{"id":2877,"date":"2015-11-03T08:10:05","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T15:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2877"},"modified":"2020-09-21T22:02:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T04:02:20","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-144-five-points-10-31-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2877","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 144 – Five Points (10-31-15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

What better way for a lucky American Dingo to celebrate Halloween than a day spent exploring the Black Hills?\u00a0 Lupe was certainly in favor of it.\u00a0 When she saw SPHP getting the backpack ready to go, she\u00a0quickly grew\u00a0impatient for SPHP to head out the door.\u00a0 Finally, the great moment arrived.<\/p>\n

For Lupe’s Black Hills Expedition No. 144, SPHP selected Five Points<\/a><\/span> (6,221 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> as her peakbagging goal.\u00a0 Rather than being a single mountain, Five Points is actually a series of small mountains close together along a line running N\/S.\u00a0 Five Points is located just a few miles NNE of Hill City in the central Black Hills.\u00a0 Its highest peak is the highest\u00a0mountain N of Hill City for quite a few miles.<\/p>\n

At 10:30 AM, SPHP parked the G6 just off Horse Creek Road (USFS Road No. 243).\u00a0 It was 48\u00b0F already,\u00a0and was going to be quite a warm day for this late in the season.\u00a0 A breeze could be heard up in the trees, but the air was pretty calm down on the ground.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed S on an access road that leads to USFS Road No. 669.\u00a0 Lupe crossed Horse Creek twice along the access road.\u00a0 Horse Creek isn’t a very big stream, but it had more water in it than other times Lupe has been in the area.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at Horse Creek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The access road is less than 0.5 mile long, so Lupe was soon at the junction with USFS Road No. 669.\u00a0 There is a small stock pond near the junction.\u00a0 In keeping with the theme of slimy ponds like Hidden Slew<\/a><\/span><\/strong> from Lupe’s Expedition No. 143<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, here is a photo of the pond:<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the pond near USFS Road No. 669. This is the only pond shot in this entire post, I promise, even though she passed several more going up the valley along No. 669.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP headed W on No. 669.\u00a0 The road went up a small, mostly forested valley at an easy pace.\u00a0 There were quite a few aspen trees at the bottom of the valley, but the slopes were mostly pine-covered.\u00a0 There would be no traffic on the road; it was blocked in quite a few places with deadfall timber.\u00a0 Most of the road, however,\u00a0was open for easy hiking.\u00a0 Lupe explored here and there, just glad to be out running around.\u00a0 The deadfall didn’t bother her.<\/p>\n

Up ahead, SPHP saw something odd dangling from an aspen tree.\u00a0 From a distance, it looked like the size of a human head.\u00a0 That would fit in with a Halloween theme, but upon reaching it, SPHP saw that it was an old wasp’s nest.\u00a0 The bottom of it had deteriorated so there was quite a large hole in it.\u00a0 SPHP thought maybe the nest was abandoned, but upon closer inspection, there were still a couple of\u00a0wasps flying around and entering it.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This wasp’s nest wasn’t very active, but there were still a couple of wasps that flew up into it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even though the hive wasn’t very active, SPHP figured nothing good could come from hanging around it.\u00a0 There was no reason to stay there anyway.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went on up the road.\u00a0 Lupe passed several more little ponds.\u00a0 Toward the upper end of the little valley, the tiny stream that fed the ponds was running right down USFS Road No. 669 beneath an archway of aspen trees.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Some nice tall aspens along USFS Road No. 669.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A tiny creek flows down USFS Road No. 669 beneath an archway of aspens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The road had turned SW by the time Lupe reached the area where the tiny creek was flowing on it.\u00a0 Eventually the road turned S and left the bottom of the valley.\u00a0 Lupe stayed on a path that continued up the valley.\u00a0 Before long, the path turned W and climbed more steeply up to a saddle along a ridge running N\/S.\u00a0 There was lots of deadfall timber on the climb to the saddle, so it was slow going for SPHP.<\/p>\n

USFS Road No. 249 was not very far W of the saddle, but Lupe did not go to the road.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP turned S and followed the ridge.\u00a0 From the top of a small high point along the way, a considerably higher hill with a rocky top could be seen ahead.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP climbed it.\u00a0 There was quite a lot of rock as Lupe drew near the summit.<\/p>\n

From the top there were really nice views all around from the SW to the W, N, and NE.\u00a0 This high up, the wind was really roaring in the trees.\u00a0 The big rocks at the top were an effective barrier against the wind, which was coming out of the SW.\u00a0 Lupe liked it down out of the wind, but SPHP persuaded her to go up on top for a few photos.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nearing the rocky summit of False North Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the summit of False North Point. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had been here before, but quite a long time ago.\u00a0 Her first trip here had been on her first Black Hills expedition of 2013 on New Year’s Day.\u00a0 (Expedition No. 42, 1-1-13)\u00a0 Back then, SPHP had thought Lupe was up on the northernmost summit of Five Points.\u00a0 Accordingly, SPHP had named this mountain North Point.<\/p>\n

Lupe had returned to the same area just\u00a05 days later on Expedition No. 43 on 1-6-13.\u00a0 She had actually climbed up to the highest\u00a0point of Five Points on\u00a0Expedition No. 43.\u00a0 SPHP realized then that this mountain was not part of\u00a0the Five\u00a0Points grouping.\u00a0 This mountain was too far to the NNW.\u00a0 So SPHP changed the name to False North Point.\u00a0 The topo maps on Peakbagger.com show its elevation as 6,130 feet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Looking S from False North Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe near the highest rocks on False North Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe just below the summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The view to the SSE from False North Point toward Five Points was partially blocked by the forest.\u00a0 SPHP snapped a quick photo in that direction, and then Lupe was ready to get out of the wind.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP headed back to the NE end of the summit area on False North Point, which looked like the easiest way down to the saddle over to the ridge N of Five Points.\u00a0 Before Lupe lost much elevation, there was a place where an opening in the forest permitted a look to the E toward Boulder Hill<\/a> (5,331 ft.)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Looking SSE at Five Points from False North Point. The real North Point is hidden behind the trees at the L side of the photo. The true summit of Five Points is in clear view. To the right, Harney Peak is seen in the distance.\u00a0 The road is USFS Road No. 249, which is coming N from China Gulch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking E from False North Point. A portion of Sheridan Lake is in view. Beyond the lake, the rocky high point is Boulder Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP headed down from False North Point.\u00a0 SPHP led Lupe down a bit farther N than would have been ideal.\u00a0 She had to go S climbing up through an aspen forest just to reach the saddle over to the ridge N of Five Points.\u00a0 Instead of climbing up onto the ridge, Lupe and SPHP stayed W of it, gaining elevation slowly.\u00a0 SPHP was hoping to arrive at the saddle along the ridge just N of the real North Point.\u00a0 That’s exactly where Lupe did arrive, too.<\/p>\n

The climb up the N face of the real North Point was the most challenging of the day.\u00a0 Near the top was a big boulder field.\u00a0 It was fairly steep.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went straight on up it, but repeatedly came to false summits.\u00a0 Each time it looked like Lupe was about to come out up on top, another set of rocks going 20 feet higher appeared.<\/p>\n

The roaring wind made the climb seem more daunting than it really was.\u00a0 SPHP climbed slowly and carefully.\u00a0 Lupe wished SPHP would move in a more lively fashion.\u00a0 She had no trouble maneuvering among the rocks.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe climbing North Point, the real one, not the false one. She isn’t really as close to the top as this photo makes it look. There are more rocks higher up than seen here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NW during the climb up North Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, Lupe and SPHP were within 10 or 12 feet of the top of the boulder field.\u00a0 The last part of the climb was a rock wall.\u00a0 It looked like there were plenty of hand holds, but SPHP decided against it.\u00a0 Lupe had to go back down about 20 feet to get to a shelf that led around to the W side of the mountain.\u00a0 Over there she came to an easier way up.<\/p>\n

The actual summit of North Point was still a bit S of where Lupe and SPHP came up.\u00a0 Before going over there, though, Lupe and SPHP went N to the top of the rock wall which SPHP had decided against climbing.\u00a0 There was an excellent clear view back to the NNW\u00a0of False North Point where Lupe had just come from.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe still climbing the N face of North Point.\u00a0 Another\u00a0false top\u00a0is in view. \u00a0This really was a fun rock climb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NNW at False North Point (above Lupe’s head)\u00a0from the top of the rock wall on the real North Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"False<\/a>
False North Point (L) from North Point. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After taking a look back at False North Point, Lupe and SPHP went to see what the true summit of Five Points to the S looked like from North Point.\u00a0 Lupe also visited the summit of North Point.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The true summit of Five Points is now in view from North Point. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe very near the summit of North Point. Photo looks S.\u00a0 The small patch of open ground in the distance is part of Hill City.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The summit of North Point was along the W side of the mountain where the highest ridge of rock provided a commanding 180\u00b0 view to the W.\u00a0 North Point also featured a slightly lower and wider ridge that extended out to the E.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP explored this lower ridge to its eastern end.<\/p>\n

The E ridge was forested, but there were some openings in the forest.\u00a0 Several rock outcroppings provided great views.\u00a0 Most\u00a0views were\u00a0to the N, but it was\u00a0possible to see\u00a0to the SE in a couple places, too.\u00a0 There was even a clearer view to the S toward the true summit of Five Points than Lupe had found near the summit of North Point.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>
From the E ridge on North Point, Lupe found this view of the True Summit of Five Points. It can be seen that there are actually two of the Five Points over there. The high point on the left is South Point. South Point is not quite as high as the True Summit on the R.\u00a0 Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After exploring North Point, it was time for Lupe to head over to the True Summit of Five Points.\u00a0 Although the way initially looked steep, it really wasn’t hard going down North Point into the saddle to the S.<\/p>\n

SPHP expected another rocky climb up to the True Summit.\u00a0 Lupe stayed mostly to the E of a spine of rock heading up the N slope.\u00a0 The way up was pretty steep, but Lupe didn’t have to climb any big boulder fields to get up on top.\u00a0 It was an easier climb than going up North Point had been.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking N back at North Point (R) and False North Point (L) from the N end of the ridge on the True Summit of Five Points.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Up on top of the True Summit of Five Points was a rocky ridge oriented N\/S, just like on the other peaks Lupe had already climbed.\u00a0 The rocks toward the S end were much larger than at the N end.\u00a0 Lupe had to pass just below the big rocks on the E side of the mountain to work her way over to the S end of the ridge.\u00a0 Near the S end, she found a steep grassy ramp that led right on up to the very top of the mountain.<\/p>\n

Separated by less than 100 feet, there were two high clusters of rock.\u00a0 The grassy ramp brought Lupe up between them.\u00a0 Lupe went first to the S rock cluster.\u00a0 It had a great view toward Harney Peak<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(7,242 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 The N rock cluster was the very top of the mountain, and the True Summit of Five Points.\u00a0 It was only a few feet higher than the S cluster. \u00a0There were views to the\u00a0W, N, and\u00a0E from here.<\/p>\n

Since the most impressive view was to the S toward Harney Peak<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(7,242 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>, Lupe and SPHP returned to the\u00a0S rock cluster to take a break.\u00a0 SPHP had carrots and apple crisp.\u00a0 Lupe had Taste of the Wild and plenty of water.\u00a0 She got to lick the remaining apple crisp sauce out of the plastic container, too.\u00a0 Carolina Dogs like apple crisp!<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking S toward Harney Peak from the S rock cluster at the top of the True Summit of Five Points.\u00a0 This photo shows two more of the Five Points.\u00a0 They are the rocky hills in the foreground L of Lupe.\u00a0 Both are clearly lower.\u00a0 Lupe did not go to either of those summits.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe up on the North rock cluster. These are the very highest rocks on the True Summit of Five Points.\u00a0 Lupe reached her\u00a0Five Points peakbagging goal here.\u00a0 She had been here once before on Expedition No. 43 way back on 1-6-13. \u00a0Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was still windy out while Lupe and SPHP were taking the break on the True Summit of Five Points.\u00a0 However, the wind\u00a0had shifted a bit and was now coming out of the W.\u00a0\u00a0It finally seemed to be weakening a bit.\u00a0 After eating, Lupe curled up for a few minutes in a spot where the rocks protected her from the wind.<\/p>\n

Lupe had now climbed North Point and the True Summit of Five Points to achieve her peakbagging goal for the day.\u00a0 There were still 3 of the Five Points unclimbed.\u00a0 False North Point didn’t count, since it wasn’t really part of the official group.\u00a0 The sun was starting to get low.\u00a0 SPHP debated whether or not Lupe should climb any more of the Five Points mountains.<\/p>\n

The 2nd highest mountain of the Five Points group was separated from the True Summit by a saddle extending off to the SE.\u00a0 SPHP was calling\u00a0this mountain South Point, even though\u00a0there were two lower points of the Five Point group farther\u00a0S.\u00a0 South Point really wasn’t very far away.<\/p>\n

The saddle to South Point didn’t lose much elevation, but there was a lot of deadfall timber and some pretty big rock outcroppings visible along the way.\u00a0 If Lupe could get by the rocks and deadfall, it wouldn’t take long for her to reach the summit of South Point.<\/p>\n

As always, Lupe was willing to try it.\u00a0 So Lupe and SPHP went back down the steep grassy ramp and headed SE toward the saddle to South Point.\u00a0 It really wasn’t hard to cross the saddle area.\u00a0 The deadfall timber was more of a problem than the rocks were.\u00a0 Lupe succeeded in reaching the top of South Point.\u00a0 She found the highest rocks near the SE end of the ridge.\u00a0 The best views were from a rock platform at the very SE end.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking S from South Point. Harney Peak (L) and Hill City (R) are in view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on the rock platform at the far SE end of South Point. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Harney<\/a>
Harney Peak from South Point. The two points of the Five Points group that Lupe did not climb on Expedition No. 144 are seen in the foreground.\u00a0 (Only the rocks at the very top of the lowest point are seen at the lower R.)\u00a0Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The summit of South Point. Lupe is surrounded here by the highest rocks on South Point. Photo looks NW.\u00a0 The True Summit of Five Points isn’t very far away to the NW, but is hidden by the forest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Lupe reached the summit of South Point, she had climbed the 3 highest mountains in the Five Points group, plus False North Point.\u00a0 It was time to start heading back to the G6.\u00a0 Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult to just continue down off South Point continuing to the SE.<\/p>\n

Lupe was losing a lot of elevation.\u00a0 As\u00a0soon as the terrain permitted, SPHP led Lupe to the SW and then W.\u00a0 Lupe was going to go clear around to the W of the True Summit and North Point.\u00a0 It was a fairly long march through the forest, made longer by the steepness of the slope, deadfall timber, and big patches of thistles and thorny plants.\u00a0 Lupe had a great time, though.\u00a0 There was now room to run around in the forest.\u00a0 She sped around, happy to not be so confined\u00a0up on\u00a0high rocky places.<\/p>\n

When Lupe had gone quite a long distance to the W, she came to a big square-shaped rock outcropping, which SPHP promptly dubbed Block ‘O Rock.\u00a0 Not too long after reaching Block ‘O Rock, the terrain leveled out and Lupe was able to head N.\u00a0 She was far enough W to see USFS Road No. 249 down the hill to the W, but she did not go down to the road.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
At Block ‘O Rock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe continued N through the forest until she was just S of False North Point again.\u00a0 There a faint road went almost all the way up to the saddle she had crossed earlier in the day heading for North Point.\u00a0 Lupe continued N over the saddle and descended into an aspen filled valley.\u00a0 At first there was a path, but as Lupe continued on, the path became choked with deadfall timber.<\/p>\n

\"North<\/a>
A look back at North Point (L) and the True Summit (R) of Five Points. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It really wasn’t terribly far (0.5 mile?)\u00a0to reach another saddle\u00a0NE of False North Point\u00a0that would take Lupe back to USFS Road No. 669.\u00a0 The forest was a mess, though.\u00a0 The deadfall was so thick it even slowed Lupe down.\u00a0 The sun disappeared.\u00a0 A little later, the last sunlight remaining on the peaks disappeared.\u00a0 It wouldn’t be good to be stuck out in this tangle at night.\u00a0 The moon\u00a0wasn’t due to\u00a0rise for several hours.<\/p>\n

SPHP was confident, though.\u00a0 Lupe made it to the saddle while there was still twilight.\u00a0 She picked up USFS Road No. 669 again.\u00a0\u00a0Once\u00a0on No. 669, it was easy to just\u00a0retrace the early part of the day’s journey back to the G6.\u00a0 The stars were out by the time Lupe got there at 6:39 PM.\u00a0 It was 38\u00b0F.\u00a0 The wind was almost gone.\u00a0 A slight breeze was heard in the treetops.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP stood under the stars for a few more minutes.\u00a0 Then it was time for Lupe to go to her Grandma’s house for Halloween.\u00a0 When she got there, Lupe raced into the house, and up the stairs wagging her tail and whining in excitement.\u00a0 Grandma was very happy to see her!\u00a0 Time for ice cream!<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
Heading back.\u00a0 The pathway into the aspen-filled valley before it becomes choked with deadfall timber.<\/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 Prior Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

What better way for a lucky American Dingo to celebrate Halloween than a day spent exploring the Black Hills?\u00a0 Lupe was certainly in favor of it.\u00a0 When she saw SPHP getting the backpack ready to go, she\u00a0quickly grew\u00a0impatient for SPHP to head out the door.\u00a0 Finally, the great moment arrived. For Lupe’s Black Hills Expedition … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 144 – Five Points (10-31-15)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2861,"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":[105,9,106,434,435,104,304],"class_list":["post-2877","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-false-north-point","tag-five-points","tag-lupe","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/P1070402.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\/2877","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=2877"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22472,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions\/22472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}