![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/SDC11212.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Lupe enjoyed all the outdoor cleanup activity after the storm, but weeks went by and she hadn’t gone on a single Black Hills expedition yet in October, normally a great month to be out in the hills.<\/p>\n
Finally, the great day arrived!\u00a0 At home, all the snow had melted long ago.\u00a0 The debris was gone or cut up for firewood.\u00a0 It was time to get out in the hills, and see what things looked like out there.\u00a0 As a special treat, Lupe got to invite her friend and next door neighbor, Sidney, to come along with.\u00a0 Nina said it was OK.\u00a0\u00a0This would be\u00a0the first time Big Sid ever got to come with Lupe on one of her expeditions!<\/p>\n
Sidney\u00a0zoomed out the front door of his house, full of enthusiasm, but without the faintest idea what was about to happen.\u00a0 SPHP had trouble\u00a0persuading him to get into the G6.\u00a0 He kept wanting to run back home to get JB.\u00a0 Finally, SPHP got Sidney in the car.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney were off on an adventure together!<\/p>\n
SPHP drove far enough into the central hills to get to where there was still some snow around, parking at the junction of USFS Road No. 256 and Rocky Johnston Road\u00a0(10:56 AM, 50\u00b0F).\u00a0 Everyone piled out of the G6 and started following Rocky Johnston Road going gradually up a valley.<\/p>\n
Everyone didn’t keep<\/em><\/strong> doing that, though.\u00a0 By now, Sidney was alarmed\u00a0at this turn of events.\u00a0 Where was JB?\u00a0 Where was Nina?\u00a0 Where was Cassie?\u00a0 No one in his family was here.\u00a0 He’d been dog-napped!<\/p>\n Every time SPHP relaxed and stopped paying attention, Sidney snuck back to the G6.\u00a0 Big Sid wanted to go home.\u00a0 It was scary being way out here with Lupe.\u00a0 What terrible fate might be in store?\u00a0 What evil lurked in that scrawny Dingo’s\u00a0heart?\u00a0 Mommy!\u00a0 Daddy!\u00a0 Help!\u00a0 Save me!<\/p>\n Knock it off, Sid, you big chicken-dog!\u00a0 You’re going to be fine.\u00a0\u00a0You’re not going home now, we just got here.\u00a0 Stick with Loopster, and\u00a0have some fun exploring.\u00a0 You’ll love it.\u00a0 Stay close!\u00a0 Come on, now!<\/em><\/p>\n Big Sid finally realized SPHP wasn’t going to let him back\u00a0in the G6.\u00a0 Ever so reluctantly, fearful of being\u00a0totally abandoned\u00a0and alone outside, he decided he\u00a0had no choice but to\u00a0follow wherever the Carolina Dog went and hope for the best.<\/p>\n Rocky Johnston Road went W at first, then turned N.\u00a0 The road hike was easy, but\u00a0kind of boring.\u00a0 SPHP thought Sidney might become more interested and involved sniffing around in the forest E of the road.\u00a0 At first, Big Sid thought leaving the road was nuts, but seeing Lupe\u00a0busy exploring the forest soon made him forget some of his fears.\u00a0 He began to get into the swing of things, too.<\/p>\n Sidney was in no\u00a0shape to keep up with Lupe, but did his best.\u00a0 What he lacked in physical conditioning, he started gaining in spirit.\u00a0 He often arrived to take his turn sniffing at points of canine interest about the time Lupe completed her own investigations.\u00a0 Through the snowy forest, Lupe led and Sidney followed.\u00a0 Big Sid forgot all about the G6.\u00a0 He actually was having a good time!<\/p>\n The trek through the forest paralleled Rocky Johnston Road for more than a mile, but eventually big white fields, a home, and\u00a0outbuildings could be seen ahead at the end of the valley.\u00a0 To avoid this private property, Lupe, Sidney and SPHP crossed over to the W side of Rocky Johnston Road and climbed NW up a snowy slope.<\/p>\n The terrain up above was nearly level.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney continued NW through a thinly forested area.\u00a0 More snow was up here than down below, but it wasn’t too deep.\u00a0 Before long, Lupe reached a small clearing where a couple of unmarked USFS roads met.\u00a0 The roads went W or NW.\u00a0 Both directions looked interesting.<\/p>\n However, something even more interesting was in sight to the N\u00a0beyond a much larger clearing – \u00a0a high ridge topped by small limestone cliffs.\u00a0 That ridge was likely the highest ground Lupe and Sidney would\u00a0come to\u00a0today, so\u00a0taking a look at the sights from up there seemed like a good idea.<\/p>\n When you join Lupe’s pack, the American Dingo\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0cut you much slack.\u00a0 An hour after leaving the G6, Sidney found himself climbing a mountain.\u00a0 It wasn’t all that big a mountain, but it was steep enough near the top.\u00a0 The limestone\u00a0at the S end of the ridge was discontinuous.\u00a0 Even Lupe and SPHP couldn’t find a way up onto a couple of limestone islands in the sky.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, a route was found to the top of the ridge\u00a0slightly farther N.\u00a0 Sidney followed Lupe up.\u00a0 A 180\u00b0 panoramic view existed to the W.\u00a0 Lupe was used to seeing this sort of thing, but maybe it was a new experience for Sidney.\u00a0 Big Sid seemed a little shocked at the size of the world.\u00a0 He wasn’t afraid of being\u00a0up here, though.\u00a0 He stood calmly surveying the vast territory in view before him.<\/p>\n On the ridge, Big Sid was visibly encouraged and an eager participant when break time was announced and he got to share in the Taste of the Wild with Lupe.\u00a0 SPHP sat munching an apple while the chow hounds made great progress lightening the backpack.<\/p>\n A few minutes after break time was complete, it was time to head back down.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney returned to the little clearing S of the ridge.\u00a0 Big Sid wouldn’t have to climb any more high points, but his inaugural expedition with Lupe was far from over.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney began exploring the USFS road going W.<\/p>\n The road turned SW, but remained level for a while before eventually starting to lose elevation.\u00a0 Lower down there was less snow.<\/p>\n When the USFS road turned S, SPHP figured\u00a0Hwy 17 coming N out of Rochford couldn’t be too far away to the W.\u00a0 Leaving the road to climb a minor ridge to the W soon proved the point.\u00a0 Yes, there was Hwy 17 on the other side.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney followed the ridge S a little, then left it to cross Hwy 17 and get on the Mickelson Trail<\/strong><\/a><\/span> near the confluence of the North Fork of Rapid Creek and Buskala Creek.<\/p>\n Traveling S on the flat, wide Mickelson Trail was easy, but a little dull.\u00a0 Lupe and Sidney did get to see an interesting old red building.\u00a0 The sides and roof were made of something round.\u00a0 A\u00a0fascinating and highly informative plaque told all about this historical building and exactly what it was made of, but SPHP can’t recall a single detail.\u00a0 Must be the A.D.D.<\/p>\n S of the historical red building, everyone left the Mickelson Trail to cross Hwy 17 again.\u00a0 A gravel road, which might have been a driveway, led E up into the hills.\u00a0 There was no sign of any recent traffic on this road, but sure enough, a little way up the hill a house could be seen\u00a0tucked back against the trees at the edge of a field to the NW.<\/p>\n The driveway started curving N,\u00a0so Lupe and Sidney left it to cross the dam of a small stock pond.\u00a0 They headed SE over a\u00a0low pass back onto USFS land,\u00a0and\u00a0soon after\u00a0arrived at USFS Road No. 256.<\/p>\n Hours had gone by.\u00a0 Sidney wasn’t used to anywhere near this much\u00a0exercise.\u00a0 He was\u00a0tired!\u00a0 The easiest and most merciful thing to do would have been to follow No. 256 a few miles E to reach the G6 at the junction with Rocky Johnston Road.\u00a0 Lupe, however, wasn’t done exploring.\u00a0 She crossed No. 256 going SSE, eventually climbing up a ridge.\u00a0 Sidney did his best to keep up, but his enthusiasm was clearly\u00a0waning.<\/p>\n The\u00a0ridge Lupe led Sidney to was hideous.\u00a0 Either fire, pine bark beetles, or a combination of both\u00a0had wiped out the pine trees.\u00a0 Loggers had subsequently come through and clear cut a large area.\u00a0 All the devastation did have one benefit.\u00a0 It opened up views of higher country to the SW.<\/p>\n From the hideous ridge, SPHP looked for an easy\u00a0route to the E or NE.\u00a0 The sun was starting to get low, and Sidney was fading.\u00a0 The terrain stubbornly remained easiest going SSE.\u00a0 Finally, the time came\u00a0to forget about the terrain and just do it.\u00a0 Lupe turned NE entering a thick, healthy forest and descended into a valley.<\/p>\n The valley was in shadow and noticeably darker, but Lupe and Sidney made good progress going NE through the forest.\u00a0 They found a dirt road, which led to USFS Road No. 203 up on Minnesota Ridge.\u00a0 No. 203 eventually led N to No. 256 again.<\/p>\n Sunset was imminent.\u00a0 The G6 was still nearly 2 miles E.\u00a0 Big Sid was a trooper, but desperately wanted to stay on the road now.\u00a0 He couldn’t understand why the crazy American Dingo insisted upon remaining in the forest.\u00a0 She was still racing back and forth while\u00a0wandering\u00a0up and down various slopes.\u00a0 Sidney tried to follow Lupe, but headed straight for the road every time she got close to it.<\/p>\n The sun set.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0stayed in\u00a0the forest N of the road.\u00a0 She went down a steep, snowy slope.\u00a0 She jumped over a small stream at the bottom.\u00a0 The G6 was in view!\u00a0 To Sidney’s relief,\u00a0the Carolina Dog\u00a0finally returned to the road and led him to the G6.\u00a0 At 5:41 PM (40\u00b0F), Lupe’s fun and Big Sid’s ordeal were over.<\/p>\n Expedition No. 67 had been the biggest outing of Sidney’s life!\u00a0 JB and Nina later reported that poor Sid couldn’t even move the next day.\u00a0\u00a0He was exhausted and sore\u00a0for days on end.<\/p>\n Dingo initiation rites are brutal, but Big Sid had made it!\u00a0 Sidney would be invited along again on more expeditions for more adventures.\u00a0 Over the next few months, he was a regular member of Lupe’s\u00a0pack.\u00a0 Long-suffering Sid willingly braved whatever she put him through.<\/p>\n Big Sid must love a challenge, he was always eager to go! Next Black Hills Expedition<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Prior Black Hills Expedition<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0 Check out her Black Hills, SD & WY\u00a0Expeditions\u00a0Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Blizzards used to hit the Black Hills in\u00a0late winter or early\u00a0spring with some degree of regularity.\u00a0 Whether due to\u00a0global warming, long term cycles, pure chance, or other factors,\u00a0blizzards have become increasingly rare here.\u00a0 Yet this one hit October 4th, easily the earliest in the season SPHP could ever remember. Leaves were still on the trees … Continue reading Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 67 – Big Sid Joins the Pack! (10-26-13)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9709,"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":[105,822,9,106,104,802,304],"class_list":["post-9716","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-sidney","tag-south-dakota"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/SDC11231.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\/9716","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=9716"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34578,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9716\/revisions\/34578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n