Lupe was happy to be out in the Black Hills again.\u00a0 She was eager to hit the trail and begin exploring.\u00a0 It was an unbelievably beautiful day that was going to bring record-setting warmth for this date.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP set out heading N on a single track trail.\u00a0 Tomaha Point was 4 miles to the NW.<\/p>\n Lupe was having a blast sniffing and running around in the forest, but it didn’t last long.\u00a0 Within 5 or 10 minutes of starting out, she heard a loud bang.\u00a0 Gunfire!\u00a0 Lupe raced to warn SPHP.\u00a0 She was scared, and wanted to stop and hide.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP knew that Lupe wasn’t in any danger, but it was impossible to convince her of that.<\/p>\n The gunfire was going to continue.\u00a0 It was just people out target practicing.\u00a0 They would very likely keep at it for hours.\u00a0 If Lupe was ever going to get to Tomaha Point, she couldn’t wait for it to end.\u00a0 SPHP encouraged her to just stay close and keep moving.\u00a0 Lupe wasn’t buying it.\u00a0 She kept getting in SPHP’s way, standing on her hind legs and leaning against SPHP looking for reassurance, begging SPHP to stop.<\/p>\n SPHP petted\u00a0Lupe and encouraged her, but tried to keep going.\u00a0 It was tough for both Lupe and SPHP.\u00a0 Lupe persisted in getting right in the way.\u00a0 SPHP persisted in trying to weave around her.\u00a0 The game went on and on.\u00a0 Every few minutes, so did the gunfire –\u00a0sometimes just in single shots, other times in volleys.\u00a0 Occasionally it was quiet for longer periods, 5 or 10 minutes, but each time it started up again.<\/p>\n The trail N was a pretty easy path.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP should have been making quick progress toward Tomaha Point, but the nervous Carolina Dog was slowing things down a lot.\u00a0 While dodging dingoes, SPHP missed a turn and wound up taking Lupe down into a valley W of the most direct route to Victoria Creek, which had to be crossed along the way.<\/p>\n Fortunately,\u00a0the western trail also turned N and would eventually reach Victoria Creek, too.\u00a0 It went down into a little canyon, where there was still some melting ice on the trail.\u00a0 There were some interesting twisted rock formations along the way.\u00a0 At one point, a little spring bubbled above ground\u00a0at the base of\u00a0a twisted rock cliff.<\/p>\n The melting ice was very slick.\u00a0 Most places there wasn’t any, but in a few places there were big ice flows where the water from the spring had gone over the trail and frozen.\u00a0 Lupe reached Victoria Creek at the end of the little canyon, about where SPHP expected to come out.\u00a0\u00a0A towering rock formation was right at the end of the little canyon.<\/p>\n Victoria Creek was dry, except for some ice.\u00a0 Lupe followed a path near the creek continuing N until it reached a trail she had been on a week ago.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP turned W on it, crossed a road going through the canyon, and followed the trail NW up a long ridge.\u00a0 At the far S end of a barren ridge SE of Commissary Point, Lupe left the trail and headed N.<\/p>\n Lupe had been along this route before, a week ago on her way to Commissary Point.\u00a0 This time, instead of continuing on the barren ridge to the E end of Commissary Point, she\u00a0soon left the ridge and headed NW down into a big valley.\u00a0 All this time, well over an hour, Lupe had been hearing the relentless gunfire and begging SPHP to stop.\u00a0 Now that Lupe was just S of Commissary Point, the gunfire was finally far enough away to be faint enough so the poor Carolina Dog could relax.<\/p>\n Lupe found USFS Road No. 163 and took it going around the SW side of Commissary Point.\u00a0\u00a0The road\u00a0turned N and headed down toward Dark Canyon.<\/p>\n SPHP knew from the topo map that Lupe was approaching a critical part of her journey to Tomaha Point.\u00a0\u00a0By far the\u00a0easiest path to Tomaha Point was to go 0.5 mile W up Dark Canyon,\u00a0then\u00a0turn SW to enter a side canyon.\u00a0 She could follow the side canyon 0.25 mile to\u00a0yet another side valley coming in from the NW.\u00a0From the\u00a0side valley she would\u00a0have a pretty straight shot going NW\u00a0up toward Tomaha Point.<\/p>\n It looked easy on the topo map, but there were two complications.\u00a0 Rapid Creek, the largest stream in the Black Hills, flows through Dark Canyon.\u00a0 A much smaller\u00a0creek, Prairie Creek, flows out of the canyon to the SW\u00a0down to its confluence with Rapid Creek in Dark Canyon.\u00a0\u00a0Either stream might well\u00a0block the way for Lupe to follow this\u00a0route through the\u00a0canyons.\u00a0 In fact, it was rather likely.\u00a0 There might be bridges across Rapid Creek, but there wouldn’t be any bridges over Prairie Creek.\u00a0 Would Lupe find a way over or around the two streams?<\/p>\n She didn’t even get to find out.\u00a0 Approaching Dark Canyon, there was a big round steel bar gate across USFS Road No. 163.\u00a0 Signs said “Private Property” and “No Trespassing”.\u00a0 That was going to make things tough.\u00a0 Now Lupe couldn’t even try to find a way through Dark Canyon.<\/p>\n There was still one other possibility.\u00a0 SPHP had seen it on the topo map.\u00a0 USFS Road No. 163 was separated from the Prairie Creek canyon by a ridge almost 300 feet high, but there was one relatively low spot along the ridge.\u00a0 SPHP had already dubbed it Prairie Creek Pass.\u00a0 SPHP had been looking for it as Lupe came down USFS Road No. 163, but the ridge was so heavily forested, SPHP hadn’t seen the pass.<\/p>\n Instead of going back up No. 163 looking for a pass SPHP hadn’t been able to see before, Lupe and SPHP climbed directly up the ridge.\u00a0 It was steep, but Lupe made it up onto the ridgeline.\u00a0 Now Lupe could follow the ridgeline S looking for Prairie Creek Pass from above.\u00a0 First, though, Lupe still had to climb higher as the ridgeline went SW.\u00a0 In a few places, there were views of Commissary Point along the way.<\/p>\n Even up on the ridgeline, it was a pretty steep climb as Lupe went SW up to the highest point N of Prairie Creek Pass.\u00a0 Beyond the high point it got much easier continuing S toward the pass.<\/p>\n Surprisingly,\u00a0Lupe arrived at the top of\u00a0some small cliffs up above Prairie Creek Pass.\u00a0 It wasn’t hard to find a way down to the pass, though.\u00a0 Before heading W down into Prairie Creek canyon, Lupe and SPHP scouted the E side of the pass.\u00a0 The forest was so dense, it really wasn’t possible to see much.\u00a0 It did look like Lupe could get back down to the E from here, though, if she came back this way.<\/p>\n The topo map showed that the canyon wall\u00a0above Prairie Creek was steep.\u00a0 Cliffs were a definite possibility.\u00a0 SPHP hoped there would be a safe way down.\u00a0 If there wasn’t, Lupe would be stuck on the wrong side of Prairie Creek canyon. There was no other alternative route from here that would allow Lupe to reach Tomaha Point without\u00a0searching for miles for another way through.<\/p>\n The topo map was right.\u00a0 The canyon wall was steep all the way to the bottom, but Lupe and SPHP made it down slowly and safely.\u00a0 There weren’t any cliffs.\u00a0 Another possibility had been that Prairie Creek would be deep and flowing swiftly along the base of the canyon wall, preventing Lupe from getting across.\u00a0 Fortunately, it appeared at first glance that the creek bed was totally dry.\u00a0 It turned out there was some water in the creek, but not much.<\/p>\n Success!\u00a0 Lupe had made it down to Prairie Creek from Prairie Creek Pass.\u00a0 It had taken a long time to get here, but she had made it to this remote spot.\u00a0 Apparently it wasn’t totally remote.\u00a0 There was a big chunk of metal rusting in the stream bed right where Lupe had come down.\u00a0 Why would anyone have brought it here?\u00a0 And how?\u00a0 It\u00a0looked too heavy to pack out.<\/p>\n Lupe now needed to follow Prairie Creek 0.25 mile NW heading downstream.\u00a0 There, Prairie Creek\u00a0would turn\u00a0NE on its way\u00a0to Dark Canyon, but Lupe should be able to continue NW up a side valley.\u00a0 With the creek so low, it seemed like it ought to be easy to reach the side valley.<\/p>\n It wasn’t.\u00a0\u00a0Going through Prairie Creek\u00a0canyon\u00a0was hard.\u00a0 A thick tangle of bushes, trees, deadfall timber, occasional boulders, and uneven ground made it very slow going for SPHP.\u00a0 Lupe, however, was able to scamper around the veritable jungle pretty well.\u00a0 The gunfire that had made her miserable earlier, was now forgotten.\u00a0 Lupe was having a great time!<\/p>\n It took a long time for SPHP to force a way through “the Tangle” to reach the side valley coming in from the NW.\u00a0 Worse yet, the tangle continued up the side valley, too.\u00a0 No telling how far it went.\u00a0 In semi-desperation, SPHP looked up.\u00a0 It looked possible to climb up the NE side of the valley.\u00a0 If Lupe could get up to the ridge line, it might be a lot faster.\u00a0 A look at the topo map confirmed that this might work.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP made the steep climb.\u00a0 Lupe reached the ridgeline.\u00a0 It continued going up, steeply at first, but then more gradually as Lupe went NW along the ridge.\u00a0 The steep climb had been worth it.\u00a0 This was definitely better than fighting the endless tangle below!<\/p>\n When Lupe had reached the ridgeline, she was still nearly a mile SE of Tomaha Point, even though it seemed like hours and hours had gone by.\u00a0 Starting with the gunfire, there had been one obstacle after another.\u00a0 Now, though, Lupe was finally\u00a0able to start making rapid progress.<\/p>\n Skirting to the S of a high point, Lupe came to a road!\u00a0 It was an old road, but it was level and grassy.\u00a0 There were a few little trees growing on it, but for SPHP\u00a0it was the Autobahn compared to what\u00a0Lupe had come through.\u00a0 The old road soon led to a\u00a03-way intersection.\u00a0 Lupe took the branch that continued NW.\u00a0 A marker showed that this was USFS Road No. 772.1I.\u00a0 The road looked long abandoned, and eventually ended.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP left the end of the road climbing W up a forested hill.\u00a0 It wasn’t too far to another higher ridge.\u00a0 Pretty soon Lupe was up on that higher ridge and following it NW.\u00a0 She came to a fairly level spot with lots of young trees around and some big ones, too.\u00a0 There was a forested hill just beyond a saddle to the N.\u00a0 It didn’t look all that high, but it was definitely higher than where Lupe was.\u00a0 Off to the NE was a glimpse between the trees of Buzzard’s Roost<\/a><\/span> (4,695 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Was the forested hill to the N Tomaha Point?\u00a0 The setup looked right, but the truth was, SPHP didn’t know for sure what Tomaha Point looked like.\u00a0 From Commissary Point a week ago, SPHP had tried to pick it out, but wasn’t certain which hill was it.\u00a0 There was a hill that looked like a likely candidate, but from a distance there had been other hills that were still possibilities, too.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP were going to find out.\u00a0 Lupe went down into the little saddle, crossed it, and started climbing.\u00a0 Near the top of the forested hill, she found a seldom used trail.\u00a0 It went around to the W side before turning up to the summit ridge.\u00a0 A short walk S along the narrow rocky ridge led Lupe to a little cairn sitting atop a bigger rock.\u00a0 From the views between the trees on the way up, SPHP was 100% convinced.\u00a0 This was it.\u00a0 Lupe had made it to the top of Tomaha Point!<\/p>\n The topo map shows that the Tomaha Point summit ridge runs N\/S.\u00a0 The true summit is toward the S end, which was where Lupe found it.\u00a0 The N end of the ridge is lower.\u00a0 Lupe started going over there, but it was very windy and the faint trail in that direction passed next to some pretty steep terrain.<\/p>\n SPHP\u00a0caught a glimpse of a very steep rocky\u00a0spine running down to the E from the N part of the mountain.\u00a0 Yes, this was the same mountain SPHP had identified from Commissary Point.\u00a0 No need to go over to the N end.\u00a0 It looked a bit too treacherous.\u00a0 Lupe already had her Tomaha Point peakbagging success.<\/p>\n Although it had been breezy up on other ridges, the SW wind was gusting up on Tomaha Point.\u00a0 Lupe’s trip here had been somewhat of an ordeal, but she had made it.\u00a0 A lot of time had been spent getting here, though.\u00a0 It would likely be dark before Lupe could get back to the G6.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left Tomaha Point and returned to the somewhat lower ridge across the saddle to the S.<\/p>\n SPHP stopped to look at the topo map and ponder which way Lupe should go back.\u00a0 There were two choices, back through the tangle and over Prairie Creek Pass, or explore to the S.\u00a0 If Lupe went S, she would have to find another way across\u00a0a different part of\u00a0Prairie Creek canyon, but then it would be a mile or less before she would reach a good road or trail.<\/p>\n Exploring S seemed like fun, but iffy.\u00a0 It would probably be OK, but what if it wasn’t?\u00a0 Wandering around lost in the dark\u00a0would not be much fun.\u00a0 Better to just go back the same way, despite all the steep\u00a0ridges, passes and tangles.\u00a0 At least the route was known.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed back to the SE along the ridge.<\/p>\n Along the way, SPHP came up with a brainstorm.\u00a0 Instead of going back the exact same way, why not try another ridge leading down to Prairie Creek closer to Prairie Creek Pass?\u00a0 That way Lupe could avoid most of the tangle.\u00a0 It was brilliant!<\/p>\n Instead of going back to the Autobahn, Lupe and SPHP continued SE on another ridge farther S, losing elevation steadily along the way.\u00a0 After a little bit, a big rock outcropping loomed ahead, blocking the ridgeline.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0wasn’t going to\u00a0be able to stay up on the\u00a0ridge.<\/p>\n Time to make a choice about which valley to follow, the one to the SW or to the NE?\u00a0 Both valleys continued down to the SE.\u00a0 SPHP chose the SW one, since the valley farthest S should be Prairie Creek canyon.<\/p>\n Prairie Creek canyon was a much narrower “V-shaped” valley here than farther down where the stream was above ground.\u00a0 The bottom of the valley was full of boulders of various sizes in the dry creek bed.\u00a0 As Lupe went around the big rock formation, the creek bed lost elevation rapidly.\u00a0 It continued to do so as Lupe and SPHP pushed on down the valley.\u00a0 During a big rain, the water gushing down this\u00a0steep valley must become an absolute torrent full of waterfalls.<\/p>\n SPHP was hoping and expecting that Lupe would reach the base of Prairie Creek Pass soon.\u00a0 This time she should be approaching from the upstream direction.\u00a0 The tangle went on and on.\u00a0 Sometimes there were places where the NE side of the valley wasn’t as steep.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP could gain a little elevation and temporarily escape the tangle.\u00a0 Each time, though, the terrain soon forced Lupe back down all the way to the creek bed again.<\/p>\n There hadn’t been any water at all in this steep valley at first, but after Lupe had lost quite a bit of elevation, there started to be signs she might soon reach water.\u00a0 She came to a big mossy rock that was dripping a little bit.<\/p>\n Near the mossy rock, Lupe found a few puddles where she could get a drink.\u00a0 Any time now, Lupe would reach a place where Prairie Creek would be above ground.\u00a0 Well, not really.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP still had to push on farther through the tangle\u00a0than SPHP expected before Lupe heard the sound of running water ahead.<\/p>\n Oh no!\u00a0 Could it be?\u00a0 It was.\u00a0 Lupe still wasn’t at the base of Prairie Creek Pass.\u00a0 SPHP was now certain\u00a0where she was.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP recognized the\u00a0big rock wall on the left.\u00a0 Near here, Lupe had climbed out of the start of the side valley on her way to Tomaha Point.\u00a0 She was back where the side valley met Prairie Creek Canyon.\u00a0 She hadn’t been coming down Prairie Creek Canyon at all!<\/p>\n That meant all the struggle Lupe had just been through to avoid the tangle had just been additional tangle.\u00a0 She now had to work her way upstream through the entire length of the same tangle she passed through going to Tomaha Point.\u00a0 The brilliant plan to avoid it, had failed.\u00a0 DOH!<\/p>\n No choice, but to press on through it.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP set off going up Prairie Creek.\u00a0 When SPHP saw that Lupe was finally getting close to Prairie Creek Pass, SPHP tried another maneuver.\u00a0 The E canyon wall looked like it might be possible to start up here and angle up toward Prairie Creek Pass, getting Lupe out of the tangle a bit sooner than she otherwise would.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP started climbing.\u00a0 Within 30 seconds of starting to angle toward Prairie Creek Pass, the proposed route was blocked by a deep ravine going straight down.\u00a0 Lupe couldn’t go forward.\u00a0 Up or back down?\u00a0 Those were the only two choices.\u00a0 SPHP hated to lose the elevation again.\u00a0 It looked possible to go up.\u00a0 High above was some kind of a ridge where it looked like there might be some level ground.<\/p>\n Of course, it was steep.\u00a0 Why shouldn’t it be?\u00a0 Everything else was today.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP started climbing.\u00a0 Lupe reached the top of the ridge.\u00a0 SPHP followed her up.\u00a0 SPHP was sweating.\u00a0 It sure was warm out for February!\u00a0 The top of the ridge was broad, flat and thickly forested.\u00a0 Sunlight filtered between the trees.\u00a0 It was nice here, so incredibly private.<\/p>\n SPHP found a log and sat down.\u00a0 Time for a break!\u00a0 Lupe agreed.\u00a0 Taste of the Wild, an apple, a chocolate and coconut granola bar, and lots of water all got consumed.\u00a0 At least the backpack was lighter now.\u00a0 For a little while, Lupe and SPHP just rested.\u00a0 It felt good.<\/p>\n Lupe must nearly be as high as Prairie Creek Pass by now.\u00a0 Maybe there was a reasonably level route over to it?<\/p>\n No, of course not.\u00a0 Lupe made it most of the way to Prairie Creek Pass, but the canyon wall got too steep to be worth trying to go that way.\u00a0 Lupe had to climb clear up to the top of the higher part of the ridge.\u00a0 Fortunately, it wasn’t all that much higher.\u00a0 Lupe made a discovery along the way!\u00a0 She found a great Dingo den under an overhanging rock formation.<\/p>\n It was still a little bit of a climb from\u00a0Lupe’s secret\u00a0Dingo den up to the top of the ridge.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP had been up here earlier in the day.\u00a0 The rest of the way back to the G6 would be pretty easy.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went down into Prairie Creek Pass, and crossed it heading SE trying not to lose too much elevation.<\/p>\n A ravine eventually forced Lupe to go down to USFS Road No. 163 again.\u00a0 Along the way, Lupe\u00a0found the bleached bones of a deer that met its end here.\u00a0 The deer had met its tragic fate some time ago.\u00a0 There was nothing left of it except the bones.<\/p>\n USFS Road No. 163 had been rather soft and mucky early in the day.\u00a0\u00a0The warm breeze\u00a0had dried it out considerably by the time Lupe and SPHP reached it again.\u00a0 After all the obstacles Lupe had encountered, trudging up the road seemed extraordinarily easy.<\/p>\n Clouds started moving in from the SW, and the sunlight disappeared.\u00a0 The cool wind was blowing harder as Lupe regained elevation again.\u00a0 It felt good.\u00a0 SPHP began to get ideas.\u00a0 Lupe was just S of Commissary Point.\u00a0 SPHP could see a break in the cliff wall near the top\u00a0toward the SE end of the mountain.\u00a0 Why not climb\u00a0Commissary Point\u00a0again?<\/p>\n Another steep climb.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP emerged above the cliff wall near the S viewpoint that Lupe had been at on Expedition No. 156.\u00a0 The SW wind was really blowing up here!\u00a0 It started to sprinkle.\u00a0 Thunder!\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 A thunderstorm in the middle of February?\u00a0 What next?<\/p>\n The wind blew hard.\u00a0 The clouds continued to spit a little rain, but there was no more thunder as Lupe and SPHP headed for the summit.\u00a0 Lupe liked it up here and raced around across the open ground and through the forest.\u00a0 Nearing the summit from the E, suddenly SPHP realized Lupe wasn’t there.\u00a0 Where had she gone?\u00a0 She had been here just a couple of minutes ago.<\/p>\n SPHP\u00a0shouted for Lupe a couple of times.\u00a0 No Lupe.\u00a0 SPHP ran over to the N for a look at the terrain over there.\u00a0 She might have gone that way.\u00a0 Were there cliffs?\u00a0 No cliffs.\u00a0 That was good.\u00a0 SPHP shouted Lupe’s name over and over.\u00a0 More than a dozen times.<\/p>\n She always came, she always stayed near.\u00a0 Maybe\u00a0Lupe had heard something, and had\u00a0chased so far away after it she couldn’t hear SPHP\u00a0in the wind?\u00a0 By now the sun had to be almost down.\u00a0 It would be getting dark soon.\u00a0 SPHP kept yelling for Lupe.<\/p>\n Suddenly, there she was!\u00a0 Racing as fast as she could up through the forest from the NE, here came Lupe!\u00a0 She was panting really hard.\u00a0 She must have come a long way.\u00a0 Maybe she had gotten turned around.\u00a0 Lupe had a huge drink of water, as SPHP welcomed\u00a0the American Dingo\u00a0back.<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP\u00a0returned\u00a0to the summit of Commissary Point for\u00a0the second time in a week.\u00a0 Nothing to see here in the forest.\u00a0 A quick, fuzzy photo and onward.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed to the big viewpoint to the W.\u00a0 Just like a week ago, it was an absolute gale there.\u00a0 This time the wind was out of the SW instead of the NW.\u00a0 A few raindrops took aim at Lupe and SPHP just for fun.<\/p>\n SPHP had hoped there would be a nice sunset, but there were too many clouds.\u00a0 The sun was hidden behind them.\u00a0 Or, maybe the sun wasn’t even up any more?\u00a0 The light was fading fast.\u00a0 It was still more than two miles back to the G6.\u00a0 Best to be moving on.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the viewpoint heading E through the forest.<\/p>\n When Lupe got back to the S viewpoint, SPHP was surprised to see there was a pink glow in the sky back to the SW.\u00a0 There was a bit of a sunset after all!\u00a0 Lupe posed in the gale for a shot with the sunset, but the camera wouldn’t pick up both.\u00a0 The sunset only appeared when using the telephoto lens.\u00a0 Sorry, Lupe!\u00a0 This is a sunset shot!<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP left Commissary Point heading SE, and then S along the barren ridge where the helicopter had flown over exciting Lupe a week ago.\u00a0 It was almost dark out.\u00a0 Off to the ENE,\u00a0Lupe could see\u00a0the lights of Rapid City.<\/p>\n The way back to the G6 from\u00a0the barren ridge\u00a0was now familiar.\u00a0 Lupe still had one more little adventure when SPHP lost the faint trail once in the dark forest, but Lupe found it again before too long.\u00a0 At 6:58 PM (56\u00b0F), Lupe was back at the G6.\u00a0 Expedition No. 157 had lasted more than 10 hours.\u00a0 Despite the scary gunfire at the start, Lupe must have had a good time.\u00a0 She didn’t want to get in the G6 to go home yet.<\/p>\n So SPHP stretched out on the ground.\u00a0 Lupe laid down next to SPHP.\u00a0\u00a0She held her\u00a0keen ears high.\u00a0 Her head darted back and forth, as she listened intently to noises in the forest.\u00a0 The sky was gray, not black, even though the sun was long gone.\u00a0 Once in a while, the moon shimmered briefly through thin clouds.\u00a0 Overhead, the pitch black outlines of the pines swayed in the still gusty SW wind.<\/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\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<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lupe was back!\u00a0\u00a0The G6\u00a0was parked again at\u00a0Victoria Lake Road near its intersection with Sheridan Lake Road.\u00a0 (8:37 AM, 59\u00b0F)\u00a0\u00a0Lupe had unfinished business – adventuring business –\u00a0in the area. A week ago, on Expedition No. 156, Lupe meant to climb Commissary Point and Tomaha Point, but due to a circuitous route chosen by SPHP involving climbing … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 157 – Toiling Toward Tomaha (2-18-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4622,"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":[105,9,106,568,104,304,570],"class_list":["post-4645","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-commissary-point","tag-lupe","tag-south-dakota","tag-tomaha-point"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0255-e1554864838137.jpg?fit=1650%2C2200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4645","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=4645"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28277,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4645\/revisions\/28277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0245-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0246-e1554864340465-768x1024.jpg?resize=660%2C880\")
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<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0251-e1554864648504-768x1024.jpg?resize=660%2C880\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0253-e1554864743358-768x1024.jpg?resize=660%2C880\")
<\/a>![\"W](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0254-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0255-e1554864838137-768x1024.jpg?resize=660%2C880\")
<\/a>![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0256-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
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<\/a>![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0258-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
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<\/a>Tomaha Point was too heavily forested for there to be clear views.\u00a0 Still, in\u00a0some places there were little gaps\u00a0between\u00a0the trees.\u00a0 The relative\u00a0positions of Buzzard’s Roost and Thrall Mountain<\/a><\/span> (5,091 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, plus the sheer height of the very steep\u00a0drop-offs to the E and W confirmed this was indeed Tomaha Point.\u00a0 From the top of the mountain, it was clear that there was nothing else around that could possibly be it.<\/p>\n![\"Buzzard's](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0261-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Thrall](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0262-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Commissary](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0263-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
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<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0265-e1554865110860-768x1024.jpg?resize=660%2C880\")
<\/a>Lupe reached the bottom of the valley to the SW without losing much more elevation at all.\u00a0 Right away she was back in the tangle again.\u00a0 At least the creek was underground here.\u00a0 Hopefully\u00a0Lupe wouldn’t have to go too\u00a0far to get to the base of Prairie Creek Pass.<\/p>\n![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0266-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0267-e1554865171987-768x1024.jpg?resize=660%2C880\")
<\/a>![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0268-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0269-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0270-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Nearing](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0271-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0272-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
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<\/a>![\"Tomaha](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0275-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Lupe](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0276-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
<\/a>![\"Sunset](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0277-1024x768.jpg?resize=660%2C495\")
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