and SPHP went NNW and reached the road again.\u00a0 The road\u00a0continued N.\u00a0\u00a0It arrived at an intersection that seemed familiar.\u00a0 The road heading W from the intersection was marked No. 377.1B.\u00a0 Lupe had been here back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 86 on 5-3-14.\u00a0 Expedition No. 86 was the only time Lupe had ever actually succeeded in getting to Crows Nest Peak before.\u00a0 That time she had\u00a0approached from\u00a0the N.\u00a0 Crows Nest Peak wasn’t far to the W from here.<\/p>\n

SPHP remembered that back on Expedition No. 86, Lupe had come to a pond E of Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 SPHP thought it was close by just a little to the NE.\u00a0 Lupe took the road NE from the intersection.\u00a0 She didn’t find any pond, but she did come to another intersection with No. 377.1A, which SPHP definitely recognized.\u00a0 Just N of that intersection was a white water tank that SPHP remembered, too.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe near the white water tank along USFS Road No. 377 just N of its intersection with No. 377.1A.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the white water tank, Lupe and SPHP cut through the forest heading SW back to No. 377.1B.\u00a0 SPHP thought maybe the pond was hidden in the forest, but it wasn’t.\u00a0 There were more lovely aspens, though.<\/p>\n

\"Aspens<\/a>
Aspens\u00a0in the forest SW\u00a0of the white water tank, but where was the pond SPHP remembered?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP decided the pond had to be farther W along No. 377.1B, closer to Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 So Lupe followed No. 377.1B heading W.\u00a0 Both Lupe and SPHP abandoned the road to walk near it in the forest.\u00a0 The road was covered with a couple of inches or more of very fine powdery dust.\u00a0 The area really needed rain to settle that awful dust down.\u00a0 SPHP didn’t want Lupe breathing it.<\/p>\n

The pond came into view.\u00a0 A flock of small birds flew off as Lupe approached.\u00a0 Crows Nest Peak wasn’t far away now.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the pond near Crows Nest Peak. This one is ESE of the peak. There is a smaller pond even closer to the peak, just 200 feet W of the US Geological Survey Benchmark.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Lupe and SPHP returned to follow No. 377.1B farther W.\u00a0 When higher ground appeared off to the NW, Lupe left No. 377.1B behind and went through the forest to climb as high as possible.\u00a0 She reached the\u00a0top of the low hill and\u00a0came to\u00a0a big flat\u00a0area that had been logged recently.\u00a0 There was slash on the ground everywhere.\u00a0 There was a small pond.\u00a0 Lupe had reached Crows Nest Peak for the 2nd time.<\/p>\n

With the trees cut down and all the slash around, Crows Nest Peak wasn’t very pretty, certainly not as pretty as the last time Lupe was here on Expedition No. 86.\u00a0 It couldn’t have been very long since the loggers had been through here.\u00a0 The pine needles on the slash were still green.\u00a0 SPHP hoped the loggers hadn’t gone as far E as the U. S. Geological Survey Benchmark for Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 Lupe had found it under\u00a06″ of snow on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 86, its position revealed by a survey post.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP went to look for the Crows Nest Peak benchmark.\u00a0 SPHP remembered it as being a couple hundred feet E of the little pond.\u00a0 Lupe found it again.\u00a0 The loggers hadn’t come quite that far E.\u00a0 It was still there.\u00a0 The benchmark said “Crow” and “1912”.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Crows Nest Peak U.S. Geological Survey benchmark was still there. Loggers hadn’t disturbed it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on Crows Nest Peak near the survey marker post. The U.S. Geological Survey benchmark is very close to the post. Photo looks E.\u00a0 Lupe is clearly happy with her 2nd ascent of Crows Nest Peak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on Crows Nest Peak 9-27-15. This photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right there near the U. S. Geological Survey marker post and benchmark, Lupe enjoyed water and Taste of the Wild to celebrate her 2nd ascent of Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 SPHP had an apple and applesauce.\u00a0 It was quite the celebration.\u00a0 Lupe, of course, was the life of the party.\u00a0 Soon she lay panting and\u00a0resting in the shade of a small tree to recover.\u00a0 It sure was warm out.\u00a0 It felt like the mid 70’s \u00b0F.\u00a0 Pretty\u00a0hot for way up here at almost the end of September.<\/p>\n

Ordinarily, this is where photos of the towering summit and fabulous distant views from the highest prominences of Crows Nest Peak would appear.\u00a0 Lupe has none to offer.\u00a0 Despite its name and the fact that Peakbagger.com lists Crows Nest Peak at 7,048 feet\u00a0as the 7th highest point on the list of Black Hills 6,500+ foot peaks, it is hardly what one thinks of as a “peak” at all.<\/p>\n

Crows Nest Peak is the high point on a hill not an awful lot higher than much of the surrounding country.\u00a0 The summit area is big and flat.\u00a0 Even after the loggers thinned the forest, there just aren’t any unobstructed mountain views.\u00a0 From the W edge of the hill,\u00a0it is\u00a0possible to see some more high ridges off to the W or NW, but nothing too impressive.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Lupe and SPHP both love Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 It is up in the remote and beautiful\u00a0limestone plateau country of the western Black Hills.\u00a0\u00a0Not far from Crows Nest Peak, in the broad open fields between the forested ridges, seasonal streams appear\u00a0in the spring\u00a0when the snow is melting.\u00a0 By late\u00a0May and June, the\u00a0green fields are filled with wildflowers.\u00a0 Few people come here.\u00a0 It is far from the famed tourist attractions (think Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Spearfish Canyon) of the Black Hills.<\/p>\n

Lupe\u00a0did return to the little pond a couple of hundred feet W of the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe at the small pond on Crows Nest Peak. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>By the time it was time to leave Crows Nest Peak, the sky was starting to cloud up.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed NE through the forest, taking a shortcut to USFS Road No. 377.\u00a0 SPHP was planning on taking Lupe along No. 377.1C toward Knutson Spring.\u00a0 Unfortunately, No. 377.1C was unmarked, and hardly exists any\u00a0longer where\u00a0it branches off from No. 377.\u00a0 SPHP didn’t even recognize it when Lupe found the right spot.<\/p>\n

In the end, Lupe went down No. 377.1A from near the white water tank, which she passed again on the way.\u00a0 No. 377.1A took her down into Bjornland Draw and E several miles\u00a0back to Castle Creek.\u00a0 No. 377.1A went a couple of miles, but faded out completely a mile before Lupe was back at the main road along Castle Creek.\u00a0 Several times it threatened to rain while Lupe was in Bjornland Draw, but the clouds could only muster a few drops.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>
You did want to see more fall colors, right? These aspens were near USFS Road No. 377.1A at the upper end of Bjornland Draw.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Exploring Bjornland Draw.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After leaving Bjornland Draw, it was about 3 miles SE along Castle Creek back to the G6.\u00a0\u00a0Part of the way\u00a0Lupe and SPHP were on the main gravel road, but wherever possible stayed down closer to the creek.\u00a0 The creek was prettier, and vehicles on the main road raised a lot of dust.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on a rock near the main road on the way back to the G6.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 5:48 PM (69\u00b0F), Lupe got back to the G6.\u00a0 At first, Lupe wasn’t sure she wanted Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 to be over yet.\u00a0 She liked\u00a0the soothing sound of the\u00a0water flowing by\u00a0in Castle Creek.\u00a0 She only jumped in the G6 when SPHP promised her Alpo when she got home.\u00a0 (American Dingoes don’t live by Taste of the Wild alone!)\u00a0 On the way, she barked at lots of cows, deer and horses.\u00a0 There were even a few wild turkeys along the way!\u00a0 Rest assured they got the same enthusiastic treatment.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe hopes you will\u00a0return again\u00a0to The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe. More dingo adventures are coming soon!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Crows Nest Peak is most easily reached from USFS Road No. 117 which passes by about a mile to the W.\u00a0 There is a road off No. 117 which goes to the summit.\u00a0 High clearance vehicles will have no problem reaching Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 While Lupe and SPHP enjoy peakbagging, Lupe often purposely starts far from her peakbagging goals to explore the surrounding area and enjoy the day.<\/em><\/p>\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 Prior Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s Black Hills Expeditions Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a forecast high near a ridiculously hot 90\u00b0F on Saturday, 9-26-15, SPHP postponed Lupe’s Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 to Sunday, when it was supposed to be about 10\u00b0F cooler.\u00a0 Even 80\u00b0F is warmer than either Lupe or SPHP like for long days outdoors, but by going far enough W to some of … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 – Crows Nest Peak (9-27-15)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2113,"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":[105,9,106,303,104,304],"class_list":["post-2090","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-crows-nest-peak","tag-lupe","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/P1070273.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\/2090","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=2090"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28269,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090\/revisions\/28269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}