{"id":7462,"date":"2017-01-25T08:10:19","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T15:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7462"},"modified":"2019-04-09T19:43:17","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T01:43:17","slug":"dillon-mountain-brooks-range-alaska-8-15-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7462","title":{"rendered":"Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-15-16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 17 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska.<\/em><\/p>\n

Was it foggy?\u00a0 No,\u00a0only condensation inside the G6.\u00a0 Stepping outside, the sky was overcast.\u00a0 No sunshine at all, but the clouds were pretty high.\u00a0 Most of the mountaintops were in view.\u00a0 Hopefully, the clouds would burn off as the day went on.<\/p>\n

Yesterday’s\u00a0feeble attempt to climb Dillon Mountain had ended before Lupe even gained any elevation.\u00a0 It was SPHP’s fault.\u00a0 SPHP had fallen into a blueberry trap.\u00a0 All ambition had drained away as SPHP consumed blueberries,\u00a0and Lupe dozed on the soft, spongy tundra.\u00a0 The whole attempt had been doomed from the start, anyway.\u00a0 The previous day’s climb of Sukakpak had sapped both\u00a0Lupe’s and SPHP’s energy.<\/p>\n

Today, though, this was it.\u00a0 Now or never.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the G6 (9:41 AM, 57\u00b0F) parked N of milepost 207 along the Dalton Highway,\u00a0and headed S.\u00a0 Lupe followed a faint road through the forest, and then animal trails to the edge of the swamp.\u00a0 Instead of trying to go SE through all those terrible tussocks again, this time Lupe went SW to the river.<\/p>\n

Following the Bettles River S, Lupe made much faster progress than yesterday.\u00a0 Part of the time it was possible to travel over exposed parts of the riverbed.\u00a0 Other times, the river forced Lupe and SPHP up onto the E bank, where there were usually trails to follow.\u00a0 Lupe was gaining\u00a0on her\u00a0first objective, a low saddle\u00a0between Dillon Mountain and\u00a0High Point 2003.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SE along the Bettles River toward High Point 2003, the low hill at center. The S edge of Dillon Mountain is seen on the L. Lupe’s first objective was the saddle between them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe turned SE, leaving the Bettles River when she got close to High Point 2003.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP crossed a lot of spongy ground on the way up to the saddle between High Point 2003 and Dillon Mountain.\u00a0 Despite occasional wet areas with annoying tussocks,\u00a0Lupe had\u00a0avoided nearly all of the\u00a0difficult tussock-infested swamp NE of the river.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on the N slope of High Point 2003(R). Much of the saddle area toward Dillon Mountain(L) is in view ahead. Photo looks E toward the end of Dillon Mountain’s S ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a guide, Lupe and SPHP were using a copy of a Peakbagger.com trip report<\/strong><\/a><\/span> on Dillon Mountain<\/a><\/span> (4,820 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0written by Richard Carey<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 Carey, a highly experienced mountaineer, was the only Peakbagger.com account holder ever to have reported climbing Dillon Mountain.\u00a0 Carey had climbed the mountain more than 21 years ago on August 4, 1995.<\/p>\n

Carey’s trip report mentioned an old road in the saddle, but Lupe did not come to it.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were staying on the S side of the saddle close to High Point 2003.\u00a0 Maybe it was more toward the other side of the saddle, closer to Dillon Mountain?\u00a0 Or maybe 21 harsh Arctic winters had obliterated the old\u00a0road?<\/p>\n

The ground was spongy with tundra moss, but otherwise travel wasn’t difficult through the saddle area.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP gave up on finding the old road, instead following animal trails that Lupe kept coming across.\u00a0 According to Carey, the next objective was to reach Dillon Mountain’s S ridge, which was still a mile to the E.<\/p>\n

As Lupe\u00a0continued SE beyond High Point 2003, she came to a wide grassy area free of the tall dense bushes that grew nearby.\u00a0 During wetter periods, the entire grassy area might well be a fairly large pond, but only a remnant pond was here today.\u00a0 The grassy area was easy traveling.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP\u00a0went along its NE edge.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe beyond High Point 2003(L) near the E end of the grassy area. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe left the grassy area and High Point 2003 behind, re-entering the forest.\u00a0\u00a0She angled E,\u00a0toward Dillon Mountain, crossing the saddle\u00a0to avoid losing elevation.\u00a0 Soon she started a moderate, steady ascent traversing\u00a0Dillon’s lower slopes.<\/p>\n

Carey advised getting up onto Dillon Mountain’s S ridge, but not until beyond the steep eroded cliffs on the upper portion of the ridge.\u00a0A glance at the mountain made it easy to see why.<\/p>\n

\"High,<\/a>
High, steep eroded cliffs along the upper S ridge(R) of Dillon Mountain. Even without Richard Carey’s sound advice, Lupe and SPHP would have avoided any attempt from this direction. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It wasn’t clear\u00a0exactly how far Lupe needed to go before attempting to climb up onto the huge\u00a0S ridge.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP simply\u00a0pressed on toward the lower end of the ridge\u00a0looking for any promising way up.<\/p>\n

In the forest, Lupe crossed\u00a0three boulder fields left by landslides.\u00a0 The first one was small.\u00a0 The\u00a0next two, considerably larger.\u00a0 When Lupe reached\u00a0the third boulder field, a forested ramp was visible on the far side.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the third boulder field she crossed. The forested ramp she would climb to reach the S ridge starts almost directly above her, joining the main ridge toward the upper left. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe crossed the boulder field, continuing on\u00a0to the base of the forested ramp.\u00a0 The ramp was quite steep and fairly\u00a0narrow, but Lupe began the ascent.\u00a0 Trees and bushes made some parts of the climb annoyingly slow for SPHP, but\u00a0there was nothing new\u00a0about that.<\/p>\n

About halfway up, water was dripping from the rock wall next to the ramp.\u00a0 By now, it was sunny and warm, the clouds having dissipated somewhat. \u00a0Lupe seemed to like sitting in the cold dripping water.\u00a0 SPHP immediately dubbed this place the “Dingo Shower”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at the lightly dripping “Dingo Shower” on her way up the steep ramp to the S ridge. The water dripped so slowly, it didn’t show up well in this photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP made it to the top of the ramp.\u00a0 There wasn’t really any clear spot where Lupe gained the S ridgeline.\u00a0 Instead, she kept coming to and climbing up\u00a0a series of benches.\u00a0 All these benches were forested, relatively steep, and separated by stretches of\u00a0even steeper ground.<\/p>\n

The climb went on and on.\u00a0 Lupe gained lots of elevation.\u00a0 SPHP kept trying to lead Lupe toward the NE to see what was on the other side of the ridge, but the ridge was very broad.\u00a0 For a long time there was no open view.\u00a0 Eventually, though, the trees began to thin out.<\/p>\n

Finally, Lupe\u00a0made it\u00a0above tree line.\u00a0 A steep, open slope continued relentlessly higher.\u00a0 Looking E toward Wiehl Mountain, SPHP could see Lupe must still have a big climb ahead.\u00a0 Wiehl Mountain\u00a0still looked much higher than where Lupe was.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe above tree line, somewhere on Dillon Mountain’s S ridge. Photo looks NNE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Wiehl<\/a>
Wiehl Mountain from the S ridge of Dillon. Lupe still had a considerable climb ahead of her, since the highest part of Wiehl Mountain shown here is only about 300 feet higher than Dillon. The true summit of Wiehl Mountain is higher yet, but off the R edge of this photo. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe climbed and climbed.\u00a0 SPHP started to become concerned.\u00a0 Carey had warned in his trip report that the S ridge was complex.\u00a0 About 4 uplifted bands of rock run E\/W across the main S ridge.\u00a0 Carey said they were more easily crossed lower down on the E side.<\/p>\n

Lupe was getting mighty high up.\u00a0\u00a0Although SPHP had been trying to head\u00a0NE, the S ridge was very broad.\u00a0 As far as SPHP could tell, Lupe hadn’t gotten around any uplifted rock bands yet.\u00a0 Fear grew that Lupe was going to arrive up on some kind of dangerous pinnacle with no way forward.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe still on her way up the steep S ridge. The Bettles River(L) is seen far below. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At last, a little tor appeared high above Lupe, perched up at the end of the long slope.\u00a0 As Lupe worked her way up to it, SPHP wondered if it was the “Tor of Glad Tidings” or the “Tor of Doom”?\u00a0 The answer would be clear soon.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The little pinnacle of rock (R of Center) perched at the top of the long slope. Was it the Tor of Glad Tidings or the Tor of Doom? Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe reached a shallow saddle\u00a0at the top of the slope.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP’s heart sank.\u00a0 It was\u00a0the Tor of Doom!\u00a0 Some sort of cliff was almost certainly just out of view beyond it.<\/p>\n

The summit of Dillon Mountain\u00a0could be seen\u00a0ahead, still many hundreds of feet higher, at the end of\u00a0the long, jagged S ridge.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP had made the fatal mistake, warned against by Carey, and led Lupe straight on up the S ridge\u00a0to the uplifted rock bands.<\/p>\n

Gah!\u00a0 How sickening!\u00a0 Was this defeat?\u00a0 How was Lupe ever going to get to the summit?\u00a0 Going all that way back down to try again farther E\u00a0was unthinkable.\u00a0\u00a0Just getting this far had\u00a0sucked up so much energy and time!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe near the Tor of Doom(R). The summit of Dillon Mountain was in view, still many hundreds of feet higher, beyond the jagged uplifted rock bands of the S ridge. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was a\u00a0rounded flat area to the NE,\u00a0a little higher\u00a0than the Tor of Doom.\u00a0 Glumly, SPHP climbed up there to take a look around.\u00a0 If nothing else, it was time to take a few photos of how far Lupe had made it.\u00a0 Lupe followed along as happy as a clam.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, there was a cliff\u00a0directly ahead.\u00a0 It wasn’t all that high, maybe 20 feet?\u00a0 Didn’t matter.\u00a0 No way was SPHP going to attempt to navigate it, or\u00a0let Lupe get hurt\u00a0trying it either.\u00a0 Even if Lupe could get past this cliff, it looked like a series of cliffs continued\u00a0along the ridge.\u00a0 SPHP tried to figure out where Lupe was on the topo map.\u00a0\u00a0Around 700 feet below the summit seemed likely.<\/p>\n

Dang, Carey!\u00a0 Why did he have to be so right?<\/p>\n

Well, because he’s an extraordinarily experienced mountaineer!\u00a0 Over 2,600 ascents logged on Peakbagger.com on 6 continents around the world!\u00a0 His top 10 ascents are all over 15,000 feet, the top 2 over 20,000 feet.\u00a0 You did\u00a0notice that, didn’t you, SPHP?<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, thank you so very much Looper!\u00a0 And\u00a0I’m just a\u00a0foolish day hiker way out of my league.\u00a0 I get it, and it’s\u00a0plainly hard to deny given where we are right this very minute!<\/em><\/p>\n

No need to get sore about it, SPHP, you asked.\u00a0\u00a0I still love you, and this is a fabulous spot.\u00a0 Look at the views!\u00a0 Aren’t you all about the views?\u00a0 What’s wrong with this?\u00a0 What a glorious place!<\/em><\/p>\n

You’re right, of course.\u00a0 And I still love you, too Loop, so very much.\u00a0 The views are fabulous, and we are extraordinarily lucky to be here.\u00a0 The only thing wrong about this place is it’s not the summit, and there doesn’t appear to be a way to it without going way, way back down the mountain.\u00a0 There’s not enough\u00a0time to do that, even if I had the energy.\u00a0 I thought we were going to make it.\u00a0 Look over there, the summit’s\u00a0not all that much higher than where we are now, not compared to how far you’ve already come!\u00a0 Anyway, you’re right, picture time.\u00a0 We’ll take a break and think about what to do next.\u00a0 Maybe we’ll come up with something.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why hadn’t SPHP thought this all through better when clearly warned?\u00a0 Nothing to be done about it now.\u00a0\u00a0Take those pictures.\u00a0 Lupe had certainly made it to a dramatic and beautiful spot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on the rounded high spot even higher than the Tor of Doom. Ahead lies the summit of Dillon Mountain, but a few feet beyond Lupe is an unseen cliff. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SW toward Sukakpak Mountain<\/a><\/span> (4,459 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> in the background. In the foreground on the L is one of the jagged cliffs of Dillon’s S ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe was tantalizingly close, but Carey’s uplifted rock bands along the S ridge posed a seemingly unsurmountable challenge to Lupe and SPHP without going way back down the mountain to try again farther E, as Carey recommended all along. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"At<\/a>
At first, SPHP thought the peak on the R was a separate mountain, but soon realized it was almost certainly High Point 4228 along Dillon’s E ridge. Lupe seemed to be 100 feet lower, which would have placed her still 700 feet below Dillon’s summit. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SE toward the true summit of 5,765 ft. Wiehl Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Bettles River is seen below on the L flowing toward its confluence with the Dietrich River (unseen) to form the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River seen at upper L. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hey, wait a minute!\u00a0\u00a0While taking the\u00a0last photo, SPHP noticed\u00a0a\u00a0wide ledge of relatively level grassy ground in an unexpected direction.\u00a0 It was close by to the SW,\u00a0only a little\u00a0below the cliff where Lupe and SPHP were standing.\u00a0 Was there a way down\u00a0to it?\u00a0 Did it lead anywhere?<\/p>\n

Lupe went back down to\u00a0the small saddle below the Tor of Doom.\u00a0 SPHP had thought there was nothing but\u00a0a fearsome\u00a0cliff beyond the saddle.\u00a0 Getting closer to the other side, there was a huge cliff, but there was also a rocky chute\u00a0leading directly\u00a0down to the grassy ledge.\u00a0 The ledge appeared to\u00a0go up and\u00a0around the 20 foot cliff Lupe and SPHP hadn’t been able to get beyond!<\/p>\n

Looper!\u00a0 It’s your Luck of the Dingo again!\u00a0 Looks like we can at least make it to the next uplifted band of rock.\u00a0 Come, on!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe was already leading the way.\u00a0 SPHP picked a way down the steep, rocky slope.\u00a0 Soon Lupe\u00a0stood on\u00a0top of the next band of rock.\u00a0 Once again, there appeared to be no way forward along the ridge, but at least Lupe was past the first cliff now!<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking S from the top of the 2nd band of rocks back toward the low cliff(L) that had stymied Lupe and SPHP at the 1st band for a while. That 1st cliff wasn’t all 20 feet high, after all. Parts of it were only 10 or 12 feet high. The low cliff still would have forced Lupe and SPHP a long way back down the mountain, if it hadn’t been for the short, steep, rocky chute which led down to the grassy area below. The chute is a little hard to pick out, but is near the center of this photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Well,<\/a>
Well, SPHP, the good news is we are a little higher and closer than before. The bad news is there are more rock bands and cliffs ahead. By the way, suddenly the weather’s not looking so hot, either. Now what?<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On top of the second rock band, Lupe was a little higher than before, and a little closer to the summit.\u00a0 The view ahead was still disconcerting.\u00a0 More rock bands and more cliffs.\u00a0 They looked impassable.\u00a0 Now what, indeed?<\/p>\n

Looking around, it appeared that Lupe might be able to get by this 2nd cliff by following the rock band she was on down to the SE.\u00a0\u00a0About 150 feet lower, the\u00a0rock band looked like it broke up enough to destroy the cliff’s continuity.\u00a0 Lupe should be able to get around it down there.\u00a0 Only 150 feet of elevation loss was tolerable, but once she was beyond the 2nd rock band, then what?<\/p>\n

The valley between the main S and E ridges was in view.\u00a0 Off to the NNE, SPHP could see sort of a\u00a0gap in one of the biggest bands of rock sloping down the mountain.\u00a0 The gap was\u00a0at a point not too far below Lupe’s current elevation.\u00a0 If she could get around this 2nd cliff, and make the traverse over to and through that gap, she would\u00a0be well on her way\u00a0to the middle of the SE valley.\u00a0\u00a0The SE valley\u00a0was very steep, but maybe Lupe could climb straight up it?<\/p>\n

Well, Loopster, that valley doesn’t look any worse\u00a0than Decoeli<\/a><\/span> (7,650 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, and you made it up that.\u00a0 Let’s see if we can get over there.<\/em><\/p>\n

150 feet of elevation loss to get around the 2nd cliff turned out to be more like 300 feet.\u00a0 Lupe was 1,000 feet below the summit again, but at least she could resume\u00a0climbing\u00a0slowly once more, while\u00a0angling toward the gap.\u00a0 More importantly, by staying\u00a0well below the S ridgeline as Carey had\u00a0advised, Lupe could\u00a0hopefully bypass any more difficulties with cliffs and rock bands.<\/p>\n

The summit of Dillon Mountain disappeared from view.\u00a0 A cloud passed over, sprinkling rain.\u00a0 SPHP called a halt to put on an old blue plastic rain poncho.\u00a0 It wasn’t very good, but helped some.<\/p>\n

That’s your emergency rain gear, SPHP?\u00a0 You look like the Cookie Monster!<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, yeah, let’s go, Dingo!<\/em><\/p>\n

The plan worked!\u00a0 Lupe and the Cookie Monster made it to the\u00a0gap and beyond.\u00a0 Blue sky reappeared.\u00a0 The blue rain poncho went back in the pack.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0reached the middle of the SE valley.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP began plodding slowly straight up the steep slope.\u00a0\u00a0The climb\u00a0was easiest where there was a little heather, and not just loose rocks.\u00a0 Fortunately, for a while, there were plenty of heather routes to follow.<\/p>\n

Way down below, something was moving!\u00a0 A\u00a0small herd of mountain goats was running single file across the valley.\u00a0 They disappeared over one of the rock bands of the S ridge.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe heads for the SE valley. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the middle of the SE valley. The summit is still way, way up there! Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mountain<\/a>
Mountain goats ran single file across the SE valley far below. They soon disappeared over one of the rock bands of the S ridge. Photo taken using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The steep climb seemed endless.\u00a0 Lupe became bored with SPHP’s dreadfully slow pace.\u00a0 She began\u00a0roaming at will all over the\u00a0vast SE valley, as if she was a mountain goat herself.\u00a0 She often went out of SPHP’s line of sight, reappearing suddenly\u00a0hundreds of feet above or below.\u00a0 She returned frequently to check on SPHP’s snail-paced progress.<\/p>\n

The energy Lupe displayed was astounding!\u00a0 Once, SPHP became worried.\u00a0 Lupe couldn’t be spotted anywhere.\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0called and called her. \u00a0In a\u00a0couple of minutes,\u00a0a tiny American Dingo appeared at least 500 feet down the mountain, racing practically straight up.\u00a0 It only took her\u00a0two minutes to reach SPHP, arriving breathless and panting like a steam engine.<\/p>\n

Loopster!\u00a0\u00a0That was\u00a0incredible!\u00a0 You could be at the summit in 3 minutes, couldn’t you?\u00a0 Take it a little easy, though, and stay closer.\u00a0 You’re going to bust a lung doing that!<\/em><\/p>\n

Bit by bit, the summit was getting closer.\u00a0 SPHP was almost certain Lupe was going to reach the top of Dillon Mountain.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the weather had been deteriorating again for some time.\u00a0 Blue sky was losing the battle against the spreading gray clouds.<\/p>\n

\"Gray<\/a>
Gray clouds spread across the sky as Lupe and SPHP progressed up the very steep SE valley. Wiehl Mountain(L) is disappearing from view, but the Bettles River can still be seen. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe was having a grand time roaming the SE valley while climbing Dillon Mountain. Although SPHP was gradually getting closer to the summit, clouds kept obscuring it. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

300 or 400 feet below the summit, it started raining again.\u00a0 Lupe was so\u00a0close to success, there was no way she was turning back, even if there wouldn’t be anything to see except fog.\u00a0 Sometimes there were still breaks in the clouds.\u00a0 SPHP continued to hope Lupe would have some kind of a view.<\/p>\n

Since it wasn’t raining hard, and the\u00a0showers were\u00a0intermittent, SPHP was slow to put the Cookie Monster costume back on again.\u00a0 Another mistake.\u00a0 SPHP wound up getting fairly wet.\u00a0 Should have done it earlier.\u00a0 The Cookie Monster costume didn’t come off again the rest of the day.\u00a0 Lupe’s fur was all\u00a0soaking wet and cold to the touch,\u00a0but she wasn’t shivering at all.\u00a0 She still seemed to be in great spirits.<\/p>\n

The climb got tougher.\u00a0\u00a0Heather was virtually non-existent.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lupe and SPHP climbed among loose, wet, gray rocks.\u00a0 There were bigger, more stable\u00a0rock formations over toward the E ridge.\u00a0 SPHP worked over that way.\u00a0 The climb remained very steep.\u00a0 Rocks were sliding and tumbling with every step.<\/p>\n

Carey had suggested finishing the climb up on the upper\u00a0E ridge, which leads directly to the summit.\u00a0 However, it looked like pretty rough going on top of the ragged ridgeline.\u00a0 SPHP stayed just below the firm rock formations, using those rocks for assistance.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>
Not too much farther to go! Photo looks W from a little below the top of the ragged E ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps 200 feet below the summit, Lupe reached a sizable, nearly level area with a thin covering of heather right\u00a0up on top of the E ridge.\u00a0 As expected, the ridge\u00a0proved too rough to stay up on it.\u00a0 The climb got even steeper, as Lupe and SPHP continued up\u00a0a little\u00a0S and below\u00a0the ridgeline during frequent rain showers.<\/p>\n

Lupe returned to the top of the E ridge again above a\u00a0large rock formation.\u00a0 She was on another fairly roomy level spot.\u00a0 There was a patch of heather, but this level area was mostly covered with\u00a0sand.\u00a0 A steep slope of sand and small rocks led up to a small saddle between two rock outcroppings about 30 feet higher up.\u00a0 The summit!\u00a0 Was it true?!\u00a0 If so, Lupe was almost there!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on the final, short sandy slope to the summit. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A minute or two later, Lupe was there, perched high on Dillon Mountain right next to the summit cairn!\u00a0 Lupe received exultant congratulations and praise from SPHP, who shook her\u00a0expert mountain-climbing front paws enthusiastically.\u00a0 The luck and persistence\u00a0of the Dingo had prevailed!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe perched next to the summit cairn on Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-15-16). Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"As<\/a>
As far as SPHP knows, Dillon Mountain is the northernmost peak any Carolina Dog has ever been seen on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It wasn’t raining when Lupe reached the top of Dillon Mountain.\u00a0 The clouds had lifted somewhat, too.\u00a0 The views, although not nearly as clear as they had been 2 days earlier on nearby Sukakpak Mountain, were still\u00a0incredible and\u00a0much better than SPHP had expected.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Dietrich River, Dalton Highway and even the Alaskan oil pipeline are seen far below. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The 50 foot long summit area on Dillon Mountain featured two rocky high points separated by a saddle that wasn’t much lower than either one. The N high point where the summit cairn sat was only moderately higher than the S high point pictured here. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking down the sandy slope at the last nearly level spot Lupe had reached along the E ridge on the way up. Wiehl Mountain(R) is seen across the valley. Photo looks ESE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The small prominence seen R of Center is part of the start of the S ridge. Wiehl Mountain(L) again in the background. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tremendous cliffs were in every direction, except toward the steep valley to the SE where Lupe and SPHP had come up.\u00a0 While SPHP took photos, Lupe nestled down in a relatively sheltered spot among the rocks and sand\u00a0in the\u00a0saddle between the N and S high points.\u00a0 A gigantic cliff was only a couple feet away.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our soggy Carolina Dog heroine tries to nestle on rocks and sand in the only slightly lower saddle between the N and S high points. A gigantic cliff is only a couple feet beyond her. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Comfy!<\/a>
Comfy! Hmm, maybe not so much, but it will have to do. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sukakpak<\/a>
Sukakpak Mountain, which Lupe had climbed only 2 days ago. Photo looks SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking down the infamous jagged S ridge. Bettles River below. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP realized Lupe wouldn’t be able to spend much time up on Dillon Mountain.\u00a0 Fog and rain showers were visible in many directions.\u00a0 Nearly all distant mountains were obscured by clouds.\u00a0 Rain could start in again any time.<\/p>\n

It was also getting late in the day.\u00a0 Although Lupe had demonstrated that she could have made the entire round trip\u00a0to Dillon Mountain and back in only an hour or two, dawdling around waiting for SPHP to drag up the mountain had taken nearly forever!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A patch of blue sky appears above the Dietrich River. It sill looked like there could be more rain coming at almost any time. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roughly 20 minutes after Lupe arrived at the summit, the rain\u00a0hit again.\u00a0 Most definitely\u00a0time to go!\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were already underway, when suddenly there came a single loud peal of thunder.\u00a0 Lupe never heard another one, nor did she see any lightning, but\u00a0the thunder\u00a0lit whatever fire could be lit under SPHP.\u00a0 From then on, it was down the mountain, as fast as possible.<\/p>\n

As fast as possible wasn’t fast at all.\u00a0 Going down the super steep slope was harder and slower than climbing it had been.\u00a0 Rocks slid out from underfoot, tumbling hundreds of feet.\u00a0 It rained often, sometimes rather hard.\u00a0 Poor Lupe was absolutely drenched.\u00a0 When she was finally far enough down the mountain so there was some vegetation, she tried desperately\u00a0to dry herself off on the heather.\u00a0 It didn’t work.\u00a0 Everything was soaking wet.<\/p>\n

There was no point in trying to go back to the S ridge where Lupe had left it.\u00a0 The sun would be down soon.\u00a0 SPHP didn’t think it would be possible in fading light\u00a0to find the steep forested ramp where the Dingo Shower was in order to get down off the ridge.\u00a0 The plan was to just head straight on down the SE valley, then follow whatever river was at the bottom around the S end of the mountain.<\/p>\n

Down, down, down!\u00a0\u00a0 Lupe reached a waterfall in the SE valley.\u00a0 Below it, the valley was narrow and steep on both sides.\u00a0 The terrain forced Lupe and SPHP down onto the valley floor, which continued to lose elevation rapidly.\u00a0 Fortunately, the stream was underground nearly all the time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe below the waterfall in the SE valley. She had already lost a tremendous amount of elevation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Below the waterfall, Lupe continued to lose lots of elevation.\u00a0 Finally, SPHP grew worried.\u00a0 Hours had gone by since leaving the summit.\u00a0 The sun must be down by now.\u00a0 The end of the SE valley looked like it was still a long way off.\u00a0 There was almost certainly a river of some sort at the bottom.\u00a0 What if it went through a narrow chasm boxed in by cliffs?\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP would be stuck out here all night.<\/p>\n

That didn’t sound good at all.\u00a0 SPHP had come prepared only for a day hike.\u00a0 No tent or supplies.\u00a0 SPHP had matches, but there was no way to start a fire with everything totally drenched, and more rain coming.\u00a0 Other than cold hands, SPHP was fine.\u00a0 Lupe, however, had been cold and wet for a long time now.\u00a0 She still wasn’t shivering, but what would happen when it got too dark to be moving around generating heat?<\/p>\n

Maybe it was better to get out of this SE valley, and try going around the mountain now, while there was still some light?\u00a0 SPHP decided it was the best option.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the SE valley, entering the forest.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0forest floor\u00a0was covered with\u00a0thick, spongy, wet moss.\u00a0 It was a lot easier to move here than down in that interminable SE valley.\u00a0 SPHP charged through the woods.\u00a0 Lupe seemed to realize there was a need for speed.\u00a0 She sniffed frantically everywhere, searching out the best routes ahead.\u00a0\u00a0Clouds obscured much of the precious twilight.\u00a0 Rain continued sprinkling now and then.<\/p>\n

After a while, there were cliffs to the SSE.\u00a0 A river was in view farther down the mountain. \u00a0Lupe and SPHP stayed above the cliffs, turning more to the SW.\u00a0 The dark outline of Sukakpak came into view ahead.\u00a0 That was great news.\u00a0 Lupe was making progress!<\/p>\n

Lupe started coming to landslides full of rocks and boulders.\u00a0 At one of the first landslides she came to, there was a particularly big rock.\u00a0 SPHP laughingly asked Lupe if she remembered that rock.\u00a0 Lupe whined.\u00a0 How odd!\u00a0 Then it struck SPHP.\u00a0 That rock did look faintly familiar.<\/p>\n

SPHP looked around, back the way Lupe had just come.\u00a0 Even in the growing darkness, SPHP was almost certain of it.\u00a0 This was the landslide near the Dingo Shower ramp up to the S ridge.\u00a0 In fact, there was the Dingo Shower\u00a0ramp, barely visible in the gloom.\u00a0 Lupe was already past it on the way back.<\/p>\n

Haha, Loop!\u00a0\u00a0We’ve got it made now!\u00a0 Since we aren’t going to die of hypothermia tonight after all, maybe we should try to avoid being eaten by grizzlies, too?<\/em><\/p>\n

SPHP started to sing.\u00a0 SPHP is a terrible singer, but if you are trying to drive away grizzly bears, how good do\u00a0you have to be?\u00a0 What the singing lacked in quality, SPHP made up with volume.\u00a0 The song of the hour was, of course, She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe crossed the next 2 landslides, she passed through the saddle between Dillon Mountain and High Point 2003, this time staying much closer to Dillon Mountain.\u00a0 She even seemed to find a stretch of Carey’s old road here, though it was hard to tell for certain in the darkness.<\/p>\n

Nearing the Bettles River, there were troubles crossing a couple of ravines with water and mud in them.\u00a0 SPHP finally just plunged right through, getting soaking wet feet.\u00a0 Along the river, SPHP got stuck in dense stands of tall bushes, while Lupe continued racing around sniffing as if they didn’t exist.<\/p>\n

Lupe drove those 6 white horses around the mountain a zillion times, but at long\u00a0last she reached the Dalton Highway\u00a0and the\u00a0G6.<\/p>\n

It must have been after midnight when Lupe jumped in.\u00a0 Up on her stack of pillows and blankets, she started licking herself frantically.\u00a0 SPHP toweled her off, fed her an entire can of Alpo, and put her special blankie on her.\u00a0 She soon\u00a0felt much warmer, and\u00a0fell asleep almost immediately.<\/p>\n

The Cookie Monster costume was in tatters.\u00a0 SPHP was soaking wet and cold, too.\u00a0 SPHP tore off the old blue rain poncho, stripped down, toweled off, and put on dry clothes.\u00a0 Better!\u00a0 Now to turn on the heater in the G6, and enjoy the luxury of warmth.\u00a0 Click…\u00a0 Click?!\u00a0\u00a0Nothing but click?\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 Click was it.\u00a0 The battery was dead.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Climbing Dillon Mountain<\/strong>, Brooks Range, Alaska 8-15-16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spiffy.\u00a0 Nothing\u00a0to do\u00a0about\u00a0it\u00a0now.\u00a0 SPHP piled on\u00a0every available blanket and snuggled down under.\u00a0\u00a0The battery\u00a0was just going to have to wait until morning.<\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sukakpak Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-13-16)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Lupe’s Last Mile North, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-14-16)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from Lupe’s 2016 Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/em>Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 17 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska. Was it foggy?\u00a0 No,\u00a0only condensation inside the G6.\u00a0 Stepping outside, the sky was overcast.\u00a0 No sunshine at all, but the clouds were pretty high.\u00a0 Most of the mountaintops were in view.\u00a0 Hopefully, the clouds would burn off as the … Continue reading Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-15-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7443,"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":[726],"tags":[704,105,723,106,730,26,104,11],"class_list":["post-7462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2016-canadian-rockies-yukon-alaska","tag-alaska","tag-american-dingo","tag-brooks-range","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dillon-mountain","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-lupe","tag-peakbagging"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/IMG_2063.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\/7462","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=7462"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21755,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462\/revisions\/21755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}