{"id":7675,"date":"2016-12-28T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T15:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7675"},"modified":"2020-09-23T12:54:10","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T18:54:10","slug":"black-hills-wy-expedition-no-185-sweetwater-mountain-12-4-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7675","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 185 – Sweetwater Mountain (12-4-16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

N of Newcastle, Lupe and SPHP stopped\u00a0at the Salt Creek Overlook.\u00a0 There was a little snow here in Wyoming.\u00a0 Not much, but enough to brighten the scene.\u00a0 Lupe perched precariously on a guard rail post for her souvenir shot, a cliff a few feet behind her.\u00a0 As soon as she heard the click of the camera, she jumped off the post.\u00a0\u00a0The photo was taken into the sun, but didn’t turn out too badly.<\/p>\n

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Lupe perches precariously on the guard rail post at the Salt Creek Overlook along Hwy 85 N of Newcastle, WY. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lupe was back in wonderful Wyoming for the last time in 2016 to complete her peakbagging tour of Black Hills peaks W of the South Dakota border.\u00a0 Only one peak remained on her list – Sweetwater Mountain<\/a><\/span> (6,440 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Three weeks ago, on Expedition No. 182, Lupe had climbed nearby Mount Pisgah<\/a><\/span> (6,380 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 There had been time enough left in the day for Lupe to climb Sweetwater Mountain, too.\u00a0 However, the owner of the ranch\u00a0Sweetwater Mountain is situated\u00a0on couldn’t be found right away.\u00a0 He suddenly showed up on an ATV, as SPHP was writing a note to leave\u00a0at his house requesting permission for Lupe to be on his land.<\/p>\n

The rancher’s name was Bart Roberts, as SPHP had learned\u00a0from a trip report on Peakbagger.com<\/strong><\/a><\/span> written by Edward Earl<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, the only Peakbagger.com account holder to have previously climbed Sweetwater Mountain.\u00a0 Mr. Roberts refused Lupe permission to climb the mountain.\u00a0 He leased out hunting rights to the property, and didn’t want the hunters disturbed.<\/p>\n

Would it be acceptable for Lupe to return after hunting season?\u00a0 Mr. Roberts considered that for a few minutes.\u00a0 Yes, that would be fine, but Lupe couldn’t come back until after elk season was over at the end of November.\u00a0 SPHP could park over by the old barn.<\/p>\n

Now it was early December.\u00a0 A long stretch of much colder weather starting tomorrow was in the forecast.\u00a0 If Lupe was ever going to climb Sweetwater Mountain, today was the day.<\/p>\n

As Edward Earl’s trip report mentioned, the entrance to Mr. Robert’s ranch is 12.5 miles N of Newcastle, or 5 miles S of Four Corners, on the W side of US Hwy No. 85.\u00a0 SPHP drove N from the Salt Creek Overlook until Red Butte came into view, unmistakable on the E side of the highway.\u00a0 Lupe was almost to\u00a0Mr. Robert’s ranch.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP soon saw the mailbox on a barrel mentioned by Edward Earl.\u00a0 Lupe had arrived!<\/p>\n

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Lupe arrives at the entrance to Bart Robert’s ranch on 12-4-16 ready to climb Sweetwater Mountain, having already secured permission from Mr. Roberts to do so. The old mailbox on a barrel mentioned by Edward Earl’s May 2009 trip report was still here. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As previously agreed, SPHP drove only about a mile onto the ranch, parking the G6 near an old barn (8:59 AM, 14\u00b0F).\u00a0 Nearby was a light green house.\u00a0\u00a0This wasn’t\u00a0Bart Roberts’ personal home (already passed by on\u00a0a short side road to the R on the\u00a0way in),\u00a0but is on his land and occupied by his brother.<\/p>\n

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SPHP parked the G6 near this scenic old barn a mile or so onto Mr. Robert’s ranch. Lupe was ready to start her climb of Sweetwater Mountain! Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe on today’s road to adventure! The green gate mentioned by Edward Earl’s trip report on Peakbagger.com was standing open. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP passed through an open green gate, starting toward Sweetwater Mountain on a dirt road.\u00a0 At only 14\u00b0F, it was noticeably colder here in Wyoming than back home in South Dakota, but\u00a0the day\u00a0would warm up.\u00a0 Lupe didn’t even seem to notice the cold.\u00a0 She rolled and frisked in the snow by the road.<\/p>\n

The old barn wasn’t even out of sight yet,\u00a0when Lupe came to a barbed wire fence across the road.\u00a0 The gate was so firmly fastened, it was easiest to simply crawl under.<\/p>\n

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Past the firmly fastened barb wire gate, an American Dingo looks forward to fun and adventure on Sweetwater Mountain. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In only a few minutes, Lupe arrived at an intersection at the base of Sweetwater Mountain.\u00a0 The main road went straight,\u00a0then curved L (S)\u00a0to begin winding up the mountain.\u00a0 The other road branched off\u00a0to the R (N), going downhill a short distance to what appeared to be a small frozen pond.\u00a0 (Later in the day, Lupe\u00a0returned along this side road.\u00a0 The pond, if that is what it was, had no water\u00a0in it.)<\/p>\n

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Lupe quickly reached an intersection at the base of Sweetwater Mountain. She followed the main road going straight, not the side road to the R.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A look down the side road. It wound around what appeared to be a frozen pond at the bottom of the drainage. Later Lupe learned there wasn’t any water or even ice there, just some snow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe\u00a0stayed straight (W) on the main road, which quickly curved S (L)\u00a0to start climbing the E face of the mountain.\u00a0 The road wound around making a series of switchbacks.\u00a0 After several switchbacks, Lupe came to a larger frozen pond on the SW (L) side of the road.\u00a0 This was likely the 2nd pond mentioned in Edward Earl’s trip report.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches a frozen pond SW of the road. This is likely the 2nd pond mentioned by Edward Earl. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe continued NW on the road past the pond.\u00a0 The road turned S again.\u00a0 The intention had been to follow this road all the way up onto the Sweetwater Mountain plateau, but suddenly there was a noise.\u00a0 A vehicle was coming up the road!\u00a0 It would be here momentarily.<\/p>\n

Maybe hunters were coming?\u00a0 Mr. Roberts had mentioned the possibility of hunters seeking other game being\u00a0on the mountain after elk season.\u00a0 Lupe had permission to be here, but maybe it was best to stay out of sight?\u00a0 No sense causing any friction between Mr. Roberts and his paying customers.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP scrambled\u00a0up the forested bank, getting off the road.<\/p>\n

Within seconds, an ATV appeared, passing quickly by below.\u00a0 Three men had been in it, dressed as hunters.\u00a0 They hadn’t noticed Lupe or SPHP.\u00a0 The ATV looked like the one Bart Roberts owned, but SPHP hadn’t\u00a0gotten a good look at any of the men.\u00a0 Whether Mr. Roberts had been among them wasn’t clear.<\/p>\n

Yes, maybe it was best to simply stay out of sight.\u00a0 Mr. Roberts hadn’t said anything about how he wanted SPHP to react, if hunters were present.\u00a0 He most definitely hadn’t wanted the elk hunters disturbed.<\/p>\n

Lupe didn’t return to the road.\u00a0 The Sweetwater Mountain plateau wasn’t all that much farther up.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP angled NW through the forest, climbing\u00a0a fairly steep slope.\u00a0 There was\u00a0a lot more snow here than down below, several inches.\u00a0 The snow made the slope slick, but Lupe made it up onto the E edge of the plateau.<\/p>\n

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Even though she had permission to be here, after seeing hunters go by in an ATV, Lupe stayed off road in the forest while completing her climb up onto the Sweetwater Mountain plateau. There was much more snow up here than down below by the old barn. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Sweetwater Mountain plateau is irregularly shaped, but runs roughly 3 miles N\/S, and 0.5 to 1.0 mile E\/W.\u00a0 Lupe had arrived about mid-way along the E edge of the mountain, somewhere a\u00a0bit S of High Point 6402 on the topo map<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 Lupe’s primary objective was to reach the true summit, located along the N edge of the plateau\u00a00.33 mile\u00a0out on a section of the plateau protruding to the\u00a0E.\u00a0 The summit was still\u00a0nearly 2 miles away.<\/p>\n

The Sweetwater Mountain plateau\u00a0turned out to be\u00a0forested, gently rolling terrain.\u00a0 That was fortunate.\u00a0 Lupe shouldn’t have a hard time\u00a0staying out of the hunters’ way. \u00a0She saw no sign of them.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP started N staying very close to the E edge of the plateau.<\/p>\n

Although the N face of Sweetwater Mountain is the highest and steepest, the E face is only moderately less so.\u00a0 Lupe quickly\u00a0arrived at\u00a0rock formations near the top of a line of small E-facing cliffs.\u00a0 She had a good view to the E toward the main body of the Black Hills in South Dakota.<\/p>\n

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Lupe comes to the first rock formations along the E edge of the Sweetwater Mountain plateau. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe found this wall of rock in the forest a little SW of the highest and best viewpoint she reached along the E edge of the plateau. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The best views Lupe came to along the E edge of the plateau were from a couple of\u00a0roomy rock platforms, the S one being a little lower than the N one.\u00a0 SPHP wasn’t entirely certain where\u00a0Lupe was on the map.\u00a0 This may have been High Point 6402, or somewhere N of it.\u00a0 Wherever Lupe was, she sure had a terrific sweeping view of everything off to the E!<\/p>\n

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Dingo with a view! The S edge of the highest platform of rock Lupe came to along the E face of Sweetwater Mountain (possibly High Point 6402) is visible on the L. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe on the lower rock platform. The long forested ridge on the horizon is the W side of the Black Hills range in South Dakota. Photo looks ESE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Part of Mount Pisgah, where Lupe had been 3 weeks ago, is visible as the more distant ridge on the R. Photo looks SE from the highest rock platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The true summit of Sweetwater Mountain is on the ridge seen on the L. The rounded, forested hill on the R is High Point 6423. Lupe eventually left Sweetwater Mountain by traveling down to the saddle seen between them. She then proceeded back to the G6 along the open snowy slopes seen below High Point 6423. Photo looks NNE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After passing by some of the more dramatic E-facing cliffs, Lupe continued N through the forest.\u00a0 Down at the old barn, where Lupe had started her trek, there had only been 0.5″ of snow on the ground.\u00a0 Up here, the snow was 3″ to 5″ deep.<\/p>\n

Lupe seemed to be enjoying the day, but she was puzzled when SPHP repeatedly warned her not to bark at the\u00a0squirrels she occasionally spotted in the trees.\u00a0 So far, there hadn’t been any sign of the hunters.\u00a0 Wherever they were, SPHP didn’t want Lupe alerting them to her presence.\u00a0 Five minutes of shrill Dingo barking action would be a dead give-away!<\/p>\n

SPHP encouraged Lupe to stay reasonably close.\u00a0\u00a0A real danger lurked\u00a0in the forest.\u00a0\u00a0Now and then,\u00a0Lupe\u00a0was coming\u00a0to downed barbed wire fences.\u00a0 Whether the barbed wire was all part of one continuous fence, or several different fences, wasn’t clear and hardly mattered.\u00a0 SPHP tried to keep a close watch for this danger, made worse by the fact that it was often partially hidden by the snow.\u00a0 Lupe cooperatively allowed herself to be carried over each downed\u00a0fence.<\/p>\n

Lupe was approaching the N end of the Sweetwater Mountain plateau.\u00a0 She crossed a\u00a0road going E\/W\u00a0in the forest.\u00a0 Only a little farther on, another road came this way from a\u00a0snow-filled meadow\u00a0off to the W, the first open ground Lupe had seen up on the plateau.\u00a0 Lupe got on this second\u00a0snowy road, following it E.\u00a0 The mountain’s summit was still 0.33 mile away.<\/p>\n

Where Lupe reached it,\u00a0the road\u00a0was very close to the high ground along the N edge of the mountain.\u00a0 Edward Earl had mentioned a secondary objective on Sweetwater Mountain, the Cambria survey benchmark.\u00a0 He’d written that he found it near a bright yellow wand on a hill.\u00a0 The benchmark itself had been among a pile of rocks, also spray-painted bright yellow.<\/p>\n

From Earl’s description, the Cambria survey benchmark was well W of Sweetwater Mountain’s true summit.\u00a0 Lupe was probably already quite close to it.\u00a0 She should find it before reaching the summit.\u00a0 SPHP kept an eye out for the bright yellow wand.\u00a0 Lupe had hardly gone any distance on the snowy road at all, when there it was!<\/p>\n

The yellow wand (a single metal fence post) was no longer as bright as it was 7.5 years ago when Edward Earl was here in May 2009, but it was still here.\u00a0 So were the now fading yellow\u00a0rocks around the benchmark.\u00a0 Lupe found that even the Cambria survey benchmark itself had been spray-painted yellow.<\/p>\n

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Lupe at Edward Earl’s yellow wand marking the location of the Cambria survey benchmark. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The yellow wand was only a few feet from the drop-off along the N face of the mountain. From this angle, the yellow rocks and Cambria benchmark are right behind the wand. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Even the Cambria survey benchmark had been painted bright yellow, though the paint was faded and flaking away by the time Lupe arrived more than 7.5 years after Edward Earl had been here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Edward Earl had been right at this very spot!\u00a0 Now Lupe was here.\u00a0 Tragically, Earl had\u00a0drowned in Alaska nearly 1.5 years ago while attempting to cross the Jago River N of the Arctic Circle.\u00a0 Lupe had been in Alaska for the first time only a few months ago on her fabulous Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation.\u00a0 SPHP was thinking\u00a0such thoughts when, suddenly, there was a noise, an engine noise, approaching from the W.<\/p>\n

The ATV!\u00a0\u00a0The hunters were coming!\u00a0 They were nearly here.\u00a0 Lupe would surely be spotted in the snowy open forest S of the road, yet she was pinned only a few feet from the near vertical drop-off along the N\u00a0face of the mountain.\u00a0 Where to?<\/p>\n

Quickly, Lupe and SPHP went E down a small slope to a depression along the N rim.\u00a0 The depression was\u00a0a little farther from the road, and low enough to be barely out of sight.\u00a0 A\u00a0moment later, the ATV could be heard going by.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP caught only a glimpse of it, as the hunters drove off to the E.\u00a0 That had been a close one!\u00a0\u00a0By now, staying\u00a0out of the hunters’ way had evolved into a game, a\u00a0game Lupe had just narrowly avoided losing.<\/p>\n

What now, though?\u00a0 The hunters were headed E out on the\u00a0ridge protruding from the summit plateau.\u00a0 Soon they would reach the end of it.\u00a0 It seemed likely they would\u00a0have to come back this way before too long.\u00a0 For 10 minutes, Lupe remained hidden at the depression, while SPHP listened for the\u00a0ATV’s return, pondering her best course of action.\u00a0\u00a0In the meantime, Lupe certainly\u00a0had a tremendous view to the N from here!<\/p>\n

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From the little depression E of the Cambria survey benchmark along the N rim of Sweetwater Mountain, Lupe had a great view to the N. Inyan Kara(Center) is on the horizon. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If Lupe had to hide out for a bit, this depression really was a good place to do it.\u00a0 Lupe could see both\u00a0Inyan Kara<\/a><\/span> (6,360 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, and even more distant Warren Peaks<\/a> <\/span>(6,650 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> on the N horizon.\u00a0 Beautiful western scenery was off to the NW, too.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were\u00a0perfectly happy to take a little break right here.<\/p>\n

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Inyan Kara using the telephoto lens. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Warren Peaks (Center). Photo looks N using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Western scenery to the NW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Looking NW. Inyan Kara(R) is on the horizon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After 10 minutes, the ATV and the hunters had not returned.\u00a0 What were they doing?\u00a0 Were the hunters on foot now?\u00a0 SPHP could hear nothing.\u00a0 Lupe gave no sign of hearing anything unusual either.\u00a0 Lupe couldn’t stay here forever.\u00a0 Cautiously, she started E along the N edge of the mountain looking for the true summit.<\/p>\n

The terrain did gain some elevation going E.\u00a0 As\u00a0Lupe approached the highest ground, two\u00a0big bucks\u00a0bounded away to the\u00a0S.\u00a0 Like Lupe, they had been hiding along the very N edge of the mountain.\u00a0 If the hunters had been peakbaggers, too, they would have come right to them!\u00a0 How odd, and ironically funny!<\/p>\n

Lupe arrived at the true summit of Sweetwater Mountain,\u00a0so recently vacated by the two bucks.\u00a0 The summit was an unremarkable\u00a0level area in the forest.\u00a0 For the most part, trees blocked the views.<\/p>\n

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A Carolina Dog arrives at the true summit along the N edge of Sweetwater Mountain shortly after it was vacated by two large bucks. Photo looks WNW at the best view available from here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe on the true summit. The immediately surrounding ground was quite level. The oddly curved pine tree trunk in the background is a landmark that should last for some years yet. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Stealth Dingo Lupe succeeds in reaching the true summit of Sweetwater Mountain without being detected by a roving band of hunters, despite 2 close calls! Would she be able to escape the mountain unseen? Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having now been to both the Cambria survey benchmark and the true summit of Sweetwater Mountain, Lupe could have just called the day a success\u00a0and headed back to the G6.\u00a0 However, it was still relatively early.\u00a0 Over toward the NW end of the mountain the topo map showed High Point 6410, only a few tens of feet lower than the true summit.\u00a0 Maybe it would be fun for Lupe to see what was over there?<\/p>\n

Lupe felt up to it.\u00a0 She left the true summit heading W.\u00a0 As she drew near her depression-with-a-view E of the Cambria benchmark, there was that noise again!\u00a0 An engine, somewhere to the W.\u00a0 How had the hunters gotten past Lupe way over there?\u00a0 Was there a second group of them?\u00a0 Better wait here again.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP enjoyed the view to the N from the depression.<\/p>\n

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Lupe and SPHP paused a 2nd time at the depression E of the Cambria survey benchmark, while waiting to see if the hunters were about to make another appearance. Strangely enough, this American Dingo refuge seemed to have the best unobstructed view to the N from anywhere along the mountain’s N rim. Photo looks NNE toward Inyan Kara Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Inyan Kara using the telephoto lens. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The engine noise faded.\u00a0 No hunters or ATV’s appeared.\u00a0 Lupe resumed her trek W, passing by the Cambria benchmark again.\u00a0 She was bold enough to follow the road\u00a0W out into the big, snowy meadow.<\/p>\n

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Lupe followed the road from Cambria benchmark W out into this big snowy meadow. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the far side of the meadow, Lupe took a side road NW back into the forest.\u00a0 She eventually abandoned this road to return to the N rim of the plateau.\u00a0 Lupe followed the N rim going W.\u00a0 She reached\u00a0NW High Point 6410.\u00a0 It\u00a0turned out to be just another nearly level area near the N rim where the forest blocked the view.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches High Point 6410 on the NW part of the Sweetwater Mountain plateau. There wasn’t much to see here. More flat, snowy forest was about it. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

High Point 6410 hadn’t provided much excitement or drama.\u00a0 A little farther NW, the topo map showed a point along the plateau edge\u00a0jutting out to the N.\u00a0 Lupe might as well continue on over there.\u00a0 Maybe she could get a view\u00a0to the W?<\/p>\n

Lupe continued NW.\u00a0 She reached the end of the N point.\u00a0 There was a view to the W, but she had to travel a little SW along the edge of the plateau to reach a place where there was enough of an\u00a0opening in the forest\u00a0to permit a reasonably clear look.<\/p>\n

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Looking W from a small cliff near the NW end of Sweetwater Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Scenery WNW of Sweetwater Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe still hadn’t explored the W or S sides of Sweetwater Mountain.\u00a0 She would have done so, if there hadn’t been any hunters around.\u00a0 There hadn’t been any further\u00a0sign of them lately, but maybe it was time to call it good.\u00a0 Lupe had done what she came to do.<\/p>\n

So Lupe began her trek back to the G6.\u00a0 She stayed along the N rim of the plateau.\u00a0 Once again, she visited High Point 6410, the snowy meadow, the Cambria survey benchmark, and the true summit of Sweetwater Mountain along the way.\u00a0 She found a road that led E steeply down to the saddle between Sweetwater Mountain and High Point 6423.<\/p>\n

At the saddle, Lupe turned S.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went through a gate in a barbed wire fence.\u00a0 Now Lupe was on open ground heading S down into a valley.<\/p>\n

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The valley to the S of the saddle. Lupe is already past the barbed wire fence. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was in no rush.\u00a0 She had time to explore this valley.\u00a0 It wouldn’t take long to get to the G6.\u00a0 In fact, this route through the valley would have been a much more direct route to the summit than the one\u00a0she had taken earlier in the day.\u00a0 The valley had some pretty sights.\u00a0 Lupe had a good time here.<\/p>\n

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Cliffs along the E face of Sweetwater Mountain. Lupe had been up above them heading N (R) on her way to the true summit earlier in the day. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The large ridge on the horizon is Mount Pisgah. Photo looks SSE from a hillside SW of High Point 6423.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Loopster up on a boulder on the hillside SW of High Point 6423. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The wily, elusive Snow-Dingo of Sweetwater Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No hunters or ATV’s ever made another appearance.\u00a0 After a pleasant trek down the\u00a0valley, Lupe was\u00a0back\u00a0at the G6.\u00a0 Lupe’s adventures on Sweetwater Mountain were over.\u00a0 (1:54 PM, 32\u00b0F)<\/p>\n

There were still a couple of hours of daylight left.\u00a0 Lupe took a roundabout way home.\u00a0 She stopped by Four Corners.\u00a0 A sign near the junction of US Hwy 85 and Wyoming Hwy 585 told of a stagecoach robbery back in the days of the Old West.\"\"<\/a>Lupe and SPHP enjoyed a beautiful drive from Four Corners going\u00a0first E on Mallo Road, then S on Beaver Creek Road.\u00a0 Lupe rode with her head out the window of the G6, happily barking with all her might at\u00a0herds of\u00a0cows and horses.\u00a0 At her last stop of the day, Lupe climbed a small hill\u00a0overlooking LAK reservoir on Beaver Creek.\u00a0 The lake was nearly completely frozen over.<\/p>\n

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The small hill(L) Lupe climbed for a view of the LAK reservoir. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe near LAK reservoir. This small lake is 5 miles E of Newcastle, WY less than a mile N of US Hwy 16 along Beaver Creek Road. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe’s 2016 adventures in Wyoming ended here, at LAK reservoir, after her successful climb of Sweetwater Mountain. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon\u00a0after leaving LAK reservoir, Lupe was back in South Dakota.\u00a0 Her 2016 adventures in Wyoming were over.\u00a0\u00a0The Carolina Dog’s\u00a0ascent of Sweetwater Mountain marked the\u00a0successful conclusion\u00a0of her fall of 2016 peakbagging tour of Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountain peaks in NE Wyoming.<\/p>\n

Cold weather was coming.\u00a0 For the next couple of months, Lupe’s opportunities for outdoor adventures might be limited.\u00a0 But, hey!\u00a0 Both her birthday and Christmas would be here soon.\u00a0 For high-spirited American Dingoes, there’s always another adventure of some sort right around the next bend!<\/p>\n

Thank you to rancher Bart Roberts for granting Lupe and SPHP permission to enter his beautiful eastern Wyoming ranch to climb Sweetwater Mountain!<\/em><\/p>\n

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The wily Snow-Dingo, E of Sweetwater Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Next Black Hills Adventure<\/span><\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Black Hills Adventure<\/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<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

N of Newcastle, Lupe and SPHP stopped\u00a0at the Salt Creek Overlook.\u00a0 There was a little snow here in Wyoming.\u00a0 Not much, but enough to brighten the scene.\u00a0 Lupe perched precariously on a guard rail post for her souvenir shot, a cliff a few feet behind her.\u00a0 As soon as she heard the click of the … Continue reading Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 185 – Sweetwater Mountain (12-4-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7650,"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":[105,9,106,104,739,275],"class_list":["post-7675","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-sweetwater-mountain","tag-wyoming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/IMG_3509.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\/7675","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=7675"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21493,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7675\/revisions\/21493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}