{"id":9246,"date":"2018-05-04T08:10:41","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T14:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=9246"},"modified":"2022-01-25T21:17:29","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T04:17:29","slug":"black-hills-sd-expedition-no-80-new-years-eve-peak-3-23-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=9246","title":{"rendered":"Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 80 – New Year’s Eve Peak (3-23-14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

10:39 AM, 31\u00b0F – Intersection of USFS Road No. 710 & Hwy 385, a few miles S of Pactola Reservoir<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe was off to a late start, but for a good reason – two good reasons, actually.\u00a0 Last week’s Expedition No. 79 – The Snow Trek, had been an 11 hour in the\u00a0field ordeal, and\u00a0subsequent complete social fiasco.\u00a0 Big Sid, the neighbor’s dog who had\u00a0been joining Lupe on recent expeditions, had\u00a0been returned home late – 10 PM, and totally exhausted.\u00a0 Though Loop recovered quickly, Sidney had hardly been able to move for days afterward.<\/p>\n

The neighbors were not amused.\u00a0 They’d been worried sick about Sidney being gone so long.\u00a0 Apparently Big Sid had a curfew.\u00a0 Who knew?\u00a0 Sid’s exhausted condition had earned SPHP the rather unflattering nickname “Dog Killer”.\u00a0 Sidney wasn’t going to be allowed to join Lupe on\u00a0her expeditions any more.\u00a0 SPHP hadn’t even bothered checking this morning whether there had been a change of heart.\u00a0 Back to the old ways – just SPHP and Loop from now on.<\/p>\n

So after The Snow Trek fiasco, something less arduous had sounded good to get back into the swing of things again.\u00a0 Rushing off early for another super long day wasn’t in the cards this time around.<\/p>\n

The other reason Lupe was off to a late start was that it had been only 6\u00b0F when she’d gotten up.\u00a0 No sense\u00a0in following up The Snow Trek with the Frozen Solid Trek was there?\u00a0 Lupe’s adventures are supposed to be fun, not dubious episodes of “Survivor”.\u00a0 Although Lupe had been eager to get going, SPHP had insisted on hanging around the house for a few hours letting the day warm up.<\/p>\n

At any rate, Lupe was here now, and\u00a0happy to be out and about again.\u00a0 She trotted W on USFS Road No. 710, following it gradually up a forested valley.\u00a0 A dusting of new snow that had fallen overnight was unspoiled, showing no tracks.\u00a0 Snow was plentiful, but not nearly as plentiful as it had been in the higher hills W of Nahant last week.<\/p>\n

After\u00a0going a mile, Lupe\u00a0reached the upper end of the valley.\u00a0\u00a0Here the road leveled out as it went through an open forest of\u00a0large, beautiful pines.\u00a0 Beyond the pines was barren ground, all clean and white beneath a blanket of snow.\u00a0 Lupe saw a big white hill (High Point 5217) only 0.33 mile away to the W.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on USFS Road No. 710 after passing through the open forest of tall pines at the upper end of the valley. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
After emerging from the forest at the upper end of the mile long valley, USFS Road No. 710 headed into a barren area where the forest had burned years ago. Blue skies and the white snow made everything look clean, bright and cheerful. High Point 5917 is the hill on the R. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This barren area\u00a0must have\u00a0burned in a forest fire many years ago.\u00a0 The dazzling white snow beneath the blue sky made everything look bright and cheerful.\u00a0 Lupe stayed on No. 710 as it curved to the S.\u00a0 The road soon circled back to the SE, passing through another stand of tall pines on the way.<\/p>\n

By the time No. 710 emerged from this second stand of trees,\u00a0Lupe was gaining elevation again.\u00a0 Off to the N was a smaller, snowy hill.\u00a0 The American Dingo left the road to climb it.\u00a0 From here, Lupe\u00a0could see much more\u00a0of the burn area.\u00a0 With so few trees around, she was treated to a panoramic view to the S and W, a rare sight in the mostly heavily forested central Black Hills.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Looking SW from the small hill N of the road, Lupe could see quite an extensive area that had burned years ago. Small pines were growing, indicating the forest will eventually take over again. In the meantime, the panoramic views were great!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Harney Peak<\/a><\/span> (7,242 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, the highest mountain in South Dakota, was in view from the hill Lupe was on. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To the SE, Peak<\/span> 5800<\/a><\/span><\/strong> was in view\u00a0only 0.5 mile away.\u00a0 Earlier, SPHP had been thinking maybe Lupe should climb it.\u00a0 However, the day was now so nice out that greater ambitions had started to set in.\u00a0 SPHP had visions of Lupe making it all the way to Old Bald Peak<\/a><\/span> (6,130 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Peak 5800 was in view only 0.5 mile away from the small hill. Earlier, SPHP had been thinking maybe Lupe should climb it today. By now, though, SPHP had a grander vision that Lupe might make it all the way W to Old Bald Peak instead. Photo looks SE at Peak 5800.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The views were so\u00a0wonderful from this small hill, that it seemed to make sense for Lupe to head W\u00a0up to\u00a0High Point 5917, the first snowy hill she had seen.\u00a0 High Point 5917\u00a0was considerably higher than where Lupe was now, so the views should be even better over there.\u00a0 Furthermore, High Point 5917 was on the way to Old Bald Peak, if Lupe was really going that far.<\/p>\n

So instead of continuing SE to climb Peak 5800, Lupe went S back down to the road and started following it NW.\u00a0 She passed through the second grove of trees again, then\u00a0kept going NW, leaving the road and ultimately climbing all the way to the top of High Point 5917.<\/p>\n

No doubt about it, the views were even better here!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Looking back at Peak 5800 (L) from High Point 5917. The smaller hill Lupe had been on earlier is the closest hill on the far L. Part of Sheridan Lake is seen as a patch of white in the distance on the R. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Harney Peak again. This time as seen from High Point 5917. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on High Point 5917 in happy expectation of some kind of treat or attention from SPHP as a reward for having reached such a lofty height.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After enjoying the terrific views from High Point 5917, Lupe left going SW down the hill.\u00a0 She\u00a0lost a couple hundred feet of elevation on\u00a0the way down to a saddle leading\u00a0over to the next ridge.\u00a0 Right away, she had to regain nearly all of the elevation she had just lost.\u00a0 When she arrived up at the first real\u00a0high point on the next ridge, SPHP recognized this place.<\/p>\n

Lupe had been here before, way back on Expedition No. 41.\u00a0 This ridge would go a little farther W, and then turn N on its way up to Peak 6046 about 0.5 mile away.\u00a0 Lupe had come down this way on Expedition No. 41\u00a0after climbing Peak 6046 by another route.\u00a0 It had been the last day of 2012, which was how Peak 6046 had become privately known as New Year’s Eve Peak<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(6046 ft.)<\/strong><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Returning to New Year’s Eve Peak was an appealing idea.\u00a0 2014 wasn’t exactly new anymore, but there was still snow on the ground and the year was still young!\u00a0 Lupe set off to the W, following\u00a0the ridgeline as it curved N.\u00a0 The final climb up the S slope was a little steep, but soon Lupe was back on New Year’s Eve Peak again.<\/p>\n

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Lupe back on top of New Year’s Eve Peak for the first time since the end of 2012. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It hadn’t taken all that long to get here, but the mood of the day had changed by the time Lupe reached the top of the mountain.\u00a0 The blue skies were\u00a0gone.\u00a0 Gray clouds hung low over the hills.\u00a0 A chill light breeze\u00a0blew in\u00a0from the NE.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP sat together looking at the view to the W.\u00a0 Lupe had some Taste of the Wild.\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0ate an apple.\u00a0 Old Bald Peak was still 2.5 miles off to the WSW.\u00a0 It was easy to see Lupe would have to lose hundreds of feet of elevation again to continue any farther W.\u00a0 Then it would be up and down all the way to Old Bald Peak.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The weather had changed by the time Lupe reached the top of New Year’s Eve Peak. The sky was overcast and a chill breeze blew in from the NE. In the end, SPHP decided she shouldn’t continue on to Old Bald Peak. Photo looks W in the direction she would have taken.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the end, SPHP decided the change in weather meant Lupe shouldn’t continue W looking for Old Bald Peak.\u00a0 Instead, the original idea of climbing Peak 5800 returned.\u00a0 It was\u00a0much closer to where the G6 was parked.<\/p>\n

Even that never happened.\u00a0 After leaving New Year’s Eve Peak, Lupe made it all the way back E to the NW face of Peak 5800.\u00a0 By then, the mountaintops were all hidden in the\u00a0clouds.\u00a0 Beneath the dark, foggy sky, the gloom was thicker than ever.\u00a0\u00a0Tiny snowflakes fell.\u00a0 The top of Peak 5800 was\u00a0no\u00a0more than\u00a0200 feet higher, but Lupe would have to start by climbing a slippery snow-covered boulder field.<\/p>\n

SPHP hesitated.\u00a0 Snowflakes swirled in the\u00a0cold breeze.\u00a0 Maybe\u00a0this wasn’t the day for Peak 5800, either.<\/p>\n

And that was it.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the mountain.\u00a0 Lupe took a shortcut going N down a long slope\u00a0through a snowy forest.\u00a0 On the way, she heard gunfire.\u00a0 Now she was desperate for SPHP’s protection.\u00a0 SPHP urged her onward.\u00a0 Lupe reached USFS Road No. 710 again.\u00a0 Still, she didn’t feel safe until she\u00a0was back\u00a0in the G6 (3:07 PM, 32\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

Barely 4.5 hours.\u00a0 Not much of an expedition compared to The Snow Trek ordeal a week ago.\u00a0 Too bad big Sid hadn’t been along today, he would have loved it!\u00a0 The shorter day would have been better suited to his needs.\u00a0 Who knew, though, if Big Sid would ever come along again?<\/p>\n

As for Lupe, she hadn’t made it back\u00a0to Old Bald Peak (which she had visited once before)\u00a0or to the top of Peak 5800, but maybe she still would some day.\u00a0 At least, she’d had a good time, and seen some beautiful sights.\u00a0 And whether the calendar said it was the right day for it or not, she had\u00a0enjoyed her journey back\u00a0to the cold, lonely summit of New Year’s Eve Peak.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Harney Peak is seen in the distance between pine trees on the summit of New Year’s Eve Peak. Photo looks S.<\/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 Prior Black Hills Expedition<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Expedition No. 41 – New Year’s Eve Peak (12-31-12)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Expedition No. 112 – New Year’s Eve Peak (12-31-14)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Expedition No. 147 – Silver Peak & Old Bald Peak (11-24-15)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/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":"

10:39 AM, 31\u00b0F – Intersection of USFS Road No. 710 & Hwy 385, a few miles S of Pactola Reservoir Lupe was off to a late start, but for a good reason – two good reasons, actually.\u00a0 Last week’s Expedition No. 79 – The Snow Trek, had been an 11 hour in the\u00a0field ordeal, and\u00a0subsequent … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 80 – New Year’s Eve Peak (3-23-14)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9111,"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":[105,9,106,104,539,801,304],"class_list":["post-9246","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-new-years-eve-peak","tag-peak-6046","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/SDC11374.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\/9246","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=9246"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36824,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9246\/revisions\/36824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}