![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/SDC11355.jpg\")
<\/a>Beyond the little rise, the snowy field\u00a0went SW down to Hwy 17.\u00a0 Lupe, Sidney and SPHP followed a short segment of the road continuing SW, but left Hwy 17 shortly after it turned sharply N.\u00a0\u00a0Everyone went down to the Mickelson Trail, which was nearby to the W.<\/p>\n
Lupe was now at Nahant<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 She could have followed the trail N or S, but SPHP decided to lead the way S, thinking Lupe might eventually get on USFS Road No. 259 and explore Telegraph Gulch.<\/p>\n Lupe wasn’t on the Mickelson Trail very long.\u00a0 She left\u00a0it to climb\u00a0a small slope\u00a0up to USFS Road No. 259, where she and Big Sid continued S.\u00a0 The road was sloppy with melting snow and mud.<\/p>\n The mucky road was\u00a0icky to walk on.\u00a0 Most of the time, it was best staying entirely off\u00a0to one side or the other.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney\u00a0passed by\u00a0a dilapidated old house and barn on the W side of No. 259.\u00a0 Shortly after that, the road\u00a0turned W\u00a0up into the forest.\u00a0\u00a0No. 259 soon turned S again, and went over a small ridge.<\/p>\n The plan had sort of been to take No. 259 several miles S all the way through Telegraph Gulch to USFS Road No. 231.\u00a0 However, after going over the small ridge, an unmarked side road went W up a beautiful little valley.\u00a0 This side road wasn’t shown at all on SPHP’s old USFS map, but looked intriguing.\u00a0 It certainly seemed more interesting than continuing the muddy march along No. 259.<\/p>\n Exploring the mysterious side road became the new plan.<\/p>\n At first, it was possible to follow the side road.\u00a0 Farther up the valley, the snow got progressively deeper.\u00a0 It became difficult to tell where the road was, or if it was even still here at all.\u00a0 Most of the time, it was easiest to stay toward the N side of the valley where there was a little S exposure and less snow.<\/p>\n Lupe had the easiest time dealing with the deeper snow.\u00a0 A hard crust was under a few inches of fresh powder.\u00a0 The crust generally supported Lupe’s weight, so she could trot along on top,\u00a0but Sidney and SPHP often broke through to the deeper stuff below.\u00a0\u00a0Conditions varied, though.\u00a0 Some places the crust was even strong enough to support both Sidney and SPHP.<\/p>\n After going close to a mile up the valley, it split in two.\u00a0 One branch went SW, while the other went NW.\u00a0 The road, if it still existed, was long lost beneath the snow.\u00a0 SPHP hadn’t seen it for a while.<\/p>\n Lupe and Sidney had already\u00a0been drifting farther and farther\u00a0up the N side of the valley to avoid the deepest snow, so it was easiest to\u00a0follow the\u00a0NW branch of the valley.\u00a0 Deadfall timber made the somewhat steeper climb here tougher for a while, but it wasn’t bad.\u00a0 Less than 0.5 mile brought Lupe and Sid to a saddle on a big ridge.\u00a0 (Pass 6194)<\/p>\n From the ridge, it was possible to see a considerable distance to the N.\u00a0 Both Terry Peak<\/a><\/span> (7,064 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> and Custer Peak<\/a><\/span> (6,804 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0were in view miles away.\u00a0 The local terrain dropped steeply to the N.\u00a0 Swede Gulch had to be somewhere out there not too far away.<\/p>\n At the saddle, Lupe and Big Sid turned W, following the ridge higher.\u00a0 The views to the N and NE steadily improved.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the snow kept getting deeper.<\/p>\n On and on through the snow.\u00a0 Higher and higher.\u00a0 Maybe it hit 61\u00b0F back at home, but not here.\u00a0 Here it was only in the low 40’s.\u00a0 Finally, Lupe and Sidney were high enough to start seeing views off to the S and SW, but SPHP didn’t recognize the nearby terrain.<\/p>\n A small rock outcropping at a high point presented an opportunity to dust the snow off the rocks and sit down for a break.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney made short work of the Taste of the Wild supply.\u00a0 SPHP had an apple while admiring the view to the S, then checked the USFS map.<\/p>\n It was starting to seem like a long time since losing the side road under the snow back down in the valley.\u00a0 The map showed\u00a0only one possible road\u00a0in this area.\u00a0 USFS Road No. 234 wound for miles around the\u00a0W end and along the S side of Swede Gulch.\u00a0 Hmmm.\u00a0 With all the snow, SPHP wasn’t even certain of being able to\u00a0recognize a road, even\u00a0if Lupe and Sid\u00a0did come\u00a0to one.<\/p>\n Break time was over. \u00a0Loop, Sidney and SPHP resumed the march W.\u00a0 The ridge now flattened and broadened out tremendously.\u00a0 For a while, elevation was being gained only slowly, if at all.\u00a0 The snow made it tough going.\u00a0 The need to find a road grew.\u00a0 Each step was still taking Lupe and Sidney farther away from the G6.\u00a0 It was time to\u00a0think about finding\u00a0a way back.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Lupe and Sidney did discover a road!\u00a0 It continued W,\u00a0gaining elevation again at a modest pace.\u00a0 Either this was,\u00a0or would likely feed into USFS Road No. 234 at some point along the way.\u00a0 However, finding the road was not the expected solution to the difficulties with the snow.\u00a0 The road was covered by an even deeper white blanket than the forest had been.\u00a0 The snow was in pristine condition.\u00a0 No sign anyone had been here.\u00a0 The struggle continued.<\/p>\n Finally, after passing first a fence, and then a tree that had fallen\u00a0across the road, there were tracks.\u00a0 Snowmobiles had been here!\u00a0 The snow was compacted enough\u00a0so Lupe could usually race along right on top.\u00a0 Sidney and SPHP had some luck staying up on top, too, but not always.\u00a0 Each failure meant post holing down a couple of feet.<\/p>\n If this really was\u00a0No. 234, sooner or later,\u00a0the road\u00a0would have to turn N.\u00a0 It did turn N, several\u00a0times, but each time swung back to the W again.\u00a0 On and on.\u00a0 Farther and farther\u00a0from the G6.\u00a0 The condition of the snow varied.\u00a0 Sometimes even Lupe was sinking in.\u00a0 Other times both Sidney and SPHP could stay on the crunchy compacted crust.\u00a0 Overall, though, pressing onward\u00a0was an increasingly time and energy-consuming effort.<\/p>\n Lupe and Sidney were in high territory.\u00a0 The scenery was beautiful and remote.\u00a0 The dogs still seemed to be having fun.\u00a0 The snowmobile tracks often stretched on through big openings in the forest where everything was gorgeous and\u00a0white.\u00a0 The actual road was three feet below the level of the tracks.\u00a0 Where the snow held, it was like traveling over the top of a crusty cloud.<\/p>\n At last, the tracks swung N and kept going that way.\u00a0\u00a0Time\u00a0went by.\u00a0 How much farther?\u00a0 A bit of a curve to the NNE.\u00a0\u00a0The road passed through a dense, old forest and started to descend.\u00a0 SPHP expected Lupe would arrive at Tillson Creek pretty soon.\u00a0 She had been there before on a prior expedition. \u00a0SPHP was elated when the creek came into view.<\/p>\n Decision time.\u00a0 Take the long, but certain route back to the G by staying on No. 234 to No. 206 all the way back to Hwy 17?\u00a0 No. 206 wasn’t far away, and would have had enough traffic to pack the snow down hard for a good walking surface.\u00a0 Or try the shortcut down along Tillson Creek through Swede Gulch to Nahant?<\/p>\n The sun would still be up for a couple of hours.\u00a0 Lupe had followed Tillson Creek through Swede Gulch once before back on Expedition No. 58 on 5-11-13.\u00a0 SPHP remembered it as\u00a0an easy and beautiful route.\u00a0 It was still miles long, though, and conditions were very different now.<\/p>\n A quick decision.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney would take the shorter route through Swede Gulch.<\/p>\n It wasn’t long before SPHP began to realize what Lupe and Sidney were in for.\u00a0 Tillson Creek flowed merrily along with plenty of water in it.\u00a0 However, the snow was even deeper\u00a0down by the creek than before.\u00a0 Snowdrifts 4 to 5 feet high filled the narrow valley, often burying the small creek beneath them.<\/p>\n To make any progress, Lupe and Sidney had to stay up in the forest on the N side of the valley where the snow wasn’t quite as\u00a0deep.\u00a0 The forest was a mess.\u00a0 Pine bark beetles had killed many trees since Lupe had last been here.\u00a0 A slow, difficult struggle through snow and deadfall timber ensued.\u00a0 Energy drained away.\u00a0 Time flew by.\u00a0 The\u00a0distance traversed was pitiful.<\/p>\n Suddenly SPHP realized Lupe was coming to open ground ahead.\u00a0\u00a0Tillson Creek flowed into a\u00a0broad,\u00a0gentle valley of pasture lands\u00a0intersecting from the NNW.\u00a0 Maybe this was the start of Swede\u00a0Gulch?\u00a0 SPHP had forgotten about this place, but was very\u00a0glad\u00a0to see it.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney made it past the last big snowbank.\u00a0 A snow-free trail led SE!<\/p>\n We’re saved!<\/em>\u00a0 Even Lupe and Big Sid were visibly encouraged.<\/p>\n For a little while, Lupe and Sidney made fast progress along the muddy trail, but SPHP’s announcement was premature.\u00a0 The gravel road leading to Nahant from Swede Gulch was still miles away.\u00a0 The valley soon narrowed again.\u00a0 Swede Gulch became a twisting, turning canyon.\u00a0 SPHP expected to see the W fork of Tillson Creek coming in from a narrow side canyon, but never did.<\/p>\n Deep snow returned.\u00a0\u00a0Occasionally there were short snow-free stretches of trail, but for the most part, the endless struggle through snow and deadfall timber on the forested N slope of the canyon resumed.\u00a0 We’re doomed!<\/em> or We’re saved!<\/em> became the cry around every bend depending on\u00a0the scene\u00a0ahead.<\/p>\n Doomed!\u00a0 For real.\u00a0 At a sharp bend, the\u00a0narrow canyon\u00a0ahead was completely choked with dense forest and deadfall.\u00a0 Huge mounds of snow among the trees blocked any reasonable way forward.\u00a0 Advance was impossible, thought of retreat unbearable.\u00a0 In desperation, Lupe began to climb the steep canyon wall.\u00a0 With no other choice, Big Sid and SPHP tried to follow.<\/p>\n The American Dingo reached the top of a high, thin\u00a0rock wall.\u00a0 She’d made it!\u00a0\u00a0Big Sid and SPHP managed to get there, too.\u00a0 This was it!\u00a0 Lupe had found a shortcut bypassing the worst part of the canyon!\u00a0 On the other side of the rock wall was a way down again.\u00a0 Back down to the canyon.\u00a0 The situation was better here.\u00a0 It was possible to continue downstream.<\/p>\n The sun was long down, and twilight fading, by the time the canyon seemed to widen out a bit.\u00a0 The going became a little easier.\u00a0 It became possible to spend more time on the trail, and less fighting the deadfall on the\u00a0wretched N slope.\u00a0 SPHP kept expecting to see the gravel road to Nahant around every bend, but it did not appear.<\/p>\n Then it did appear!\u00a0 No, it wasn’t true.\u00a0\u00a0The road proved to be an illusion in the growing darkness.\u00a0 No choice.\u00a0 Puppies, ho!\u00a0 Onward, as rapidly as possible!<\/p>\n Finally, finally, the road appeared again some distance ahead.\u00a0 This time SPHP was almost certain of it.\u00a0 Stopping to peer through the darkness, what was that?\u00a0 A strange, muffled sound.\u00a0 Listen!\u00a0 Where was it coming from?\u00a0 Below!\u00a0 It took a moment to realize that the sound was Tillson Creek.\u00a0 The creek was underfoot, buried beneath snow and ice.\u00a0 Lupe, Big Sid and SPHP were\u00a0all standing on it!<\/p>\n At least it made for an easy creek crossing.\u00a0 Lupe, Big Sid and SPHP made it to the road.\u00a0 This was it!\u00a0 The real deal and not an illusion.\u00a0 Stars shone above, but the expedition was saved once again.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney left Tillson Creek behind.\u00a0 Soon the last of Swede Gulch would be left behind, too.\u00a0 Following the level road for a mile E\u00a0back to Nahant would be easy.<\/p>\n Hah, fools!\u00a0 Around a bit of a\u00a0bend, to\u00a0everyone’s dismay,\u00a0a 5 foot high snowdrift covered the entire roadbed as far as it was possible to see.\u00a0 On both sides, forested slopes\u00a0dropped steeply N\u00a0toward the\u00a0lower end\u00a0of Swede Gulch where Tillson Creek could still be heard rippling away.<\/p>\n This snow was soft.\u00a0 It wouldn’t even support Lupe.\u00a0 Half a mile of post holing lay ahead.\u00a0 No alternative.\u00a0 Sidney, especially, struggled mightily.\u00a0 Tough, very tough.\u00a0 And cold.<\/p>\n At last it was over.\u00a0 The rest of the way was easy, except for pervading weariness and cramping muscles.\u00a0 An exhausted final\u00a0march E\u00a0to Nahant, and then N to the intersection of Hwy 17 and USFS Road No. 256.<\/p>\n A snow and mud-free spot!\u00a0 SPHP\u00a0collapsed on the pavement to recover.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney laid down nearby for the same purpose.\u00a0 What a day!\u00a0 Stars twinkled above.\u00a0 The full moon shone down.\u00a0 Silence.\u00a0 The eternal blackness of space and time.\u00a0 Still a little farther to go, but what a glorious moment!\u00a0 What a glorious night!<\/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<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Exhaustion.\u00a0 Near total exhaustion.\u00a0 SPHP sat down\u00a0right on the pavement.\u00a0 Both dogs laid down nearby.\u00a0\u00a0Even they\u00a0were incredibly weary.\u00a0 All the provisions SPHP had brought were long gone.\u00a0 Stars glittered in the night sky.\u00a0 The full moon shone down on a silent world.\u00a0\u00a0What a\u00a0gorgeous, still evening! Everything was going to be fine.\u00a0 Lupe, Big Sid and … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 79 – The Snow Trek (3-16-14)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9263,"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":[105,822,9,106,104,803,802,304,209,208],"class_list":["post-9267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-american-dingo","tag-big-sid","tag-black-hills-expeditions","tag-carolina-dog","tag-lupe","tag-nahant","tag-sidney","tag-south-dakota","tag-swede-gulch","tag-tillson-creek"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/SDC11363.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\/9267","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=9267"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28229,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9267\/revisions\/28229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>