![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_0025.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>To get to Buck Mountain<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>(5,553 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>, Lupe would have to leave the chilly valley, and climb over a ridge to the N to another valley where the Middle<\/em> Fork of Bogus Jim Creek flows.\u00a0 After following USFS Road No. 448 for a little over a mile, Lupe and SPHP left the road heading NW.\u00a0 Lupe climbed through a forest of small trees to arrive at a saddle area.<\/p>\n SPHP had hoped to be able to see Buck Mountain ahead to the N from the saddle, but the area was so heavily forested, it was hard to see much of anything.\u00a0 An unnamed 5,360 ft. mountain was just NE of the saddle.\u00a0 It would only require gaining another 200 ft.\u00a0to get up there.\u00a0 Maybe Lupe could see Buck Mountain from up there?<\/p>\n When Lupe arrived at the top of the 5,360 ft. mountain, it was very heavily forested, too.\u00a0 A couple of small openings offered some views toward the S and SW.\u00a0 Toward the N or NW, though, it was hard to see much of anything.\u00a0 SPHP could just glimpse a mountain that looked like it was probably about where\u00a0Buck Mountain should be, but that was about it.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP retreated back down to the saddle area.\u00a0 Lupe went NNW descending\u00a0into\u00a0the valley of the Middle Fork of Bogus Jim Creek.\u00a0 On the way, Lupe found a steep, snowy little road.\u00a0 In some spots along the road, Buck Mountain\u00a0was in\u00a0view.\u00a0 It was dead ahead to the N.<\/p>\n The little road took Lupe all the way down to the valley floor.\u00a0 The Middle Fork of Bogus Jim Creek was very small, but there was some water in it.\u00a0 Lupe jumped across it, and even SPHP could just step across.\u00a0 Just beyond the creek was USFS Road No. 202.\u00a0 Although Buck Mountain was straight ahead just N of the road, the mountain was clearly too steep to climb easily from the S.\u00a0 Lupe headed W on No. 202.<\/p>\n Before long, Lupe came to a little side valley with an unmarked road in it heading NW.\u00a0 This was probably USFS Road No. 202.2C.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP followed this side road, but not very far.\u00a0 As soon as it looked like there was another side valley to the NE, Lupe and SPHP headed that way into the forest.\u00a0 Lupe was circling around to the N side of Buck Mountain.\u00a0 SPHP hoped and expected Buck Mountain would be relatively easy to climb from the N.<\/p>\n Lupe eventually reached a saddle area N of Buck Mountain.\u00a0 There was a surprisingly large rock outcropping in the middle of this area between Buck Mountain to the S, and an unnamed mountain to the N.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP climbed up on the rocks to see what the route up the N slope of Buck Mountain looked like.<\/p>\n The view of Buck Mountain to the S was rather surprising, and a bit concerning to SPHP.\u00a0 The summit of Buck Mountain looked very rocky and steep.\u00a0 The approach from the E actually looked easier than from the N.\u00a0 However, it also looked like there might be two ridges of rock up at the summit separated by a sizable notch, with the ridge W of the notch being higher and the true summit.\u00a0 Getting past the notch from the E might be difficult.<\/p>\n It was hard to tell with all the trees, but maybe Lupe wouldn’t even be able to climb Buck Mountain?\u00a0 That would be disappointing!<\/p>\n There was only one way to find out.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed straight for Buck Mountain.\u00a0 SPHP intended to head directly\u00a0up to\u00a0the notch, if it was possible.\u00a0 Lupe didn’t get very far up the N slope before she came to a big rock formation.\u00a0 A long line of large blocky rocks extended up the mountain forming a\u00a0N\/S ridge.\u00a0 SPHP wanted\u00a0to stay to the\u00a0W of it, but a\u00a0quick check showed that the ground over there was pretty steep and littered with boulders.<\/p>\n The terrain pretty much forced Lupe and SPHP to go around the NE and then E side of\u00a0Buck Mountain.\u00a0 Lupe was able to gain elevation steadily along the way.\u00a0 To the W was a fairly steep boulder field, but it wasn’t all that high.\u00a0 Above the boulder field was\u00a0the wall of rock forming the N\/S ridge.\u00a0 It looked like it might be possible for Lupe to get up there if she\u00a0climbed toward the SW.<\/p>\n Lupe\u00a0had no trouble navigating the\u00a0snowy boulder field.\u00a0 Taking a slow, cautious approach, SPHP didn’t have much problem with it either.\u00a0 It took a little while to get up there, but Lupe reached the\u00a0top of the\u00a0high rock ridge.\u00a0 SPHP was a bit apprehensive about what she might see.\u00a0 SPHP expected Lupe would see a dip of some sort down to a notch, and then another higher\u00a0rocky\u00a0spire to the W.\u00a0 Would Lupe even be able to get over there?<\/p>\n Looks had been deceiving!\u00a0 There was no notch.\u00a0 There was no higher ridge to the W.\u00a0 Lupe was on top of Buck Mountain!\u00a0 The actual very highest point appeared to be off to the N some distance.\u00a0 Since Lupe had climbed up closer to the S end of the summit ridge, Lupe and SPHP went to explore the S end of Buck Mountain first.<\/p>\n Even though there were quite a few trees along the rocky summit ridge of Buck Mountain, there were also\u00a0lots of rather cool\u00a0rock\u00a0platforms featuring commanding views\u00a0in one direction or another.\u00a0 By moving around to the proper viewpoint, it was possible to get a wide open view in almost any direction.\u00a0 The S and middle portions of the summit ridge were easy to get around on, too.\u00a0 The ridge was level enough and wide enough to maneuver easily.<\/p>\n After exploring and enjoying the views\u00a0toward\u00a0the S end of the mountain, it was time for Lupe to go N and\u00a0achieve her Buck Mountain peakbagging goal by reaching the very highest point on the mountain.\u00a0 The N end of the summit ridge was more rugged than the S end.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP had to be a little careful along in here.<\/p>\n Not far from the cairn at the summit, Lupe and SPHP ran into a 6′ wall of rock blocking the way forward.\u00a0 There was no way Lupe could see over it.\u00a0 SPHP climbed up partway to look over the rock wall.\u00a0 Lupe waited below in a cleft in the rocks for a report.\u00a0 Which way next?<\/p>\n The blocking rock was only a couple of feet thick, but it didn’t look like a good idea to attempt to go over it.\u00a0 To the W was a sheer drop off onto a steep boulder field below.\u00a0 The only way around seemed to be to climb down to the E off the main ridge.\u00a0 The boulder field on that side of the mountain could be navigated easily enough with some care.<\/p>\n No sooner had Lupe and SPHP started toward the E than SPHP realized there was a convenient platform of rock 1.0 – 1.5 feet wide going all the way around the E side of the rock wall.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP took the platform, and\u00a0got past\u00a0the rock wall.\u00a0 Lupe still had to go down off the summit ridge onto the boulder field, but only for a short distance.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP soon found a short steep little route up to the summit.\u00a0 SPHP had to climb carefully, but Lupe was up in a flash.\u00a0 She perched up next to the summit cairn to claim her peakbagging success on Buck Mountain.<\/p>\n The N end of the summit ridge was smaller than the S end, and very rocky.\u00a0 The views were absolutely great, though.\u00a0 With Lupe’s peakbagging goal accomplished, Lupe and SPHP took a break on the rocks\u00a0just N of the cairn.<\/p>\n Lupe wasn’t in the mood for her usual Taste of the Wild for some reason.\u00a0 She seemed concerned that the cheese sandwich SPHP had brought along might be too big for just one measly human.\u00a0 She was pretty insistent that SPHP needed help.\u00a0 With\u00a0the Carolina Dog’s\u00a0kind assistance, what remained of the cheese sandwich was quite manageable for SPHP.<\/p>\n Some Black Hills mountains turn out to be just high spots in a thick forest with no views.\u00a0 That’s pretty common, actually.\u00a0 Buck Mountain turned out to be a very fun peak for Lupe and SPHP.\u00a0 It was just a little bit challenging, but\u00a0rewarded the effort with\u00a0lots of splendid views from a variety of lookout points.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP lingered up on Buck Mountain for quite a while enjoying the moment.\u00a0 Before heading down, SPHP scouted a little way to the N to see if there was a better way off the mountain.\u00a0 In the end, Lupe and SPHP returned the way they came.\u00a0 Lupe took one more trip to the S end of the summit ridge for a final look.\u00a0 Then it was time to scramble down the little boulder field on the E side of the mountain.<\/p>\n Once down below the boulder field, Lupe and SPHP headed N back to the saddle area close to the large rock outcropping.\u00a0 Lupe seemed rather glad to be down off Buck Mountain.\u00a0 Evidently, she preferred running around in the forest.\u00a0 When she saw a squirrel dash into a hollow log, she spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure out how to get at it.\u00a0 With enormous enthusiasm, the Carolina Dog kept running around the log sniffing, then suddenly stopping to dig frantically here and there.<\/p>\n The squirrel was totally safe.\u00a0 Lupe could not get it.\u00a0 She had fun trying, although she yipped in frustration now and then, too.\u00a0 When she was ready to give it up, Lupe and SPHP started the trek back to the G6.\u00a0 Instead of retracing Lupe’s earlier route, Lupe and SPHP headed down the E side of the saddle.<\/p>\n Although not as dramatic as climbing a mountain, Lupe enjoyed exploring the forest on the way back.\u00a0 She reached the G6 again at 3:55 PM (35\u00b0F).\u00a0 On the way home, Lupe barked at the usual cows and horses.\u00a0 She also branched out into barking at something a bit more exotic.<\/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\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":" A cold snap was on the way.\u00a0 The 5th of January was going to be the last day with highs approaching 40\u00b0F for a while.\u00a0 If Lupe was going to get in another Black Hills, SD Expedition any time soon, it had to be now or never.\u00a0 Given a choice like that, Lupe and SPHP … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 151 – Buck Mountain (1-5-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3859,"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":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[105,9,541,106,104,304],"class_list":["post-3863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-buck-mountain","tag-carolina-dog","tag-lupe","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_0048.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\/3863","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=3863"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22457,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863\/revisions\/22457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>