{"id":826,"date":"2015-05-27T08:10:33","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T14:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=826"},"modified":"2020-09-21T20:14:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T02:14:52","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-130-centennial-trail-samelius-to-big-pine-horsethief-lake-5-23-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=826","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 130 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Samelius to Big Pine & Horsethief Lake (5-23-15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lupe’s uncle Joe and cousin Dusty\u00a0were in town for Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 Joe had hoped to climb Harney Peak<\/a><\/strong><\/span> (7,242 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, but the weather was not cooperating.\u00a0 With gloomily overcast skies this morning, it wasn’t at all sure there was going to be any kind of a successful outing this day.\u00a0 An 80% chance of rain was in the forecast, but it wasn’t raining yet as Lupe and SPHP drove out to Lupe’s grandma’s house to pick up Joe & Dusty.\u00a0 The plan was to head out not too far into the hills and hope the rain would hold off for at least a few hours.<\/p>\n

Joe parked the G6 at the Samelius trailhead of the Centennial Trail<\/span><\/strong><\/a> just off Hwy 16.\u00a0 Surprisingly, the almost foggy conditions had broken up on the way.\u00a0 There were even sizeable patches of blue sky around.\u00a0 Perhaps there was an inversion going on, which sometimes happens in the hills.\u00a0 Typically the inversions happen in the winter though –\u00a0May would be quite an unusual time for one.\u00a0 In any case, things were looking up.<\/p>\n

Since Joe and Dusty had already hiked N on the Centennial Trail No. 89\u00a0with Lupe as far as Mount Warner<\/a><\/span> (5,889 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> on a previous trip to the Black Hills, today SPHP suggested heading S towards the Big Pine trailhead.\u00a0 Horsethief Lake was just a short distance off the trail beyond Big Pine and might be a good goal for the day, provided the weather continued to be cooperative.\u00a0\u00a0Fog still swirled around the summits of nearby Samelius<\/a><\/span> (5,856 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> and Hardesty Peaks<\/a><\/span> (5,562 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> as Lupe, Dusty, Joe & SPHP headed S on the Centennial\u00a0Trail from the Samelius trailhead.<\/p>\n

Lupe and Dusty ran ahead resuming their role as scouts, just as they had the day before on Expedition No. 129<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 The first part of the trail paralleled Hwy 16 heading W for a little way before turning S to go through a narrow little tunnel for foot traffic under Hwy 16.\u00a0 Lupe hadn’t been here since Expedition No. 9 way back on 3-4-12.\u00a0 Back then Lupe had only been 14 months old and the long, dark, narrow tunnel had been just too scary for her.\u00a0 SPHP had carried her through it in both directions.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe S of Hwy 16 on the Centennial Trail No. 89.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had forgotten all about those long ago fears now.\u00a0 She and Dusty both trotted through the tunnel with complete confidence.\u00a0 Beyond the tunnel, the Centennial Trail headed up a partially wooded hillside and joined a gravel road for a short distance.\u00a0 Soon the Centennial Trail left the gravel road again and went through an area of small hills covered with a woods sparse enough so a fair amount of grass was growing between the trees.\u00a0 Both Lupe and Dusty had a great time running around exploring the area.<\/p>\n

\"Dusty<\/a>
Dusty having a romp along\u00a0Centennial Trail No. 89. New leaves are sprouting on the trees this time of year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At first, the Centennial Trail was close enough to Hwy 16 to hear the traffic on it.\u00a0 Sometimes the highway was even in view.\u00a0 After about 0.5 mile though, the trail reached a creek which is a small tributary of Battle Creek and headed away from the highway down into a wooded narrow valley with steep rocky walls.\u00a0 The trail didn’t follow the creek for too long before leaving it\u00a0to head more to the W while heading up a small side valley.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe & Dusty scout ahead on Centennial Trail No. 89.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trail came to a wide gentle little pass where there were some rock outcroppings on both sides of the trail.\u00a0\u00a0While still in the area of the\u00a0pass, the 1880 train<\/a><\/span><\/strong> could be heard in the distance ahead.\u00a0 The trail\u00a0headed into a grassy field.\u00a0 Small trees were growing in the field and will eventually turn this field into forest again.\u00a0\u00a0Just ahead,\u00a0some of the big granite outcroppings near the start of the Black Elk Wilderness came into view.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe in the field beyond the little pass. Granite outcroppings in the Black Elk Wilderness visible in the distance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearing a home along the old Keystone to Hill City road, Lupe and Dusty heard some marmots whistle an alarm over by the rocks to the N.\u00a0 They ran over to investigate, but were soon back, the marmots having taken cover.\u00a0 The Centennial Trail skirted to the SE of the private property with its heard, but not seen, ferocious little\u00a0defending doggie.\u00a0\u00a0The trail crossed Battle Creek, the 1880\u00a0train tracks, and the old Keystone to Hill City road (paved) in rapid succession.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the 1880 train had already gone by, so Lupe missed seeing it, although it could still be heard now far away towards Keystone.<\/p>\n

Once S of the old Keystone to Hill City road, the trail began the only relatively steep part of this day’s traverse.\u00a0 It was just around 0.33 mile to the Big Pine trailhead along Hwy 244, and the trail started leveling out even before reaching it.\u00a0 A few people were around at the Big Pine trailhead.\u00a0 Hwy 244 had a fair amount of traffic on it.\u00a0\u00a0Big Pine is only a few miles NW of\u00a0Mount Rushmore<\/a> <\/span><\/strong>(5,725 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, and Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the tourist season in the Black Hills.<\/p>\n

From Big Pine, it wasn’t far to Horsethief Lake.\u00a0\u00a0No more than 0.25\u00a0mile.\u00a0 SPHP wasn’t even sure Horsethief Lake had any water in it, since the last time Lupe had been by it on the highway, SPHP had been surprised to see it had been completely drained.\u00a0 (Perhaps to be dredged out?)\u00a0 After crossing Hwy 244, Joe & SPHP stayed on the Centennial Trail a short distance before leaving it and heading down a little gulch towards the lake.<\/p>\n

There is quite a nice campground at Horsethief Lake.\u00a0 Soon Joe, Dusty, Lupe and SPHP emerged from the forest on the paved campground road.\u00a0 There were a few people camping, but the big majority of the sites were open.\u00a0 The wet, cool weather had discouraged camping, which is not unusual for Memorial Day weekend in the Black Hills.\u00a0 Joe, Dusty, Lupe and SPHP headed towards the lake.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This footbridge at the W end of the campground at Horse Thief Lake leads to the trailhead for Horsethief Trail No. 14 into the Black Elk Wilderness.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Horsethief Lake did have water in it, but wasn’t as pretty as it normally is.\u00a0 Normally the lake is nice and blue, but it was all brown this day – probably partially from dirt and silt in runoff from recent rains, but mostly from not having had a chance to settle out from having been completely drained and refilled not long ago.\u00a0 Close to the lake, Joe & SPHP selected a picnic table to use for 10 minutes for a little energy bar break.\u00a0 Lupe wasn’t hungry yet, but Dusty was very happy to partake of as much Taste of the Wild as SPHP allowed her.<\/p>\n

\"Cousin<\/a>
Cousin Dusty and Lupe at Horsethief Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Horsethief Lake isn’t very big, perhaps in the 5 – 10 acre range.\u00a0 However, it is in a scenic little spot near Hwy 244 just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore.\u00a0 The campground is really nice and has some campsites quite close to the water.\u00a0 There are\u00a0big granite outcroppings around and two good trails nearby leading into the Black Elk Wilderness.\u00a0 Centennial Trail No. 89\u00a0doesn’t come down to the lake or the campground, but is just up a hill to the N of the campground.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe recommends\u00a0Horsethief Trail No. 14 which heads into the Black Elk Wilderness from a trailhead near the SW corner of Horsethief Lake.<\/p>\n

After the snack, Joe, Dusty, Lupe and SPHP headed across\u00a0the\u00a0curved footbridge to the road on the W side of Horsethief Lake.\u00a0 The road led to the Horsethief\u00a0Trail No. 14\u00a0trailhead.\u00a0 About 0.75 mile in from the trailhead,\u00a0Horsethief Trail No. 14 would link up with\u00a0Centennial Trail No. 89.\u00a0 It was\u00a0possible to make an almost complete loop around well to the W of Horsethief Lake and come back just N of it on the Centennial Trail.\u00a0 However,\u00a0clouds had kept coming and going the entire time so far.\u00a0 With possible heavy rain in the forecast, it was\u00a0decided to return to the G6 at the Samelius trailhead on the\u00a0Centennial Trail without making the loop.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on the way back went wading in the water of a tributary of Battle Creek.\u00a0 Cousin Dusty wasn’t as convinced it was a good idea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At\u00a0a little under\u00a04 hours round trip, Expedition No. 130 was one of Lupe’s shorter Black Hills expeditions.\u00a0 Like Expedition No. 129 the day before though, it was shared with her\u00a0uncle\u00a0Joe & cousin Dusty, which added to the fun.<\/p>\n

This proved to be Lupe’s last outing in the Black Hills this Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 The next day\u00a0was a combination of\u00a0rain and fog\u00a0all day.\u00a0 Lupe never saw the sun.\u00a0 Joe and Dusty didn’t get to climb Harney Peak\u00a0this trip before heading home for Arvada, CO on Memorial Day.<\/p>\n

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

Next Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Next Trail Section North:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 228 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Spring Creek to Samelius (5-6-18)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Centennial Trail Map & Brochure<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s Black Hills Expeditions Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lupe’s uncle Joe and cousin Dusty\u00a0were in town for Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 Joe had hoped to climb Harney Peak (7,242 ft.), but the weather was not cooperating.\u00a0 With gloomily overcast skies this morning, it wasn’t at all sure there was going to be any kind of a successful outing this day.\u00a0 An 80% chance of … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 130 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Samelius to Big Pine & Horsethief Lake (5-23-15)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":830,"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":[105,1116,9,106,144,146,147,104,1115,304],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-big-pine","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-carolina-dog","tag-centennial-trail","tag-dusty","tag-horsethief-lake","tag-lupe","tag-samelius","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/P1060265.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\/826","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=826"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28262,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions\/28262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}