Despite it’s lofty elevation, Crow’s Nest Peak doesn’t have the appearance of even a\u00a0notable small hill, much less a peak.\u00a0 All of the nearby ground is gently rolling territory\u00a0that’s nearly as high.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP certainly weren’t expecting any dramatic views today.<\/p>\n
In fact, the big question wasn’t whether Lupe could climb the mountain, but whether she would be able to find it?\u00a0 Lupe’s 2 prior attempts to reach Crow’s Nest Peak from the S and SE on Black Hills, SD\u00a0Expeditions No. 72 and No. 84 respectively had both ended in failure.\u00a0 Snow on the ground had played a role both of those times, too.\u00a0 Although Lupe must have gotten close on Expedition No. 72, Crow’s Nest Peak\u00a0had been\u00a0so difficult to recognize\u00a0SPHP\u00a0hadn’t been\u00a0certain if she had even seen the mountain.<\/p>\n
This was a new day, though.\u00a0 This time, Lupe was starting for Crow’s Nest Peak from a closer point and a new direction.\u00a0 As the crow flies to it’s nest, the\u00a0summit was only 2.5 miles to the SSW.\u00a0 Lupe began her\u00a0latest attempt on Crow’s Nest Peak\u00a0by finding a place to leap over to the S side of\u00a0Castle Creek.\u00a0 She\u00a0then turned\u00a0NW up Manganese Draw.<\/p>\n
Blue skies, pleasant temperatures – it was going to be a glorious spring day for a romp in the hills!\u00a0 Lupe had an easy time trotting along sniffing through the meadows near the clear running stream.<\/p>\n Lupe had to cross the creek several more times as it meandered through the valley, but there was always a way across.\u00a0 Before long, Lupe was approaching the intersection of County Road No. 303 with USFS Roads No. 110\u00a0& No. 117.\u00a0 Even if the G6 had been able to get this far, this would have been the end.\u00a0 Lupe saw that No. 117 heading S from the intersection in the general direction of Crow’s Nest Peak was completely covered by a huge snowbank.<\/p>\n The plan was to follow No. 117 a couple miles S to get close to Crow’s Nest Peak.\u00a0 From the intersection, Lupe avoided the big snow bank by returning to the meadow close to Castle Creek.\u00a0 She crossed the creek one more time, and\u00a0didn’t go back\u00a0to the road until she was beyond the snow bank.\u00a0 No. 117 climbed steadily as it wound around toward the SW.<\/p>\n Between the brilliant sunshine and fast warming temperatures, the steady upward trek along the road soon started feeling rather warm.\u00a0 After going 0.5 mile SW on No. 117, an unmarked dirt side road headed SE up an even\u00a0steeper slope toward the forest.\u00a0 This was probably USFS Road No. 117.5D.\u00a0 Getting out of the hot sun and up into the shady forest sounded good to both Lupe and SPHP.\u00a0 Lupe would have a better time exploring the forest than following the main road anyway.<\/p>\n A short steep climb along No. 117.5D brought Lupe to the edge of the forest.\u00a0 Much more snow was hidden here, still melting in the shade of the trees.\u00a0\u00a0The snow\u00a0wasn’t everywhere, but Lupe frequently encountered drifts 2 feet deep.\u00a0 No. 117.5D continued climbing for a while, but eventually leveled out.\u00a0 The road disappeared completely not long after reaching the high ground.<\/p>\n Crow’s Nest Peak was still 1.5 to 2.0 miles S.\u00a0 According to SPHP’s old USFS map, Lupe should reach USFS Road No. 377 before she went half that far.\u00a0 Dodging snow drifts as much as possible while\u00a0staying\u00a0on the highest ground, Lupe and SPHP wandered S through the forest.<\/p>\n Picking a way through the snowy forest was slow going.\u00a0 Lupe went on and on, but came to no roads.\u00a0 After what seemed like quite a while, Lupe came to a high spot in the forest.\u00a0 SPHP wondered if this might even be Crow’s Nest Peak, but soon decided it couldn’t be.\u00a0 (Note: Lupe was likely at the end of the ridge extending SE from High Point 7036 on the Peakbagger topo map<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 Expedition No. 86 occurred shortly before Lupe discovered Peakbagger.com.\u00a0 SPHP did not have a topo map along on this or any of Lupe’s earlier Black Hills expeditions.)<\/em><\/p>\n Little could be seen from the high spot.\u00a0 The only distant view was toward the S or SE, but it wasn’t much of a view and\u00a0there weren’t any apparent landmarks.\u00a0 However, Lupe did have a glimpse between the tees of slightly higher ground off to the SW.<\/p>\n The next small ridge to the SW wasn’t that far away, but progress toward it was slow due the snow drifts.\u00a0 Lupe finally arrived up on this ridge, but it didn’t appear to be Crow’s Nest Peak, either.\u00a0 Lupe could see even less from here (likely High Point 7034)<\/em>, but it looked like there might possibly\u00a0be higher ground to the SE.<\/p>\n Lupe tried\u00a0following the ridgeline SE, but didn’t seem to be losing or gaining any significant elevation.\u00a0 However, she\u00a0eventually came\u00a0to a rocky ledge from which\u00a0she had somewhat more of a view.\u00a0 From here there appeared to be slightly higher ground off to the\u00a0WSW.\u00a0 Noticeably higher ground was off to the SSW, but farther away than SPHP thought Crow’s Nest Peak ought to be.\u00a0\u00a0Still, nothing else around here could<\/em><\/strong> be any higher.<\/p>\n Lupe continued\u00a0SE on the ridge, but soon had to give up on finding any\u00a0better viewpoint.\u00a0 She now left the\u00a0ridge\u00a0going\u00a0toward the closer high ground to the WSW.\u00a0 Another slow trek through the snow drifts brought Lupe to this new high ground.\u00a0 She wasn’t really any higher than before back on the last ridge.\u00a0 Not a thing could be seen except the forest.\u00a0 The\u00a0terrain in all directions was virtually flat.\u00a0 Lupe turned S.<\/p>\n Only a few minutes after turning S, Lupe came to a road.\u00a0 No. 377 at last!\u00a0 Lupe followed\u00a0the road\u00a0WSW, and quickly arrived at a small clearing in the forest where\u00a0she found\u00a0a water trough surrounded by a pole fence.\u00a0 Nearby was an unexpected intersection.\u00a0 The new road was\u00a0unmarked, but the road Lupe had been following was clearly marked as USFS Road No. 377.1C.<\/p>\n Time to stop and check the USFS map again.\u00a0 SPHP figured this new road must be USFS Road No. 377.\u00a0 The map had surprising news.\u00a0 The map confirmed the new road was No. 377, but Lupe was nearly 2 miles E of where she was supposed to be, a little N of Knutsen Spring!<\/p>\n It hardly seemed possible Lupe had gone this far E, but that was what the map showed.\u00a0 How had SPHP gotten\u00a0so badly\u00a0turned around with the sun out in a cloudless sky?\u00a0 Lupe was still far from Crow’s Nest Peak.\u00a0 The map showed she had two\u00a0options from here.\u00a0\u00a0After a short jog S to Knutsen Spring on No. 377, the road would turn W, then NW for 2 miles.\u00a0 At another junction, she would\u00a0then have to\u00a0turn SE following a different\u00a0road for nearly another mile\u00a0just to reach USFS Road No. 266.1A at a\u00a0point 0.5 mile\u00a0E of the mountain.<\/p>\n A shorter, more direct route was possible, too.\u00a0 After reaching Knutsen Spring, if Lupe simply left No. 377 continuing S through the forest, she should find\u00a0No. 266.1A less than 0.25 mile away.\u00a0 No. 266.1A would then take Lupe 2 miles WSW straight to Crow’s Nest Peak.\u00a0 That seemed like the thing to do.\u00a0 Yet it\u00a0was shocking to think\u00a0that\u00a0Lupe was still nearly as far away from Crow’s Nest Peak as when she’d left the G6.\u00a0 Was Crow’s Nest Peak going to elude Lupe for a 3rd time?!<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP left the junction with No. 377.1C heading W on No. 377.\u00a0 This also seemed odd, since No. 377 was supposed to be going S to Knutsen Spring from here.\u00a0 The only other choice, though, was to head E on what SPHP assumed was No. 377.1D, and for certain\u00a0Lupe didn’t need to be going any\u00a0farther E.\u00a0 SPHP figured No. 377\u00a0would turn S soon, but it didn’t.\u00a0 It kept going W.<\/p>\n With Lupe so far E of where she should have been, going W\u00a0was probably\u00a0OK, even though the road wasn’t going where it was supposed to according to the USFS map.\u00a0 The next new development, however, was more\u00a0disturbing.\u00a0 Lupe started\u00a0losing elevation, and losing it fast.\u00a0 The road was going downhill!\u00a0 Snow was plentiful, both on the road and in the surrounding forest.\u00a0 Downhill or not, Lupe had best stick to the road and continue W.<\/p>\n Down, down, Lupe and SPHP went.\u00a0 Before long, the forest ended.\u00a0 The road entered a snowy meadow.\u00a0 Another surprise!\u00a0 A much better gravel road was in view ahead.\u00a0 The gravel road was unmarked where Lupe reached it, but a marker confirmed Lupe had been traveling No. 377.\u00a0 Nothing made any sense.\u00a0 Why was this good gravel road even here?\u00a0 It hadn’t been that long since Lupe had left No. 377.1C.\u00a0 Lupe turned S on the gravel road, while SPHP pondered these mysteries.<\/p>\n Gradually, it began to dawn on SPHP that this good gravel road had to be\u00a0No. 117 again.\u00a0 Lupe was now somewhere farther S than where she’d originally left it.\u00a0 Back at the marker for No. 377.1C, Lupe hadn’t actually been anywhere near Knutsen Spring, but\u00a0much farther W, about where SPHP had originally thought she was before seeing the marker and consulting the map.\u00a0 Within another 0.5 mile, Lupe should come to another road that would take her\u00a0SE to\u00a0Crow’s Nest Peak.<\/p>\n Before she’d gone another whole 0.5 mile, Lupe did come to another road.\u00a0 This new road\u00a0went ESE up a small draw, and\u00a0was marked as No. 377.1A.\u00a0 This seemed like it might be the right road.\u00a0 At least it was going the right direction.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe took it.<\/p>\n No. 377.1A\u00a0steadily regained\u00a0Lupe’s\u00a0lost elevation, which was a good thing.\u00a0 The road gradually turned SE, which seemed good, too.\u00a0 The road was so soft and muddy from melting snow, Lupe and SPHP traveled much of the time off in snowy meadows nearby.<\/p>\n SPHP was watching for an expected\u00a0junction with No. 377 again 0.5 mile from No. 117, but it\u00a0never materialized.\u00a0 Strange.\u00a0 The map showed it, but no junction appeared.\u00a0 Lupe continued on.\u00a0 About 1.0 mile from No. 117, Lupe was approaching the top of a rise.\u00a0 Off to the W in a meadow sat a\u00a0large white plastic tank, presumably for water.\u00a0 It was enclosed by another pole fence.\u00a0 There wasn’t much snow up here. \u00a0Was Lupe coming to the top of Crow’s Nest Peak?<\/p>\n A short distance beyond the white water tank at the top of the rise, Lupe found an unexpected road intersection.\u00a0 If she stayed on No. 377.1A continuing SE, Lupe would start losing elevation at a good clip.\u00a0 Turning SSW, she would lose less elevation following No. 377.1B.\u00a0 Both roads were clearly marked.\u00a0 Which way?\u00a0 SPHP had no clue.<\/p>\n Lupe pricked up her ears listening to a wild turkey gobbling somewhere in the forest as SPHP sat on a log studying the USFS map.\u00a0 It didn’t even show a road\u00a0No. 377.1B.\u00a0 Crow’s Nest Peak couldn’t be that far away, but where was it?\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP went over to the white plastic water tank.\u00a0 It bore no markings that shed any light on the situation.\u00a0 Back to the log.\u00a0 The question remained, which way to go?<\/p>\n SPHP remembered another map in the pack.\u00a0 It was an old Black Hills National Forest “Travel Information Map”.\u00a0 Maybe it would\u00a0provide a clue?\u00a0 SPHP took it out of the pack for a look.\u00a0 The BHNF travel information\u00a0map showed the USFS Roads in much greater detail than the old USFS map,\u00a0although it contained absolutely no other details except section lines and numbers.<\/p>\n No wonder\u00a0everything had\u00a0been so confusing!\u00a0 The BHNF travel information map was an enormous help!\u00a0 It\u00a0showed road patterns that matched up with what Lupe had been seeing on the ground.\u00a0 The road numbers agreed with the markers Lupe had seen, too.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP’s old USFS map, normally reasonably accurate, was\u00a0riddled with\u00a0inaccuracies.\u00a0 It was a work of fiction in the area\u00a0Lupe had been traveling through.<\/p>\n The BHNF travel information map showed the intersection of USFS Roads No. 377.1A\u00a0and No. 377.1B where Lupe was right now.\u00a0 She clearly needed to take No. 377.1B.\u00a0 Although the BHNF travel information map didn’t show Crow’s Nest Peak, by comparing section lines on the two maps it was easy to see\u00a0Lupe was only 0.5 mile\u00a0NE of the summit.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP took off heading SSW on No. 337.1B.<\/p>\n As the roads went, Lupe would have more than 0.5 mile to go to reach Crows Nest Peak.\u00a0 In fact, the BHNF travel information map led SPHP to believe she would have to go 0.5 mile just to reach the next intersection with USFS Road No. 266.\u00a0 Well before Lupe had gone 0.5 mile, however, she came to a small clearing.\u00a0 A road buried in snow disappeared going S into a dense forest.\u00a0 There was no marker for it, but it was probably No. 266.<\/p>\n A less snowy road made a sharp turn to the W into another dense forest.\u00a0 A marker showed this was still part of No. 377.1B.\u00a0 Lupe did need to go W to get to Crow’s Nest Peak, so she left the small clearing staying on No. 377.1B.<\/p>\n Lupe didn’t go much farther before she reached a larger clearing.\u00a0\u00a0This clearing wasn’t completely treeless.\u00a0 Spruce trees were scattered around.\u00a0 On the N side of the road was a good-sized pond.\u00a0 Three ducks were paddling around on this pond, but they flew off as Lupe approached.<\/p>\n Although the pond\u00a0contained rather murky, brown\u00a0water, it still seemed like a relatively nice place to take a\u00a0short break.\u00a0 Lupe had Taste of the Wild, while SPHP munched an apple.<\/p>\n After finishing her Taste of the Wild, Lupe went down to the edge of the pond.\u00a0 She saw a salamander trying\u00a0to avoid detection by burying itself in the mud at the bottom of the pond.\u00a0 Salamanders are a fairly unusual sight in the Black Hills.\u00a0 Lupe wondered what that strange thing was?\u00a0 Fortunately, as far as SPHP was concerned,\u00a0she\u00a0didn’t want to find out badly enough to enter the cold, dirty-looking water.<\/p>\n The time came to press on from Salamander Pond, but SPHP had a hard time discerning where No. 377.1B went from here.\u00a0 A\u00a0foray to the S revealed nothing.\u00a0 As it turned out, No. 377.1B continued W hidden\u00a0under snow.\u00a0 It seemed like Lupe was gaining a little elevation as she followed the road W.\u00a0 Soon she was definitely gaining elevation.\u00a0 The faint road climbed a small hill from the SE.<\/p>\n Lupe arrived on top of the little hill to find a small, flat,\u00a0opening in the forest.\u00a0 Part of the opening was buried beneath a large snow bank.\u00a0 A big pool of snow melt water covered\u00a0a portion\u00a0of the road ahead to the W.\u00a0 The whole area was so level, most of the ground was soggy.\u00a0 Water\u00a0trickled NE into a marshy area among the trees.<\/p>\n Was this Crow’s Nest Peak?\u00a0 Lupe seemed to be at the top of the small hill, but saw no signs or markers anywhere.\u00a0 To the E, lots of snow could be seen between the trees.\u00a0\u00a0A spur of the road headed in that direction.\u00a0 However, before going E, Lupe went W to check out the big pool of water.\u00a0 Beyond it, SPHP thought it looked like there might be a view.<\/p>\n Going over to the big pool, the ground was sopping wet.\u00a0 Beyond the pool, however, the ground was drier and Lupe did have a bit of a view off to the W.\u00a0 The forest had been thinned enough in this direction so that she could see\u00a0a few\u00a0high hills that had to be well into Wyoming.\u00a0 Closer by were blue ridges nearly as high as where Lupe was now.\u00a0 SPHP thought Lupe must be on Crow’s Nest Peak, but found no proof.<\/p>\n Lupe traipsed back E past the snow melt water pool, crossing the soggy ground again to reach the trees at the E side of the clearing.\u00a0 She explored the spur of the road that went E into the forest.\u00a0\u00a0Only a few trees into the forest, Lupe found herself at the edge of another even smaller clearing.\u00a0 This tiny clearing was full of snow.\u00a0 The snow made it\u00a0hard to tell, but it looked like the spur road ended\u00a0already at a small turnaround circle in the clearing.<\/p>\n Out in the middle of the tiny clearing, a red and yellow metal post stuck up out of the snow.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP ran over to the post.\u00a0 It said “Survey Marker”!\u00a0 This had to be it!<\/p>\n Excitedly, Lupe and SPHP started digging in the snow around the post.\u00a0 At first Lupe didn’t find anything.\u00a0 SPHP found a few rocks close to the W side of the post.\u00a0 Almost immediately, Lupe uncovered something metal about half a foot N of the post.\u00a0 The survey marker!\u00a0 SPHP brushed the rest of the snow away.\u00a0 The marker said “1912”.\u00a0 At the center of a circle rimmed with the usual\u00a0propaganda a single joyful word was stamped: “Crow”.<\/p>\n After\u00a0failing on two prior\u00a0expeditions, Lupe had arrived!\u00a0\u00a0 She was now undeniably on Crow’s Nest Peak<\/a> <\/span>(7,048 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 She had found the survey marker someone had set here 102 years ago!\u00a0 SPHP took a picture of it, not realizing until later on how blurry it had turned out.\u00a0 Oh, well.<\/p>\n There were no views from the tiny snow-filled clearing.\u00a0 The clearing bore no resemblance to what one thinks of as a mountain top.\u00a0 Lupe hadn’t had much in the way of a distant view anywhere along the way here, either.\u00a0 Yet finding the survey marker felt like finding a treasure.\u00a0 Lupe was actually at one of the highest points in the Black Hills.\u00a0 Looking for the marker in this remote part of the western Black Hills had been fun!<\/p>\n Lupe and SPHP left the summit feeling inexplicably happy.\u00a0 Nothing wrong with being happy is there?\u00a0 The American Dingo seemed to take it for granted.\u00a0 SPHP decided happiness needs no weighty justification.\u00a0 Take it when you can get it, and be glad!\u00a0 If being too happy is a problem, it’s among the best problems you can have.\u00a0 Enduring it is easy.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were willing to tough it out!<\/p>\n The Carolina Dog’s peakbagging goal for the day had been achieved.\u00a0 SPHP knew there was beautiful open land flanked by forests not too far off to the W.\u00a0 Lupe could wander over that way, find USFS Road No. 117 again,\u00a0and have fun exploring on her way back to the G6.\u00a0 Lupe passed by the pool of snow melt water on the W side of Crow’s Nest Peak one more time.<\/p>\n After enjoying the view W of the pool for a few minutes, Lupe followed the road down the SW slope of the little hill.\u00a0 The road was in poor condition here.\u00a0 It led to an intersection where Lupe turned WNW.\u00a0 After passing through a level clearing, Lupe\u00a0resumed losing elevation as the road went downhill through a forest.\u00a0\u00a0Emerging at the far end,\u00a0Lupe could see\u00a0the good gravel road, USFS Road No. 117, again.<\/p>\n When Lupe reached No. 117 again, SPHP was surprised\u00a0there was no sign at all for Crow’s Nest Peak at the turn onto the minor road she had been following.\u00a0 A short distance off\u00a0to the W was a junction with another good gravel road.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0went over to check out that junction.\u00a0 She found a sign saying this other good gravel road heading N was No. 117.5K.<\/p>\n A stream with a strong current was flowing S on the W side of No. 117 from this junction.\u00a0 Ordinarily, no stream\u00a0exists here.\u00a0 It was all snow melt.\u00a0\u00a0Maybe Lupe could have some fun following the temporary stream S along the road?\u00a0 SPHP kind of wanted to see if there were any more roads heading toward Crow’s Nest Peak from No. 117, and if any signs for Crow’s Nest Peak existed anywhere along the way.<\/p>\n Lupe\u00a0had a good romp exploring the meadows near the snow melt stream as she followed No. 117.\u00a0 The road wound around to the SW.\u00a0 Lupe paralleled it for at least 0.5 mile before coming to a bend where two big truck tires had been turned into water troughs.\u00a0 One was full to the brim, while the other was nearly empty.<\/p>\n SPHP checked the maps again.\u00a0 Lupe hadn’t come to any more roads.\u00a0 It wasn’t likely any roads would leave No. 117 for Crow’s Nest Peak from any farther S than where Lupe was here.\u00a0 SPHP’s curiosity was satisfied.\u00a0 May as well head back N.<\/p>\n The two truck tire watering troughs were as far SW as Lupe went\u00a0along USFS Road No. 117.\u00a0 The snow melt creek was pretty impressive down here.\u00a0 Lupe started following it back upstream.<\/p>\n Lupe went all the way back to the junction with No. 117.5K.\u00a0 The meadows W of No. 117.5K looked so beautiful and inviting, Lupe and SPHP left No. 117 to continue N in those meadows.\u00a0 Lupe came to a pond along the snow melt stream that was mostly full of snow.\u00a0 A small waterfall tumbled into the little pond.<\/p>\n No. 117.5K went almost straight N gaining elevation gradually.\u00a0 Eventually the road went over a little pass.\u00a0 Beyond the pass was another long beautiful valley off to the NNE.\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0continued marching\u00a0along soggy, wet side roads in the fields W of No. 117.5K, while Lupe roamed to her heart’s content.\u00a0 SPHP stayed toward the W side of the valley near the forest, since Lupe enjoys having a mix of open ground and forest to run around on and explore.<\/p>\n No. 117.5K ended as a good gravel road a little N of the pass.\u00a0 Near a barbed wire fence, it veered off to the NW as a muddy minor road.\u00a0 Lupe was hungry again by the time she reached this point.\u00a0 She took another Taste of the Wild break near the fence where the good part of No. 117.5K ended.<\/p>\n From the fence at the N end of the good part of No. 117.5K, Lupe left the road\u00a0to continue NNE down the long gentle valley ahead.\u00a0 She roamed the W side of the valley, crossing many little snow melt streams.\u00a0 SPHP found another dirt road, and followed it where it wasn’t too muddy.\u00a0\u00a0The easy, gradual, downhill trek\u00a0was beautiful.\u00a0 The air\u00a0grew chilly as the sun began to sink.\u00a0 It was still early spring up at this elevation.<\/p>\n Eventually, SPHP saw No. 117 reappear on the E side of the valley.\u00a0 Soon No. 117.5D came into view, too,\u00a0on the\u00a0far side of No. 117.\u00a0 This was the road where Lupe had originally left No. 117 to escape the heat and explore the forest on\u00a0her way to Crow’s Nest Peak.\u00a0 Lupe could have gone over to No. 117 again, but instead she stayed on the W side of the long valley.<\/p>\n SPHP led her\u00a0along the dirt road even after it re-entered the forest, turned NW, and started gaining elevation.\u00a0 This proved to be a mistake.\u00a0 Soon Lupe and SPHP had to leave the road\u00a0to plunge down the N side of a densely forested steep slope.\u00a0 The snow was feet deep here.\u00a0 Suddenly, Lupe was leaping and\u00a0bounding through snow up to her neck.<\/p>\n After what seemed like a long struggle, Lupe escaped the snow when she reached the floor of a valley.\u00a0 She\u00a0came to another road,\u00a0No. 117.5I.\u00a0 The intrepid Carolina Dog was now a little farther W in upper Manganese Draw than she had been early in the day.\u00a0 Her adventure to Crow’s Nest Peak and back\u00a0was almost over.\u00a0 Before long\u00a0she was E of No. 117 again, following Castle Creek downstream.\u00a0 At 6:38 PM, (44\u00b0F) Lupe reached the G6.<\/p>\n Lupe had enjoyed sunshine\u00a0all day near Crow’s Nest Peak.\u00a0 Surprisingly, on the way home it turned out the rest of the Black Hills only a few miles to the E was under dense cloud cover.\u00a0 Lupe was tired.\u00a0 She curled up on the G6’s passenger side front seat.\u00a0 SPHP thought she might go to sleep as the light faded.<\/p>\n The Carolina Dog couldn’t relax, though.\u00a0 She was too worried she was missing out!\u00a0 She wound up standing and watching for cows, horses and deer to bark at all along the long road home.\u00a0 For Lupe, the adventure never ends!<\/p>\n Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Next Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a> \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<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Snow!\u00a0 In May!\u00a0 So much of it the G6 would never get through.\u00a0 Carefully, SPHP backed the G6 up to a place where it could be turned around.\u00a0 Half a mile SE of the junction of County Road No. 303 and USFS Roads No. 110 & 117 in Manganese Draw, SPHP parked the G6 at … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 86 – Crow’s Nest Peak 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