{"id":4819,"date":"2017-08-01T08:10:21","date_gmt":"2017-08-01T14:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=4819"},"modified":"2020-09-21T14:56:02","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T20:56:02","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-103-peak-6733-11-6-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=4819","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 103 – Peak 6733 (11-6-14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 102 on 10-29-14, Lupe had approached from the N to successfully climb St. Elmo Peak<\/a><\/span> (6,458 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, but despite a valiant effort, she failed to reach Peak 6733<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Huge amounts of deadfall timber had choked the way.\u00a0 It slowed SPHP down so much that Lupe ran out of daylight before reaching Peak 6733, although she\u00a0did make\u00a0it as far as Peak 6634 just 0.5 mile to the NNW.<\/p>\n

On this beautiful warm\u00a0morning in early November, SPHP had a new plan of attack\u00a0for Lupe.\u00a0 She would climb Sylvan Hill<\/a><\/span> (7,000 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> and then follow the ridge around the S end of the valley to the W until she got to Peak 6733.\u00a0 Trekking along this high ridge might be quite an adventure.\u00a0 SPHP wasn’t certain how rugged it would be, but there could be some scenic and difficult to navigate large granite formations along the way.<\/p>\n

Lupe didn’t get to find out.\u00a0\u00a0At least 2\u00a0miles from where SPHP had intended to park the G6, Hwy 87\/89 was barricaded.\u00a0 The road was closed!\u00a0 SPHP had never seen this part of Hwy 87\/89 closed before, but it was now.\u00a0 Well, what’s new?\u00a0 Adventures often\u00a0require flexible planning.\u00a0 USFS Road No. 352 left Hwy 87\/89 heading W right in front of the barricade.\u00a0 Time to see where it would lead.<\/p>\n

SPHP expected No. 352 would head SW toward Peak 6733, and it did, but not until after it went NW first.\u00a0 About 0.75 mile from Hwy 87\/89, No. 352 entered the NE end of the long valley between Sylvan Hill and Peak 6733, where the road divided.\u00a0 USFS Road No. 352.1B went W.\u00a0 A sign said “Private Drive”.<\/p>\n

Lupe needed to go S, anyway, and No. 352 continued in that direction.\u00a0 Just a little past the fork in the road, SPHP parked the G6 along No. 352 (9:14 AM, 47\u00b0F).\u00a0 The immediately surrounding terrain was nice and level.\u00a0 The forest had been thinned and cleaned up.\u00a0 It looked almost like a park.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe was less than 0.5 mile S of St. Elmo Peak.\u00a0 She would start her trek to Peak 6733 from here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
St. Elmo Peak from USFS Road No. 352. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP headed S along No. 352.\u00a0 With the change in starting points, SPHP had abandoned all thoughts of having Lupe climb Sylvan Hill, at least not before she climbed Peak 6733.\u00a0 Instead, she was going to follow the road to the S end of the valley, get up on the ridge, and go directly for Peak 6733.<\/p>\n

No. 352\u00a0gained elevation at a steady, moderate pace.\u00a0 Within about 10 minutes, Lupe came to a green metal gate.\u00a0 No vehicles could get past this point, so it was just as well that the G6 was parked back where it was.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went around the gate and continued S, climbing steadily all the time.<\/p>\n

The S end of the valley was less than 3 miles away.\u00a0 SPHP expected the road would gain elevation nearly all the way, but when Lupe was a little over halfway there, suddenly No. 352 turned SW and started losing elevation rapidly.\u00a0 The road went clear down to the bottom of the valley, where there was a junction with USFS Road No. 352.2A.\u00a0 No. 352.2A headed back to the NW following a little stream down Bear Gulch.<\/p>\n

The route No. 352.2A took looked grassy and inviting, but was headed the wrong way.\u00a0 Lupe did go check out the stream for a big, cold drink before she was ready to leave this nice, secluded spot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Happy Lupe cools down in the merry little stream flowing down Bear Gulch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP got back on No. 352.\u00a0 The valley narrowed a great deal just to the S, with towering rock formations on both sides.\u00a0 The road led between them, following the creek upstream.<\/p>\n

Once beyond the rock formations,\u00a0Lupe was in the upper end of Bear Gulch.\u00a0 Here the valley widened out considerably. \u00a0Much of the floor of the valley was a big grassy meadow.\u00a0\u00a0This hidden area, protected on all sides by high forested ridges,\u00a0seemed like it would be a popular place for deer to graze, but Lupe saw none.<\/p>\n

No. 352 continued S along the E side of the big meadow.\u00a0 Looking over at the\u00a0big ridge to the W, SPHP saw a high point that was probably Peak 6634, the farthest point S Lupe had reached up on that ridge on Expedition No. 102.\u00a0 It was hard to be certain, though.<\/p>\n

\"Part<\/a>
Part of the big meadow in upper Bear Gulch. Peak 6634, the high point farthest S that Lupe reached along the ridge on Expedition No. 102, may be the one on the L.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe came to a junction with USFS Road No. 352.2B.\u00a0 It headed W across the meadow and disappeared into the forest.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP stayed on No. 352.\u00a0 Soon another road, which was likely USFS Road No. 352.2D, branched off heading E.\u00a0 Lupe was getting close to the S end of the valley.\u00a0 She came to more little roads branching off in various directions.<\/p>\n

SPHP was hoping to find USFS Road No. 352.2C, which should go SW\u00a0before turning sharply\u00a0to climb NNW up to a saddle on the ridge between Peak 6733 and Peak 6634.\u00a0 When Lupe reached a road going SW, SPHP took it.\u00a0 Soon unmarked roads were branching off of it in all directions.\u00a0 Clearly, this wasn’t No. 352.2C.\u00a0 The road continued SW deteriorating rapidly.\u00a0 Before long, it disappeared entirely.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were left climbing steeply straight up the ridge at the far SSW end of the valley.<\/p>\n

Lupe reached the top of the ridge.\u00a0 There would have been some great views to the N and S, but the forest was too thick to see much.\u00a0\u00a0It looked like there\u00a0might be a\u00a0considerably\u00a0higher point off to the SE\u00a0hidden by the trees.\u00a0 Another less prominent high point was\u00a0close by\u00a0to the WNW.\u00a0 Peak 6733 had to be somewhere NW of there.<\/p>\n

Down in the valley, No. 352 had been almost entirely free of any deadfall timber.\u00a0 Up here on the high ridge, there was plenty of it.\u00a0 Lupe explored while SPHP worked slowly along the ridgeline, picking a way through the deadfall.\u00a0 There were\u00a0frequent granite outcroppings along the way, and occasionally some pretty good views toward St. Elmo Peak or Sylvan Hill.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP went up and down following the ridgeline from one granite outcropping to the next.\u00a0 Some of them were large enough to force SPHP around them.\u00a0 Others were easily traversed.\u00a0 Gradually the ridgeline curved to the NNW.\u00a0 Peak 6733 came into view.\u00a0 There was a considerable drop from the last high point Lupe went over down into the saddle\u00a0leading to Peak 6733.\u00a0 On the way down, Lupe found the only really clear look at Peak 6733 ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Peak<\/a>
Peak 6733 lies ahead! Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe and SPHP climbed directly up this SSE spine of Peak 6733.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was a lot of deadfall timber and several big granite outcroppings on the way up the SSE spine of Peak 6733, but Lupe and SPHP made it up the mountain.\u00a0 At the very top was a large steep granite formation.\u00a0 SPHP had to climb slowly and carefully up the last dozen feet, lift Lupe up on top, and then crawl up there, too.<\/p>\n

The summit was surprising.\u00a0 A narrow\u00a0band of granite a few feet wide, and all about the same elevation,\u00a0snaked around for 20 or 30 feet.\u00a0 There were sheer, but not particularly high drop offs on both sides.\u00a0 Still, they were plenty high enough so one really should take care not to fall off.\u00a0 Lupe was fine up there, but SPHP crawled along the granite path looking for a more secure place.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe up on the narrow ridge of granite on top of Peak 6733. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe relaxes enjoying her Peak 6733 peakbagging success! Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Somewhat surprisingly, SPHP only had to crawl along the granite for\u00a0ten feet or so before it became evident that there was a small patch of level ground nearby to the NW.\u00a0 It was almost as high as the summit.\u00a0 SPHP scrambled over there, and got off the granite.<\/p>\n

Now both Lupe and SPHP could relax and enjoy the views.\u00a0 SPHP sat on the ground\u00a0petting Lupe and taking a break.\u00a0 Water and Taste of the Wild for Lupe.\u00a0 Water and a golden apple for SPHP.\u00a0 After eating, it was time for a few photos from seldom visited Peak 6733.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>
St. Elmo Peak (L) looks a lot smaller from Peak 6733! Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sylvan<\/a>
Sylvan Hill (Center) from Peak 6733. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thunderhead Mountain<\/a><\/span> (6,567 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, only 0.75 mile to the W,\u00a0presented the most interesting view from Peak 6733.\u00a0 Lupe had a great view of the\u00a0rarely seen E side of the Crazy Horse memorial<\/strong><\/a><\/span> carving on Thunderhead Mountain.\u00a0 The Crazy Horse carving has been in progress for decades, and is still far from being finished, but\u00a0remains a popular tourist attraction in the Black Hills.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>
From Peak 6733, Lupe had this great view of the Crazy Horse carving on Thunderhead Mountain. The Crazy Horse memorial is a popular Black Hills tourist attraction, but most tourists normally see it from the other side. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it was time to leave Peak 6733, Lupe took a different route back than the way she had come up.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP worked around the SW and then W sides of the large granite outcropping at the top of the mountain.\u00a0\u00a0The route\u00a0was a real tangle of deadfall timber and thistles, but eventually Lupe regained the ridgeline N of Peak 6733.\u00a0 She\u00a0fought through more deadfall going\u00a0N along the ridge all the way to USFS Road No. 352.2C at the saddle just S of Peak 6634.<\/p>\n

Getting to No. 352.2C brought relief from all the deadfall timber.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP followed\u00a0the road\u00a0as it wound down into the upper end of Bear Gulch to the E.\u00a0 It eventually led to USFS Road No. 352.2B, which brought Lupe to No. 352.<\/p>\n

There were still a couple of hours left before sundown.\u00a0 If Lupe was going to climb Sylvan Hill, now was the time to do so.\u00a0 SPHP dithered.\u00a0 Lupe had been on Sylvan Hill once before almost 6 months ago.\u00a0 She climbed it from a different direction on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 89 on 5-17-14.\u00a0 The views were fantastic, but there had been a lot of deadfall timber to contend with along the summit ridge.<\/p>\n

From upper Bear Gulch where Lupe was, it was over an 800 foot climb with no roads or trails.\u00a0\u00a0Deadfall timber appeared to be strewn all over the steep ridge.\u00a0\u00a0No doubt it\u00a0would take a long time to reach the top, and another long time to get back down.\u00a0 SPHP wanted to go, and Lupe was willing, but maybe it really wasn’t all that feasible even with several hours of daylight.\u00a0 No sense getting stuck in the dark in a horrible tangled dead\u00a0forest.<\/p>\n

So instead of climbing Sylvan Hill, Lupe turned N on No. 352.\u00a0 The road led her back\u00a0between the big rock formations at the narrow part of the valley.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe reached the merry creek bubbling along near USFS Road No. 352.2A.\u00a0 It still looked inviting to explore the grassy valley along No. 352.2A.\u00a0 So, Lupe\u00a0did.\u00a0 She eventually left\u00a0No. 352.2A,\u00a0and climbed up on some interesting granite formations where there was a nice view of St. Elmo Peak.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>
St. Elmo Peak from some granite formations down in Bear Gulch. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe’s explorations of Bear Gulch led her to USFS Road No. 352.1D, which in turn took her back to No. 352.\u00a0 At 3:58 PM (55\u00b0F), Lupe was back at the G6.\u00a0 Despite having taken a relatively easy return route, it was only 30 minutes until sundown.\u00a0 Maybe that decision not to climb Sylvan Hill had been the right one!<\/p>\n

It seemed a bit strange to be leaving for home before the sun was even down.\u00a0 Lupe was happy enough, though.\u00a0 She stood gazing intently\u00a0out the windows of the G6 looking for deer, cows, horses or anything else it might be fun to bark at.\u00a0 She had a great day climbing Peak 6733, and wasn’t disappointed on the way home either!<\/p>\n

Note: Starting\u00a0on USFS Road No. 352, the easiest\u00a0and most direct\u00a0up Peak 6733 would have been to take No. 352.2B heading W in upper Bear Gulch.\u00a0 No. 352.2B leads to No. 352.2C.\u00a0 Don’t follow No. 352.2C all the way NNW up onto the ridge.\u00a0 Instead, at the very S end of No. 352.2C, leave the road and climb SW up to the saddle on the ridgeline.\u00a0 From the saddle turn NNW, and finish the climb up Peak 6733.<\/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\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":"

Back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 102 on 10-29-14, Lupe had approached from the N to successfully climb St. Elmo Peak (6,458 ft.), but despite a valiant effort, she failed to reach Peak 6733.\u00a0 Huge amounts of deadfall timber had choked the way.\u00a0 It slowed SPHP down so much that Lupe ran out of … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 103 – Peak 6733 (11-6-14)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4810,"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":[105,9,106,104,578,304],"class_list":["post-4819","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-lupe","tag-peak-6733","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1050636.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\/4819","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=4819"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22496,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions\/22496"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}