{"id":8780,"date":"2017-02-06T08:10:34","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T15:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=8780"},"modified":"2023-11-27T22:34:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T05:34:57","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-189-peak-5778-peak-5834","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=8780","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 189 – Peak 5778 & Peak 5834 (1-30-17)"},"content":{"rendered":"

9:49 AM, 44\u00b0F, junction of Lower French Creek Road & USFS Road No. 341 –\u00a0<\/em> More snow than SPHP expected.\u00a0 Although lots of snow had finally started melting back home, not much appeared to have melted here.\u00a0 Either that, or this part of the Black Hills had received considerably more new snow out of the last little storm.<\/p>\n

Whatever.\u00a0 Lupe didn’t care.\u00a0 She was just happy to be doing something again.\u00a0 January had been a tough month on the American Dingo.\u00a0 Way too much time had been\u00a0spent staring out the window at the cold, barren winter landscape.\u00a0 This was only her 2nd Black Hills, SD expedition of 2017.\u00a0 By this time in 2016, she’d been on 5.\u00a0 Lupe was raring to go!<\/p>\n

The Carolina Dog\u00a0was here to continue her explorations of the southern Black Hills peaks Brian Kalet<\/strong><\/a><\/span> had added to the Peakbagger.com<\/strong><\/a><\/span> data base last spring.\u00a0 Her first objective was Peak<\/span> 5778<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, located 0.33 mile SE of Stockade Lake, and 1 mile due E of where Lupe was starting out from.\u00a0 She crossed over to the E side of Lower French Creek Road, and headed ENE into the snowy forest.<\/p>\n

A gradual climb ended on a forested ridge where Lupe had a nice view to the N.\u00a0 She could also see part of Stockade Lake.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A gradual climb through the snowy forest led to this small ridge with a view to the N. On the L from L to R are Little Devil’s Tower<\/a><\/span> (6,960 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, Cathedral Spires<\/a><\/span> (6,840 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, and Black Elk Peak<\/a><\/span> (7,231 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>. The middle peak on the R is Peak<\/span> 6735<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 . Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Loopster looking quite happy about finally being out in the Black Hills again on Expedition No. 189. Part of frozen Stockade Lake is seen beyond her. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From this first viewpoint, Lupe turned E, following the ridgeline down through the forest.\u00a0 She hadn’t gone too far before the road leading to the Stockade Lake dam came into view below.\u00a0 Lupe went N down\u00a0a short,\u00a0snowy slope to the road.<\/p>\n

Here in the shade, the road was snow-packed and slippery, but it soon led Lupe E\u00a0to sunshine at Stockade Lake.\u00a0 Peak<\/span> 5778<\/a><\/span><\/strong> was now in view dead ahead.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches the Stockade Lake dam. The spillway is on the other side of the road at the far end. Peak 5778 is in view on the R. Lupe planned to climb it going up the long N slope from the L. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before crossing the bridge over French Creek, Lupe left the road to take a quick look at French Creek below the spillway.\u00a0 The\u00a0stream was mostly iced over, but part of it was open and free flowing.\u00a0\u00a0A little downstream of the bridge, it went over another drop where a small waterfall was bordered on each side by ice formations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ice on part of the Stockade Lake spillway is seen beyond the bridge over French Creek. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
French Creek just below Stockade Lake. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After checking out French Creek, Lupe returned to the road, crossed the bridge, and continued on around the SE end of Stockade Lake.\u00a0 From a deserted picnic ground\u00a0along the S shore, Lupe had a view of the biggest part of Stockade Lake.\u00a0 Some of the highest and roughest ground in the Black Hills could be seen beyond the lake in the distance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Stockade Lake from the SSE shore. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Little Devil’s Tower is the dome of rock on the L. The jagged rocks to the R of it are the Cathedral Spires. Black Elk Peak is the highest point on the R. The wall of rock just to the L of Black Elk is Peak<\/span> 6920<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Photo looks NNW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe continued on around the SE shore of Stockade Lake until she was almost even with the far E end of the lake.\u00a0 She then left the road to scramble up a\u00a0bank to the E which brought her to\u00a0the top of a\u00a0small ridge.\u00a0 Upon reaching the ridgeline, Lupe was excited to see a few deer.\u00a0 The deer ran off, but Lupe found a squirrel tree, too, another encouraging development!<\/p>\n

Lupe was now directly NW of Peak 5778.\u00a0 It was time to\u00a0begin her journey up the NW slope.\u00a0 The minor ridgeline she was on slowly faded, blending into the rest of the slope.\u00a0 The terrain gradually became steeper as Lupe climbed.\u00a0 The forest in this area had been thinned by logging operations.\u00a0 Lupe had some tree-broken views, but no clear views.<\/p>\n

The climb was steady, but\u00a0only moderately\u00a0steep.\u00a0\u00a0A good 6″ of snow covered the entire slope most of the way up.\u00a0\u00a0The snow, and a\u00a0fair amount of slash left behind by the logging operations,\u00a0were the only obstacles.\u00a0 The route up wasn’t\u00a0very rocky.\u00a0 Lupe had an easy time, but somehow the climb seemed tougher\u00a0to SPHP than\u00a0it should have been.\u00a0\u00a0All that sitting around during\u00a0the holidays and cold weather in December and\u00a0January hadn’t done SPHP any good, either.<\/p>\n

After a steady slog up the snowy slope, Lupe was finally getting close to the summit.\u00a0 The ground started leveling out.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe encountered\u00a0much less\u00a0snow up here, but many more rocks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe near the top of the NW slope of Peak 5778. She’s coming back down to see what’s keeping SPHP. Deconditioning from inactivity during the holidays and two months of cold weather were SPHP’s lame excuse. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the top of Peak 5778, Lupe reached a narrow summit ridge oriented NW\/SE.\u00a0 It wasn’t very long, maybe 40 or 50 feet.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe found the\u00a0highest rocks\u00a0of the true summit near the SE end.\u00a0 SPHP congratulated Lupe on her successful ascent of another Brian Kalet peak!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the true summit of Peak 5778. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Looper looking good on Peak 5778. Another successful ascent of a Brian Kalet peak!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The forest on much of the NW slope of Peak 5778 had been thinned by loggers, but\u00a0the logging operations hadn’t extended to the upper part of the mountain.\u00a0 The summit\u00a0ridge was still heavily forested.\u00a0 Although glimpses of nearby mountains could be seen between the trees, the only even partially clear view from the top of\u00a0Peak 5778 was toward Custer Mountain<\/a><\/span> (6,089 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> to the WSW.<\/p>\n

Lupe had been\u00a0on top of Custer Mountain\u00a0only 12 days ago\u00a0near the end of Black Hills, SD\u00a0Expedition No. 188.<\/p>\n

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The only even partially clear view Lupe had from Peak 5778 was toward Custer Mountain<\/a><\/span> (6,089 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> to the WSW. Lupe had been on top of Custer Mountain only 12 days ago near the end of Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 188.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The forest had not been thinned on top of Peak 5778. Here, Lupe is on the summit ridge with a typical “view”. Photo looks NNW from the true summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It hadn’t taken Lupe long to climb Peak 5778.\u00a0 With no views to ponder, there wasn’t\u00a0much reason to stick around and\u00a0take a break this early in the day.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP stayed only 10-15 minutes up on Peak 5778 before starting down again.<\/p>\n

Lupe explored a different route on the way down the mountain.\u00a0 She followed a ridge going WSW.\u00a0 This was actually a more interesting route than the NW slope had been.\u00a0\u00a0The Carolina Dog discovered\u00a0a series of rock outcroppings in the forest along the way.\u00a0 Before\u00a0losing\u00a0much elevation, Lupe\u00a0found a\u00a0fairly decent viewpoint.<\/p>\n

From one of the rock outcroppings, Lupe could see several peaks she had been to before.\u00a0 Kruger Peak<\/a><\/span> (5,838 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and Daisy Peak<\/a><\/span> (5,948 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0were both lined up directly in front of higher and more distant Northeast Cicero Peak<\/a><\/span> (6,240 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kruger, Daisy and Northeast Cicero Peaks are all lined up L of Center, with NE Cicero Peak being the distant high point. Lupe has been to all 3 of those peaks a couple of times on earlier Black Hills expeditions. Expedition No. 189’s next peakbagging goal is also in view here as the small, darkly forested hill seen on the far R in front of the distant ridge. That hill is Peak<\/span> 5834<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Photo looks SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After losing quite a bit of elevation going down the WSW slope of Peak 5778, Lupe started turning NW.\u00a0 By the time she reached the base of the mountain, Looper was close to the road near the SE end of\u00a0Stockade Lake.\u00a0 Upon\u00a0reaching the road,\u00a0Lupe retraced much of her original route back to the G6 (12:28 PM, 48\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

With the days still being as short as they are in late January, Lupe got a ride in the G6 closer to her next Brian Kalet peak objective, Peak<\/span> 5834<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 S of Custer Mountain, SPHP parked the G6 again along USFS Road No. 337 (Glen Erin Road)\u00a0about 0.33 mile S of County Road No. 343 (the Hazelrodt Cut-Off).\u00a0 Lupe was still a couple miles NNE of Peak 5834 (12:43 PM, 48\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

Lupe followed No. 337 going SSW for 1.5 miles, passing to the W of both Kruger and Daisy Peaks.\u00a0 The road was snow-packed and quite slippery.\u00a0 Even Lupe skidded around on some wet, icy spots.\u00a0 However, there was no traffic at all, and the road was an otherwise easy stroll.\u00a0 Lupe gained elevation along the way, but very slowly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe more than a mile S of the G6 on USFS Road No. 337 on her way to Peak 5834. The road was snow-packed and slippery, but a lovely walk with no traffic at all. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Lupe was getting close to Peak 5834, she saw a big rock formation of rounded boulders on the W side of No. 337.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
As Lupe was getting close to Peak 5834, she came to this big rock formation on the W side of USFS Road No. 337. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A closer look at this rock formation NNE of Peak 5834. Photo looks SW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peak 5834 was soon in view ahead.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
After passing by the big rock formation, Peak 5834 came into view ahead. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe followed USFS Road No. 337 until she was at the base of Peak 5834.\u00a0 She wasn’t quite far enough S to be directly E of the summit yet, but left the road here to follow a drainage leading up to the WNW.\u00a0 She followed this draw almost all of the way up to a saddle N of the mountain.\u00a0 Nearing\u00a0the saddle, she turned S to start her climb up the N slope of Peak 5834.<\/p>\n

Peak 5834 was densely forested.\u00a0 Many trees had been killed by pine bark beetles, but there were still plenty of live trees, too.\u00a0 Once again, there were no views to speak of as Lupe climbed.<\/p>\n

For some reason, the snow was even deeper on the N slope of Peak 5834 than it had been on the NW slope of Peak 5778.\u00a0 For most of the way up, Lupe was having to leap through foot deep snow.\u00a0\u00a0In places,\u00a0it\u00a0had drifted even deeper.\u00a0 As usual, Lupe did fine, though, leading the way while SPHP brought up the rear.\u00a0 Other than the deeper snow, the climb was pretty similar to\u00a0Lupe’s trek\u00a0up Peak 5778.<\/p>\n

However, when Lupe reached the summit,\u00a0she found\u00a0the top of Peak 5834\u00a0was quite different.\u00a0 The summit area on Peak 5778 had\u00a0only been a short narrow ridge.\u00a0 The top of Peak 5834 included a much larger area.\u00a0 Peak 5834’s summit was shaped\u00a0like a big boomerang, with the center of the boomerang toward the NW.\u00a0 Two big arms extended out from the center, one to the E and the other to the SW.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0reached the summit\u00a0area near\u00a0the middle of the E arm.<\/p>\n

Lupe explored the E arm of the boomerang, but found no clear views.\u00a0 She then went W toward\u00a0the high point, perhaps 200\u00a0feet away.\u00a0 This was the true summit of Peak 5834.\u00a0 It was none too pretty.\u00a0 Lupe got up on the highest rocks of a small rock formation to claim her latest peakbagging success, but dead pines were all she\u00a0could see.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the summit of another Brian Kalet peak, Peak 5834! What a great look at dead pines! Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on the true summit of Peak 5834. She first reached the summit area back in the pines seen a little R of Center. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A dead tree trunk extended\u00a0out to the W from the true summit.\u00a0 The W end of the dead tree was even a little higher than Peak 5834’s summit.\u00a0 Lupe readily agreed to strike a dramatic conquering Dingo pose from this lofty dead tree.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The best view from the summit of Peak 5834 was of this mighty American Dingo! Photo looks NNE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A little to the W of the true summit was another minor high point, but it wasn’t quite as high.\u00a0 More interesting was a ridge only a few feet high toward the end of the SW arm of the boomerang. \u00a0It looked sunnier and more open over there.\u00a0 Maybe there would be some views and less snow?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Looking SW along the SW arm of the boomerang from a point not too far from the true summit of Peak 5834. Maybe there would be less snow and more of a view over this way?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe went over to the little ridge at the end of the SW arm of the boomerang.\u00a0 The ridge was\u00a0very small, just a line of medium-sized rocks really.\u00a0 However, the SW side of the little ridge was snow-free and dry.\u00a0 Lupe did have better views from here, too.\u00a0 Trees still interfered to a\u00a0significant extent, but Lupe could see a few things.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe reaches the minor ridge at the end of the SW arm of the boomerang. The SW side is snow-free and dry, while the NE side is all snowy. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
So, SPHP, how’s this for a Dingo-on-a-dead-tree look?<\/em> Photo looks NE. Same great Carolina Dog, but I liked the other dead tree better, actually.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Another Dingo-on-a-dead-tree look. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a bit of a view and some nice dry, snow-free ground on the SW side of the little ridge, this was the place to finally take a break.\u00a0 Before settling down, Lupe posed for a photo of the best view from here, a distant forested ridge off to the SW.\u00a0 Somewhere in that direction 3 more Brian Kalet peaks were lined up in a row.<\/p>\n

Maybe that distant ridge was where those Brian Kalet peaks were?\u00a0 It seemed quite likely.\u00a0 If so,\u00a0Lupe would probably soon be exploring that ridge on Expedition No. 190.\u00a0 It was fun to think about the adventure to come, and\u00a0fun to simply relax and\u00a0enjoy being right here, right now, with Lupe on seldom visited Peak 5834.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The best view from Peak 5834 was from the SW end of the boomerang. Here, Lupe could see a distant ridge of blue hills off to the SW. Somewhere in this general direction are 3 more Brian Kalet peaks Lupe might go see on Expedition No. 190. Maybe Lupe would be exploring that far ridge before long? Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe could also see Northeast Cicero Peak from the SW end of Peak 5834. There wasn’t a good clear view, but the summit could be seen. This photo looks SSE at the summit using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP sat on the ground beside Lupe,\u00a0while eating\u00a0an apple.\u00a0 Lupe was offered some Taste of the Wild, but she wasn’t hungry.\u00a0 Instead, she sat\u00a0contentedly basking in the sunshine.<\/p>\n

Lupe had plenty of daylight left to get back to the G6, but not enough to tackle any more peaks on Expedition No. 189.\u00a0 For now, she was happy right here on quiet\u00a0Peak 5834, staring off toward that distant blue ridge.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe basks contentedly in the sunshine. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
It was great being out in the Black Hills again on Peak 5834.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All told, Lupe and SPHP spent 40 minutes or so up on Peak 5834 before it was time to mosey on.\u00a0 On the way back, Lupe went down the N slope again, but a little farther to the W.\u00a0 When she reached the saddle to the N, instead of going down the draw to the ESE to the road,\u00a0Lupe angled NNE staying on higher ground.\u00a0 Together, Lupe and SPHP explored the snowy forest.<\/p>\n

Lupe went quite a distance NNE before she finally lost the rest of the elevation she’d gained, and\u00a0hit USFS Road No. 337 again.\u00a0 From then on, it was an easy trot back along the road to the G6 (4:31 PM, 38\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

It had been a nice day, a beautiful outing.\u00a0 Lupe had successfully climbed 2 more Brian Kalet peaks.\u00a0 They weren’t the most spectacular peaks around, but it was still fun to be out and seeing someplace new.<\/p>\n

Sometimes that, and being together, is all it’s about.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
On USFS Road No. 337 on the way back to the G6 from Peak 5834.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Next Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\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":"

9:49 AM, 44\u00b0F, junction of Lower French Creek Road & USFS Road No. 341 –\u00a0 More snow than SPHP expected.\u00a0 Although lots of snow had finally started melting back home, not much appeared to have melted here.\u00a0 Either that, or this part of the Black Hills had received considerably more new snow out of the … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 189 – Peak 5778 & Peak 5834 (1-30-17)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8778,"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":[105,9,106,104,785,786,304],"class_list":["post-8780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-carolina-dog","tag-lupe","tag-peak-5778","tag-peak-5834","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_3723.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\/8780","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=8780"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49515,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8780\/revisions\/49515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}