{"id":328,"date":"2015-03-17T12:07:26","date_gmt":"2015-03-17T18:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=328"},"modified":"2020-09-21T19:51:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T01:51:25","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-122-bear-den-mountain-anchor-hill-dome-mountain-pillar-peak-3-14-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=328","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 122: Bear Den Mountain, Anchor Hill, Dome Mountain & Pillar Peak (3-14-15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a week of above average temperatures and with a near record high in the 70’s forecast for this Saturday, it was definitely time for Lupe to head out for another Black Hills expedition.\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0decided Lupe would go back to the Pillar Peak area (see\u00a0Expedition No. 120<\/a><\/strong><\/span>)\u00a0where there were three more mountains listed on Peakbagger.com that Lupe could climb:\u00a0 Bear Den Mountain, Anchor Hill and Dome Mountain.<\/p>\n

SPHP parked the G6 at the big Camp 5 Trailhead parking lot located just S of Hwy 14A between Sturgis and Deadwood, SD at 9:19 AM.\u00a0 It was already 47 degrees F out under sunny skies.\u00a0 Lupe started out heading S along USFS Road No. 306.1.\u00a0 Within a few minutes she reached the dry creek bed of Boulder Creek and just beyond it came to an intersection with USFS Road No. 172.1.\u00a0 Lupe took No. 172.1 which headed WSW for about half a mile before turning S.<\/p>\n

No. 172.1 gained elevation steadily, but at an easy pace.\u00a0 The road was damp from recently melted snow.\u00a0 Only\u00a0at a few shaded curves in the road was there any snow or ice still\u00a0on it.\u00a0 The road wound along the lower E slopes of a high hill for\u00a0over a\u00a0mile before entering Lost Gulch.\u00a0 Lupe could have followed No. 172.1 up Lost Gulch, which would have brought her to the general vicinity of all three of her peakbagging goals.<\/p>\n

However, up to this point,\u00a0No. 172.1 had not been too interesting.\u00a0 It was not a major gravel road, but was in good enough shape so that SPHP could have driven the G6 up it without much of a problem.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP both prefer a more remote and secluded feel than No. 172.1 was exuding.\u00a0 Stopping briefly to check the maps, SPHP found that an intersection with\u00a0USFS Road No. 567.1F wasn’t too far ahead.\u00a0 It might be more of a challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the start of USFS Road No. 567.1. Before long this road faded away to the point where it was essentially non-existent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe passed an intersection with No. 172.1F, which did look interesting, but another look at the maps showed it ultimately curved around to the NE – the wrong direction.\u00a0 Lupe stayed on No. 172.1 and about 0.25 mile later reached No. 567.1F.\u00a0 No. 567.1F was covered with snow and long branches of bushes were reaching out over the road.\u00a0 There were no tracks in the snow.\u00a0 It looked like No. 567.1F was likely impassable to vehicles, which made it a great choice for Lupe and SPHP.<\/p>\n

Lupe clearly enjoyed No. 567.1F.\u00a0 While on No. 172.1, she had just trotted along at SPHP’s heels most of the time.\u00a0 On No. 567.1F, however, she started branching out and exploring the forest in every direction, while SPHP struggled along through the increasingly numerous\u00a0obstacles on the long abandoned road.\u00a0 No. 567.1 headed generally SW up a fairly big side gulch off to the S of Lost Gulch.\u00a0 The road gradually deteriorated as it went up the gulch.\u00a0 Parts of it were completely wiped out at the bottom of the gulch due to erosion.<\/p>\n

Deadfall timber, growing trees and bushes, rocks and snow eventually made it impractical to try to stay on the faint remains of No. 567.1F any longer.\u00a0 So Lupe and SPHP started climbing up the steep slopes of the NW side of the gulch.\u00a0 After a while the terrain leveled out quite a bit and became more open.\u00a0 There was a high point visible off to the SE, but SPHP checked the maps and it looked like the summit of Bear Den Mountain<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(5,642 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, Lupe’s first peakbagging goal of the day, should be off to the SW.<\/p>\n

Lupe resumed climbing and looking for the summit of Bear Den Mountain.\u00a0 From Pillar Peak on Expedition No. 120 on 2-20-14, SPHP had seen that there were a number of roads on the upper slopes of\u00a0Bear Den Mountain.\u00a0 Lupe started running into and crossing them.\u00a0 SPHP’s\u00a0old USFS map showed that the summit of Bear\u00a0Den Mountain was surrounded by private property, but Lupe came to no development other than the roads, not even any fences or signs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Past the first high point, Lupe is now on the ridge leading to the summit of Bear Den Mountain. Custer Peak is visible in the distance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe did come to a high spot, also reached by a jeep trail, which at first SPHP thought might be the summit of Bear Den Mountain.\u00a0 A look around\u00a0soon convinced SPHP that there was likely still higher terrain\u00a0some distance to\u00a0the W.\u00a0 Exploring in that direction, Lupe did clearly gain some elevation and arrived at the summit of Bear Den Mountain.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe nearing the summit of Bear Den Mountain from the E.\u00a0 A forest fire burned the area some years ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
On top of Bear Den Mountain. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on Bear Den Mountain. Pillar Peak<\/a><\/strong><\/span> (5,469 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> at far left is less than 2 miles to the N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on Bear Den Mountain. Photo looks W at hill SPHP mistook for Anchor Hill. Terry Peak visible as distant snowy highest point (left of center).\u00a0 It was this photo and topo maps available on Peakbagger.com\u00a0that convinced SPHP two days later that the forested\u00a0hill in the background, which Lupe did climb next, was actually about 0.5 mile NNE of and higher than\u00a0Anchor Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having reached the summit of Bear Den Mountain, after a short Taste of the Wild and water break, it was time for Lupe to head for her next peakbagging goal – Anchor Hill<\/a><\/span> (5,720 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 Lupe headed SSW down a long ridge extending out from Bear Den Mountain.\u00a0 She then turned WNW and followed a mile long saddle between Lost Gulch to the N and Butcher Gulch to the S.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe heading down the SSW ridge from Bear Den Mountain. Photo looks SW. Custer Peak<\/a> <\/span>(6,804 ft.) <\/span><\/strong>and what SPHP believes to be the old Gilt Edge Gold Mine are\u00a0in view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bear<\/a>
Bear Den Mountain from the WSW along the ridge between Lost & Butcher Gulches. Bear Butte<\/a><\/span> (4,422 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0visible out on the prairie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe cools off in the snow on the way to Anchor Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe did climb the high forested hill that SPHP had seen from Bear Den Mountain and had assumed was Anchor Hill.\u00a0 Only two days later did SPHP realize that the hill Lupe climbed was not really Anchor Hill, but a slightly\u00a0higher hill about 0.5 mile to the NNE of the real Anchor Hill.\u00a0 On three expeditions, No. 119, No. 120 and now No. 122, silly little Anchor Hill has eluded Lupe and SPHP.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reached this pile of loose rocks at the summit of the fake Anchor Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Break<\/a>
Break time for Lupe on the fake Anchor Hill. Notice the brown pipe sticking up near a tree toward the right side of the photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a rest break on the fake Anchor Hill, Lupe headed NE for Dome Mountain.\u00a0 Coming down the NE slopes of the ridge connected to fake Anchor Hill, the snow was 2 to 3 feet deep.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe crossed the\u00a0saddle ridge between fake Anchor Hill and the ridge Dome Mountain is on.\u00a0 It was a real mess for a long stretch due to deadfall timber as a result of a fire years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe looks NNE towards Dome Mountain. Pillar Peak pokes up above the trees in the distance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P1060006\"<\/a>
Oh, delightful! The last stretch of the saddle ridge leading NE towards the E end of the Dome Mountain ridge. Actually the hike across it wasn’t too bad as the dead trees were fairly small.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once Lupe was across the saddle ridge and into the living forest, it was much easier going as she headed W towards the rocky point that is the summit of Dome Mountain.<\/p>\n

\"P1060007\"<\/a>
Looking W at Dome Mountain while still on the saddle ridge.\u00a0 This ridge separates Lost Gulch to the E from the big gulch that sweeps around the S and W sides of Dome Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P1060009\"<\/a>
Looking SW at the rocky summit of Dome Mountain. Fake Anchor Hill in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Up on Dome Mountain<\/strong><\/a> (5,512 ft.)<\/strong><\/span><\/span>, there was a fairly stiff breeze out of the NW.\u00a0 The blue skies of the early morning had long ago clouded up with an indefinite overcast haziness.\u00a0 The highest rock outcropping which is the summit of Dome Mountain was easily climbed.\u00a0 Lupe finished the rest of her Taste of the Wild up on the summit, although she didn’t care much for the wind.<\/p>\n

\"P1060012\"<\/a>
Looking W towards Terry Peak<\/a><\/span> (7,064 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0from Dome Mountain summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P1060014\"<\/a>
Looking NE towards Pillar Peak from summit of Dome Mountain. Lupe is ready to get off the windy summit and hoping SPHP hurries up with the photo session.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having climbed Dome Mountain, SPHP was under the delusion that Lupe had achieved all three of her peakbagging goals for Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 122.\u00a0 (Not realizing that Lupe had climbed a false Anchor Hill.)\u00a0 It was time to start heading back to the G6, but SPHP also thought Lupe might have time to climb Pillar Peak<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(5,469 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0once again, which was not too out of the way.\u00a0 The key to being able to do so was to follow along the saddle ridge between Dome Mountain and Pillar Peak.<\/p>\n

Lupe left the Dome Mountain summit area heading E through the living forest.\u00a0 When she got near the edge with Lost Gulch, she turned N trying to stay on the high ground.\u00a0 This was successful for a while, but the high ground she was following eventually dropped off.\u00a0 She had to go a considerable distance\u00a0down into a ravine and climb back up to the N again to get back up on the saddle.\u00a0 SPHP was starting to get weary and almost decided against climbing up again in favor of just heading down into Lost Gulch.\u00a0 This would have meant giving up on Pillar Peak.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, SPHP managed to summon the energy to climb back up on the ridge.\u00a0 Lupe continued on to Pillar Peak.\u00a0 The wind out of the NW was even stronger and gustier than it had been on Dome Mountain as Lupe climbed up the final stretch.\u00a0 The gusting wind and late hour made the stay up on Pillar Peak a short one.\u00a0 SPHP took a few photos and Lupe was on her way again.<\/p>\n

\"P1060019\"<\/a>
Getting very close to Pillar Peak while approaching from the SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P1060020\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the summit of Pillar Peak not long before sunset.\u00a0 The snowy ski runs on Terry Peak to the W\u00a0visible in the\u00a0distance\u00a0(left).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe left the summit of Pillar Peak and headed\u00a0toward a slightly lower forested high point\u00a0on Pillar\u00a0Peak a\u00a0short hike\u00a0to the E.\u00a0 Just before reaching it, she headed SE down a steep slope.\u00a0 Like much of the day’s journey, it was slow going for SPHP picking a way down through all the deadfall timber, rocks and bushes.\u00a0 After losing 500 feet of elevation, Lupe found a road.\u00a0 It headed up in both directions.\u00a0 Lupe followed it S.\u00a0 It eventually went over a saddle.\u00a0 On the other side of the saddle was another road, which may have been No. 172.1H.<\/p>\n

Lupe followed this road for a while hoping to lose elevation, but it stayed high up on the slopes of the mountain it was going around.\u00a0 It eventually just ended.\u00a0 About 150 feet lower another road could be seen.\u00a0 Lupe headed down to it.\u00a0 This road did the same thing, heading around the mountain while maintaining elevation.\u00a0 It also dead ended.\u00a0 Again another road could be seen farther below, this time near the valley\u00a0floor.\u00a0 SPHP by now had to pick a way down the slope very carefully, for the sun had set a while ago and with the cloud cover, even twilight was fading fast.<\/p>\n

The lowest road continued on down Lost Gulch.\u00a0 Even here it was a bit tricky going in the dark.\u00a0 The road was covered with snow and ice for a long way.\u00a0 Finally Lupe reached the intersection with USFS Road No. 567.1 again.\u00a0 SPHP recognized it and was now certain Lupe was on USFS Road No. 172.1, which she could follow essentially the rest of the way back to the G6.<\/p>\n

It was quite dark by now.\u00a0 SPHP was feeling pretty played out.\u00a0 Even though it was downhill almost all the rest of the way, SPHP had to stop on one of the short uphill stretches for a rest.\u00a0 Lupe was still bright and alert.\u00a0 However, once back at the G6, she hopped right in as soon as SPHP was ready for her.\u00a0 It was 8:59 PM and still an amazing 61 degrees out.\u00a0 Lupe curled up and went to sleep almost instantly.<\/p>\n

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 122 was a success, but it wasn’t a complete success.\u00a0 SPHP didn’t realize it yet, but Anchor Hill had once again eluded Lupe.<\/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 \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<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a week of above average temperatures and with a near record high in the 70’s forecast for this Saturday, it was definitely time for Lupe to head out for another Black Hills expedition.\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0decided Lupe would go back to the Pillar Peak area (see\u00a0Expedition No. 120)\u00a0where there were three more mountains listed on Peakbagger.com … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 122: Bear Den Mountain, Anchor Hill, Dome Mountain & Pillar Peak (3-14-15)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":334,"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":[105,60,59,9,106,61,104,10,304],"class_list":["post-328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-anchor-hill","tag-bear-den-mountain","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dome-mountain","tag-lupe","tag-pillar-peak","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1050980.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\/328","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=328"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28261,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328\/revisions\/28261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}