{"id":6910,"date":"2016-11-18T08:10:47","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T15:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=6910"},"modified":"2020-09-23T12:21:31","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T18:21:31","slug":"black-hills-wy-expedition-no-180-warren-peaks-bull-hill-ragged-top-lone-tree-hill-10-30-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=6910","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 180 – Warren Peaks, Bull Hill, Ragged Top & Lone Tree Hill (10-30-16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fog!\u00a0 Must be just a ground fog, though.\u00a0 Stars could still be seen above.\u00a0 With any luck at all, we’ll drive out of it, Loop.\u00a0 <\/em>Lupe whined.\u00a0 She couldn’t see them, but she could smell ’em.\u00a0 Cows were hidden out there in the foggy darkness!\u00a0 The Carolina Dog barked, leaping\u00a0from window to window trying to catch sight of them.<\/p>\n

On the way up to Warren Peaks, the G6 did emerge from the fog.\u00a0 Lupe was going to get to see sunrise from the highest point in the Bear Lodge Mountains after all!<\/p>\n

\"Sunrise<\/a>
Sunrise from Warren Peaks. The dark outline of the Black Hills in South Dakota is on the horizon. Photo looks ESE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was cool and a bit windy when Lupe arrived\u00a0up\u00a0on Warren Peaks<\/a><\/span> (6,650 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (7:18 AM, 38\u00b0F).\u00a0 For almost the end of October, conditions were\u00a0actually exceptionally nice.\u00a0 Off to the ENE, Lupe could see a thin layer of very low clouds.\u00a0 That had to be part of\u00a0the fog she’d gone through to get here.\u00a0 To the W, the Bear Lodge Mountains were acting like a dam, holding back a sea of more substantial low clouds.<\/p>\n

\"Very<\/a>
Very low, thin clouds were in view to the ENE. They were part of the ground fog Lupe had traveled through to get here. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Lupe on the highest rocks on the mountain near the Warren Peaks fire lookout tower.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP watched the sunrise develop.\u00a0 Just for fun, Lupe took a little stroll down to a slightly lower hill SE of the fire tower.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Warren Peaks fire tower from the barren hill to the SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe returned to the summit of Warren Peaks.\u00a0 Sunrise was taking longer than anticipated.\u00a0 The sun was above the horizon, but\u00a0obscured by clouds.\u00a0 SPHP was still interested in watching the display, but Lupe was ready for action!<\/p>\n

\"\"
The sun was up, but obscured by clouds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on a picnic table waiting for SPHP to lose interest in the sunrise. It was time to get going!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was Lupe’s third\u00a0expedition in a row to the Bear Lodge Mountains in NE Wyoming.\u00a0 Once again, she had 3 peakbagging goals for the day.\u00a0 The first one was Bull Hill, only a mile N of Warren Peaks.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The big rounded partly bare hill seen beyond Lupe is Bull Hill, Lupe’s first peakbagging goal on Expedition No. 180. This photo was taken a week before when Lupe visited Warren Peaks on Expedition No. 179. Photo looks N from Warren Peaks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When SPHP finally quit dawdling watching the sunrise, Lupe and SPHP drove N on USFS Road No. 838.\u00a0 Before going to Bull Hill, SPHP wanted to check out a viewpoint a short distance NW of Warren Peaks, the same viewpoint where Lupe had seen Devils Tower and Missouri Buttes in twilight at the end of the day on Expedition No. 179.\u00a0 Now that it was morning, maybe it would be possible to get a clearer view?\u00a0 (7:49 AM, 38\u00b0F)<\/p>\n

Heh.\u00a0 No view at all.\u00a0\u00a0The white sea of low clouds trapped\u00a0to the W of the Bear Lodge Mountains blanketed all of the territory in that direction.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went on.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP parked the G6 near the intersection of USFS Roads No. 838 and No. 847 (8:06 AM, 38\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

Getting to Bull Hill<\/span><\/a> (6,394 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was easy.\u00a0 Lupe trotted E down USFS Road No. 847 to a side road with a Bull Hill Road sign.\u00a0 She followed Bull Hill Road around the N side of a forested ridge, then SE up\u00a0the Whitetail Creek\u00a0valley.\u00a0\u00a0Bull Hill Road curved E, going\u00a0up and over\u00a0a saddle.\u00a0 At the saddle, Lupe was directly S of Bull Hill.\u00a0 She left the road, climbing up a pasture to the open forest at the top of the mountain.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on Bull Hill. The fire tower on Warren Peaks is seen in the distance. The cairn and pipe next to Lupe were a little W of the highest point on Bull Hill. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Lupe stands near the highest point on Bull Hill. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP explored the top of Bull Hill.\u00a0 Toward the E was a nice view of Crow Peak<\/a><\/span> (5,787 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0in South Dakota, but\u00a0Lupe had just seen essentially the same view from\u00a0even higher Warren Peaks.\u00a0 After a short stay on Bull Hill, Lupe headed back to the G6 (9:31 AM, 45\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

Lupe’s next peakbagging goal, Ragged Top,\u00a0was back to the S a few miles, not really all that far away.\u00a0 After a short drive, SPHP parked the G6 at the intersection of USFS Road No. 838 and an unmarked road on the E side of No. 838.\u00a0 (This intersection is a\u00a0few hundred feet N of the start of No. 838.1B on the W side of No. 838, and marked as 6,374 ft. elevation on the Peakbagger.com<\/strong><\/a><\/span> topo map.)<\/p>\n

To get to Ragged Top<\/a><\/span> (6,260 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, Lupe didn’t really have to gain any elevation at all.\u00a0 In fact, she would lose a little on the way there.\u00a0 Ragged Top is the high point at the SW end of a mile long ridge.\u00a0 The G6 was already parked near the higher NE end of the ridge.\u00a0 Lupe cut through the forest on the W side of USFS Road No. 838 to reach No. 838.1B.\u00a0 She followed the road SW toward Ragged Top.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on USFS Road No. 838.1B on her way to Ragged Top. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

USFS Road No. 838.1B ended at a meadow at a high point.\u00a0 Lupe was more than half way to Ragged Top, but would have to do some bushwhacking from here.\u00a0 American Dingoes are great at bushwhacking!\u00a0 Lupe descended into a\u00a0saddle leading to a lower forested hill along the ridge.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe in the meadow where USFS Road No. 838.1B ended. She was a little over halfway to Ragged Top here. Next she had to descend into the saddle leading to the forested hill seen beyond her. That hill was part of the main ridgeline leading to Ragged Top, and where she would encounter the first significant rock outcroppings on the way. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The saddle area was forested, too.\u00a0 What’s more, the forest floor was densely carpeted\u00a0with low juniper bushes.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe found easier traveling over\u00a0less vegetated\u00a0ground\u00a0along the SE side of the ridge.\u00a0 When Lupe climbed up the forested hill on the\u00a0SW side of the saddle, she reached the first significant rock outcroppings.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe on the first significant rock outcropping she encountered on her way to Ragged Top. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From here on, the now undulating ridge to Ragged Top was much narrower than before.\u00a0 Lupe passed by, or went over,\u00a0several more rock formations along the way.\u00a0 The last part of the ridge turned S\u00a0as Lupe approached\u00a0the final high point –\u00a0the small summit known as Ragged Top.\u00a0 Soon Lupe was surveying the situation from the top of Ragged Top.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe surveys the world from the top of Ragged Top! Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Lupe on Ragged Top. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The best views were actually from rocks farther S where\u00a0the ridge ended.\u00a0 Lupe could see both Inyan Kara<\/a><\/span> (6,360 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and Sundance Mountain<\/a><\/span> (5,824 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0beyond a bank of clouds sneaking out to the E from the sea of clouds to the W.<\/p>\n

\"Inyan<\/a>
Inyan Kara (Center – on the horizon) from a bit S of the Ragged Top summit. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sundance<\/a>
Sundance Mountain (L just beyond the clouds). Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was\u00a0still at the S viewpoint,\u00a0when a sudden\u00a0loud explosion echoed up from the valley below!\u00a0 Gunfire!\u00a0 Lupe ran to SPHP.\u00a0 That was it for the photo session.\u00a0 More gunfire rang out every few minutes.\u00a0 No way Lupe was letting SPHP get more than a foot away.\u00a0 The final photo of the Ragged Top summit, taken\u00a0from the S, had to be Lupe-less.<\/p>\n

\"\"
S face of the Ragged Top summit. There was supposed to be a courageous Carolina Dog poised dramatically atop the highest rocks, but loud gunfire put an end to that notion. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had made it to Ragged Top, but she didn’t want to be there now!\u00a0 With gunfire going on sporadically, all she wanted to do was hide.\u00a0 Time to get the Carolina Dog out of here!\u00a0 SPHP led the way back to the G6.<\/p>\n

When Lupe reached the forested saddle again, she decided to slink along\u00a0hidden pathways between the low juniper bushes that dominated the forest floor.\u00a0 In this manner, she\u00a0slunk along all by herself\u00a0clear up to\u00a0the edge of the meadow where USFS Road No. 838.1B had ended.\u00a0 As far as the American Dingo was concerned,\u00a0her slinking worked just fine!\u00a0 Lupe didn’t get shot.\u00a0 Not even once.<\/p>\n

At the meadow, Lupe and SPHP took a break.\u00a0 Lupe curled up on SPHP’s lap, so SPHP could pet her and hold her.\u00a0 This was most reassuring.\u00a0 It certainly helped that the gunfire stopped, too.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP shared a chocolate coconut granola bar.\u00a0 Things were looking up!\u00a0 Things were also looking like a mess.\u00a0 SPHP noticed Lupe treasures scattered along the edge of the forest.<\/p>\n

Cleanup ensued.\u00a0 As Lupe and SPHP continued back to the G6, more Lupe treasures were encountered, this time in the form of empty shotgun shells.\u00a0 By the time Lupe was back at the G6 (12:07 PM, 55\u00b0F), she had two grocery sacks full of treasures.<\/p>\n

\"Warren<\/a>
Warren Peaks from near USFS Road No. 838.1B on the way back to the G6. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had one more peakbagging goal for Expedition No. 180, but it was a long way N from here.\u00a0 On the way, Lupe and SPHP stopped again (12:15 PM, 55\u00b0F)\u00a0at the viewpoint NW of Warren Peaks where she had seen Devils Tower<\/a><\/span> (5,112 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> and Missouri Buttes<\/a><\/span> (5,374 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0a week ago.<\/p>\n

The clouds were gone!\u00a0 Devils Tower and\u00a0Missouri Buttes were in view to the NW.\u00a0 The air was rather hazy, but it was much easier to see them now than at sundown last week.<\/p>\n

\"Devils<\/a>
Devils Tower and Missouri Buttes from the viewpoint NW of Warren Peaks. Photo looks NW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had a great time in the G6 traveling N to\u00a0start her journey to her 3rd and final peakbagging goal of the day.\u00a0 She rode with her head out the window, with the wind in her face.\u00a0 She saw lots of deer in the forest,\u00a0plus\u00a0cows to bark at near Hwy 24.<\/p>\n

When SPHP finally parked the G6 (1:17 PM, 61\u00b0F) again, Lupe recognized this place.\u00a0 She had been here before.\u00a0 She was at the intersection of Planting Spring Road (USFS Road No. 881.1) and USFS Road No. 830.\u00a0 Two weeks ago on Expedition No. 178, she had stumbled onto this junction on her way to Bald Mountain<\/span><\/a> (4,800 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 Now it was the starting point for her journey to Lone Tree Hill<\/span><\/a> (4,600 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The first part of Lupe’s route to Lone Tree Hill she had already been on before.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP set out going WNW on USFS Road No. 881.1.\u00a0 Almost right away, Lupe passed by a rather elaborate tent and camper setup on the N side of the road.\u00a0 Several guys planning on going deer hunting occupied the camp.<\/p>\n

Once past the hunters, Lupe had a blast running around in the woods along No. 881.1.\u00a0 She made good time to the intersection with USFS Road No. 881.1A, which leads to Bald Mountain.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe did not take the turn to Bald Mountain, staying instead on No. 881.1.\u00a0 The road quickly turned N.<\/p>\n

No. 881.1 eventually angled NW for a while.\u00a0 When it finally turned W, Lupe could see sky between trees\u00a0at the far end of a slight rise ahead.\u00a0 Lupe was about to reach the W edge of the large flat ridge she had been traveling along.\u00a0 Lone Tree Hill<\/span><\/a> (4,600 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> was supposed to be off to the NW\u00a0beyond the edge of the ridge.\u00a0 Would she be able to see it?<\/p>\n

The Peakbagger.com topo map<\/strong><\/span><\/a> showed No. 881.1 ending (near elevation 4,768 ft.) before reaching the edge of the ridge.\u00a0 The road didn’t actually end.\u00a0 Instead, it curved SW on its way down to a somewhat lower area.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the road going W through the forest, and up the slight rise.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe reaches the W edge of the big, relatively flat ridge she had been traveling. This photo looks SW, the only direction with a relatively clear view. Devils Tower is seen faintly on the horizon above Lupe’s ear. Missouri Buttes are on the R.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe arrived at the edge of a N\/S running line of small cliffs.\u00a0 There weren’t any discernable breaks in the cliff line.\u00a0 Due to the forest, the only relatively clear view was off toward the SW, where Lupe could see Devils Tower and Missouri Buttes on the far horizon.<\/p>\n

It was hard to see between the trees, but there did seem to be a large hill off to the NW where Lone Tree Hill should be.\u00a0 That had to be it!\u00a0\u00a0Lone Tree Hill appeared to be poorly named.\u00a0 Although some of the slopes below the line of rock at the summit were bare or sparsely forested, there were plenty of trees on Lone Tree Hill.<\/p>\n

Aptly named or not, from a distance Lone Tree Hill looked like an easy climb.\u00a0 There was one problem, though.\u00a0 Lone Tree Hill stood off by itself a mile NW of the ridge Lupe was on.\u00a0 How could Lupe get safely down off these cliffs to cross the low ground between here and there?<\/p>\n

The topo map showed only one semi-promising route nearby.\u00a0 A ravine to the NE trended W to the lower ground Lupe needed to reach.\u00a0 SPHP hesitated.\u00a0\u00a0No. 881.1 had turned SW where Lupe had left it,\u00a0heading down toward lower territory, too.\u00a0 Maybe the road would\u00a0take Lupe safely down below the cliffs?\u00a0 That might be a lot easier than bushwhacking through a steep ravine!<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP left the cliff edge to return to No. 881.1.\u00a0 Once there, Lupe followed it SW.\u00a0 The road lost some elevation, but then started to level out and turn S.\u00a0 It looked like it was going to continue S, staying above a band of cliffs.\u00a0 Hmmm.\u00a0 Not good.\u00a0 Lupe left the road briefly, entering a small ravine leading W.\u00a0 No dice.\u00a0 The ravine\u00a0quickly cliffed out.\u00a0 The drop was only 15 or 20 feet.\u00a0 Didn’t matter, it may as well have been 10 times that much.<\/p>\n

OK.\u00a0 The ravine to the NE really was the only reasonable possibility.\u00a0 Of course, there must be other routes, but they would all be significantly longer.\u00a0 Lupe had made good time getting to the cliffs.\u00a0 Even so, it was late enough in the day so the amount of time left before sunset was something to keep in mind.\u00a0 The afternoon was clouding up.\u00a0 It wouldn’t be a good idea to still be wandering around\u00a0in a trackless forest trying to find and\u00a0bushwhack back up a steep ravine after dark, especially with no moon or stars to help stay oriented.<\/p>\n

Better get a move on!\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP headed back up the road.\u00a0 Lupe regained all\u00a0her lost elevation, before leaving the road again to go try the ravine to the NE.\u00a0 The ravine started out fine.\u00a0 Gradually, Lupe lost\u00a0elevation again.\u00a0 She found an animal trail to follow.\u00a0 Rock formations appeared on the slopes of the ravine, but Lupe didn’t come to any cliffs on the way W.<\/p>\n

The NE ravine route worked!\u00a0 Lupe lost over 400 feet of elevation.\u00a0 She found herself safely down in a tall grove of white-barked aspens where the ground leveled out.\u00a0 She was actually having a great time exploring this\u00a0remote forest.\u00a0 SPHP was confident Lupe was going to successfully climb Lone Tree Hill now!<\/p>\n

Lupe had been going W down the ravine.\u00a0 Now it was time to turn NW.\u00a0 The tall aspens gave way to a forest of scrub oak.\u00a0 Lupe romped around among fallen leaves looking for squirrels in the oak trees.\u00a0 She found several squirrels, much to her delight and the squirrels’ annoyance.\u00a0 Sometimes scrub oaks grow in dense clusters, but this forest was more open than that.\u00a0 It wasn’t hard to move around.\u00a0 Lupe was making great progress again.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Exploring the scrub oak forest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe turned N upon reaching a long saddle leading to Lone Tree Hill’s S Ridge.\u00a0 By climbing the S ridge, Lupe could get to the lower E end of Lone Tree Hill’s summit ridge.\u00a0\u00a0As Lupe progressed along the saddle, she encountered areas of open ground interspersed between stands of forest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe was making progress! As she got to the saddle leading to Lone Tree Hill’s S ridge, she came to this view of Lone Tree Hill up ahead. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe reached the S ridge.\u00a0 Her climb up\u00a0Lone\u00a0Tree Hill was about to begin\u00a0in earnest.\u00a0\u00a0She\u00a0immediately encountered\u00a0a new obstacle.\u00a0 The scrub oak forest was now\u00a0behind her, and the S ridge leading up was all pine forest.\u00a0 At least it had been.\u00a0 The pine forest was devastated!<\/p>\n

A tangle of dead trees, most laying perpendicular to Lupe’s route, was blocking the way forward.\u00a0 It looked like a tornado had hit this place!\u00a0 The trunks of many trees had simply snapped.<\/p>\n

\"\"
As Lupe started her climb up the S ridge, her route was blocked by a devastated pine forest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Progress became excruciatingly slow, as Lupe and SPHP struggled over, under, and around the deadfall timber.\u00a0 Fortunately, the S ridge wasn’t very long.\u00a0 Lupe only had to gain 200 feet of elevation\u00a0to reach the lower E end of Lone Tree Hill’s\u00a0summit ridge.\u00a0 This was taking forever, though!\u00a0 SPHP started to worry about how much time was going by.<\/p>\n

Slowly, ever so slowly, Lupe and SPHP picked a way up\u00a0through the shattered forest.\u00a0 “Lone Tree” Hill, indeed!\u00a0 If, only!\u00a0 That “Lone Tree” term had been used rather loosely, hadn’t it?\u00a0 As in, “Lone Tree” means less than 10,000 trees. \u00a0Silly SPHP had been expecting like, maybe, one tree – perhaps a few more, if one counted little\u00a0trees springing up around the big one.\u00a0 Not this!\u00a0 Who had named this place, anyway?\u00a0 Must have been an Indian 300 years ago.\u00a0 The name hadn’t been justified\u00a0in at least that long.<\/p>\n

As Lupe starting getting close to the E ridge, the deadfall gradually diminished.\u00a0 Then, finally, she was out of it.\u00a0 Hallelujah!\u00a0\u00a0Lupe reached\u00a0the lower E end of Lone Tree Hill’s summit ridge.\u00a0 The top\u00a0of the mountain was in view not too far to the W.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the lower E section of Lone Tree Hill’s main E\/W trending summit ridge. The top of the mountain is in view to the W. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Getting<\/a>
Getting closer! There was actually a fair amount of deadfall timber near the top of Lone Tree Hill, but nothing like what Lupe had already come through on the S ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe started making good progress again.\u00a0 She headed for the higher W\u00a0portion of\u00a0Lone Tree Hill’s summit ridge.\u00a0 Near the top,\u00a0she encountered more deadfall timber.\u00a0\u00a0The deadfall\u00a0slowed SPHP down, but not Lupe.\u00a0 Lupe went straight to the\u00a0top of the mountain.\u00a0 She\u00a0had made it!\u00a0\u00a0Lupe stood\u00a0on the summit of Lone Tree Hill.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lupe reaches the summit of Lone Tree Hill! Photo looks SE in the direction she came from to get here. The ravine she came down along the distant ridge is a bit hard to see from this angle, but is almost directly above her. Just to the L of that ravine is the part of the big flat ridge where the Peakbagger.com topo map shows High Point 4801.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking S from the true summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0true summit of Lone Tree Hill\u00a0was a bit W of\u00a0where Lupe had come up.\u00a0 The mountain featured a\u00a0band of rock and very small cliffs along the S edge of the summit ridge.\u00a0 Views toward the S were generally quite good.\u00a0 By moving around the summit, it was possible to see a long way in almost any direction.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The S edge of the summit ridge featured a band of very small orange-yellow cliffs. Photo looks ESE toward High Point 4801 (R).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
The top of Lone Tree Hill had some deadfall timber, but it wasn’t too bad. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The far W end of the summit ridge was a bit lower than the rest of it, but had hardly any trees.\u00a0 Lupe had a\u00a0270\u00b0 panoramic view from here!\u00a0 It was a great place to take a break,\u00a0and celebrate Lupe’s final peakbagging success of the day.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the far W end of the Lone Tree Hill summit ridge. She had 270\u00b0 panoramic views from here. Missouri Buttes are on the far horizon directly above Lupe. The top of Devils Tower pokes above the forested ridge on the L. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP shared water and chocolate coconut granola bars.\u00a0 Lupe had her Taste of the Wild.\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0consumed an apple.\u00a0 The sun was getting lower, but Lupe would have time to get back to the road before dark.\u00a0 Actually, it was getting hard to even tell where the sun was.\u00a0 The sky, which had been at least partly sunny and blue in the morning, was now a boring, indistinct, gray smudge in almost every direction.<\/p>\n

Lupe lingered on Lone Tree Hill as long as possible.\u00a0 Best to enjoy the moment!\u00a0 Lone Tree Hill was the type of small peakbagging objective that Lupe might well never ever\u00a0return to\u00a0again.\u00a0\u00a0It was sort of far from home, sort of hard to get to, and there are higher and more dramatic places to go.<\/p>\n

Yet, being on Lone Tree Hill was great!\u00a0 The sweeping views of the wide open spaces, forested hills, and long dark ridges\u00a0of remote NE Wyoming\u00a0were wonderful.\u00a0 And even\u00a0if the pine trees weren’t alone on Lone Tree Hill,\u00a0Lupe and SPHP were.\u00a0 The solitude and serenity was unbroken,\u00a0except by\u00a0the distant mooing of cattle\u00a0and occasional twittering of small birds.\u00a0 Lone Tree Hill\u00a0was good\u00a0for the spirit.<\/p>\n

As it always does, the time came to start for home.\u00a0 No devastated S ridge for Lupe\u00a0this time, though!\u00a0 It would be much easier to head right on down the mostly barren\u00a0S slope of the mountain from the W end of the summit ridge.\u00a0 Lupe was ready.\u00a0 The return trip was something to look forward to, too!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe starts down Lone Tree Hill, eager for more adventures on the long way back to the G6.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The busy American Dingo made the most of the return trip.\u00a0 She stopped frequently on her way down the mountain to scan the scene below.\u00a0 She streaked across meadows, sniffed around in forests, barked at squirrels, saw some deer, found and\u00a0climbed back up\u00a0the ravine onto the big ridge, ultimately returning to\u00a0USFS Road No. 881.1.\u00a0 She traveled the road in fading light, as the forest darkened and grew more mysterious around her.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on her way back from Lone Tree Hill. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The deer hunters were in their big tent, talking and laughing, when Lupe passed by again.\u00a0 Brightly glowing light escaped the tent at various openings.\u00a0 Smoke drifted\u00a0out a black smokestack.\u00a0 Sounded like good times going on inside.<\/p>\n

The hunters\u00a0didn’t see the American Dingo trot by.\u00a0 She was\u00a0almost to the G6 (6:09 PM, 54\u00b0F), her day’s adventures nearly over,\u00a0destined for a long ride home to a late Alpo dinner, warm bed,\u00a0and sweet dreams of\u00a0a day spent alive and free in the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
In the scrub oak forest SE of Lone Tree Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Note:\u00a0 Lupe treasures gathered on Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 180\u00a0included\u00a019 aluminum cans, 9 plastic bottles, 3 glass bottles, 48 shotgun shells.<\/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 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<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fog!\u00a0 Must be just a ground fog, though.\u00a0 Stars could still be seen above.\u00a0 With any luck at all, we’ll drive out of it, Loop.\u00a0 Lupe whined.\u00a0 She couldn’t see them, but she could smell ’em.\u00a0 Cows were hidden out there in the foggy darkness!\u00a0 The Carolina Dog barked, leaping\u00a0from window to window trying to … Continue reading Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 180 – Warren Peaks, Bull Hill, Ragged Top & Lone Tree Hill (10-30-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6891,"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":[105,9,705,106,707,104,706,155,275],"class_list":["post-6910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-bull-hill","tag-carolina-dog","tag-lone-tree-hill","tag-lupe","tag-ragged-top","tag-warren-peaks","tag-wyoming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_3249.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\/6910","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=6910"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28367,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6910\/revisions\/28367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}