January 2017 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Lupe’s PupJoy Experience (12-6-16)

On the day after Thanksgiving, Erik told SPHP that a gift from Erik & Ana would be arriving soon in the form of an email. Erik & Ana know how crazy SPHP is about Lupe, so they had chosen wisely. When the email turned up a couple of days later it said “Congratulations!! You’ve Received a Gift Subscription to PupJoy!”

When SPHP told Lupe about the email, she quickly agreed it sounded promising, despite the fact that, neither SPHP nor Lupe had the faintest idea what it really meant.

The email contained a link to claim the gift subscription, which took SPHP to a screen where basic information about Lupe had to be entered to proceed (size, age, sex – that sort of thing). That was easy enough, but next came a few options about various subscriptions – how many boxes did Lupe want, how often, etc?

All SPHP wanted to do was claim Lupe’s free gift, not sign up for an ongoing subscription, so SPHP used PupJoy’s online chat feature and wound up speaking with a very pleasant fellow by the name of Dustin. Dustin explained that Lupe’s free gift subscription was for a single shipment of one box. The box would contain items chosen by PupJoy for Lupe based on the initial information SPHP had provided about her. Only a few clicks later, Lupe’s PupJoy box was on order.

SPHP told Lupe that her PupJoy box was on its way! Every morning after that, SPHP made a big deal about letting Lupe out on the front step to see if her PupJoy box was here yet. Lupe enjoyed this routine, but seemed a little puzzled by it, since even using her amazingly keen Carolina Dog sensory powers, she didn’t notice a single thing different about the front step than before.

Nothing changed until the morning of December 6th. When Lupe went out to inspect the front step, there it was! Lupe’s PupJoy box had arrived! Even though what might be in the PupJoy box was still a total mystery, Lupe already seemed happy.

Both Lupe and SPHP were curious. What was in this PupJoy box?

When you’re about to open a treasure chest, you don’t do it in front of the whole world. SPHP took the box in the house. Moments later, it was open. Inside were 4 items – 2 dog toys and 2 bags of treats. Before trying any of it out, Lupe agreed to pose briefly on the back step with all her newly acquired PupJoy loot.

Lupe on the back step with all her new PupJoy loot.

All of Lupe’s new possessions looked like high quality items. SPHP was hopeful Lupe would like them. Maybe Lupe would like to try the dog treats first? SPHP opened the 8 oz. green bag of Down Dog Snacks – Peas, Love & Carrots flavor. The package said they were made of All-Natural, Real, Simple Ingredients.

Lupe received an 8 oz. bag of Down Dog Snacks – Peas, Love & Carrots flavor in her PupJoy box.

According to the back of the Down Dog Snacks package, these Peas, Love & Carrots flavor treats had received the paw of approval by Rumi, the Chief Tasting Officer.

The Down Dog Treats were shaped like hearts, about the size of a half dollar. When SPHP gave one to Lupe, she took it in her mouth, held it for a second or two, then dropped it on the ground. SPHP gave it back to her several times. Each time she did the same thing, except faster than before. Lupe didn’t want one.

Well, that was disappointing. Maybe she would like some of Grandma Lucy’s Organic Baked Dog Treats – Pumpkin Recipe? Lupe had a big 14 oz. bag of those. Pumpkin seemed like an odd flavor for dogs, but who knew? Sometimes Lupe likes things one wouldn’t expect. SPHP opened the bag. The treats were small and shaped like little teddy bears. Lupe could have several of them, if she liked them. They did smell like pumpkin.

The biggest bag of treats Lupe received in her PupJoy box was a 14 oz. bag of Grandma Lucy’s Organic Oven Baked Dog Treats – Pumpkin Recipe.

The Grandma Lucy’s pumpkin recipe treats were small and shaped like little teddy bears as shown on the back side of the package. If Lupe liked them, she could have several at a time.

Unfortunately, the Grandma Lucy’s Pumpkin Recipe treats suffered the same fate as the Down Dog Snacks. Into the mouth, then dropped almost immediately on the ground. Lupe simply didn’t want them. She didn’t have the slightest interest.

Normally, when Lupe gets dog treats, she practically inhales them. One wonders if she can even taste them? Half a second and the treats are gone, with Lupe begging for more. Not with the PupJoy treats, though. She didn’t want a thing to do with either of them.

Well, it was too bad. Although Lupe sometimes likes to share oatmeal, squash, sweet potatoes and a few things like that with SPHP, Lupe wasn’t used to organic vegetable treats. Peas, carrots, and pumpkin aren’t on the usual Lupe menu. All the treats she gets regularly are meat flavored or animal-based – chicken, beef, pork, bacon, cheese. Maybe Lupe would eventually get used to these PupJoy treats, if SPHP kept giving them to her over a few days? If not, SPHP could try giving them away to a more appreciative neighbor’s dog.

What about the PupJoy toys? The American Dog brand carrot was bright and colorful, but seemed like a strange thing for a dog to play with. It did have a squeaker inside. Besides making the squeaker squeak, though, what would Lupe do with it? Not a darn thing was the immediate response. When SPHP offered her the American Dog carrot, Lupe sniffed it with almost total disinterest before walking away. Hmm, so far, PupJoy was 0 for 3. Not good.

However, SPHP hoped the best had been saved for last. The last toy was the Tuffy Ultflyer by MyDogToy.com. It was like a Frisbee, but made of cloth. Like the American Dog carrot, it also had a squeaker sewn inside.

The last item from Lupe’s PupJoy box that she got to try was a Tuffy Ultflyer by MyDogToy.com. It was like a Frisbee made of fabric instead of plastic.

The Tuffy Ultflyer was the last great hope from Lupe’s PupJoy box. A flying disc made of cloth did seem like a good idea to SPHP. Surely, Lupe would like this toy?

When Lupe was very young, she used to play with a hard plastic Frisbee. She liked the Frisbee, but the hard plastic often resulted in mouth injuries that bled. For that reason, Lupe’s early days playing with a Frisbee were confined to only a few months. After a while, the mouth injuries didn’t seem worth it, even though Lupe completely ignored them and appeared to be having lots of fun.

When Lupe was a still growing Carolina Dog, she used to play with Frisbees, but the hard plastic often caused minor wounds that made her mouth bleed.

Lupe’s cousin Dusty has a soft pliable plastic flying disc like a Frisbee, but Lupe never plays with it. Lupe prefers to play defense, trying to herd Dusty when Dusty tries to catch it. Even the soft pliable plastic flying disc occasionally makes Dusty’s mouth bleed. The worst part of it, though, is that both Dusty and Lupe will chew pieces off of it when no one is watching.

A cloth Frisbee made of really tough material seemed like a good idea to SPHP, but it had been years since Lupe had chased a flying disc. Would she like it?

Yes, she did! Lupe did like the Tuffy Ultflyer. Her new flying disc was an instant hit!

Lupe and SPHP weren’t in very good flying disc form at the beginning. SPHP found the disc rather stiff and hard to throw accurately. Lupe’s favorite toys have been balls. She is used to letting them bounce once before snatching them out of the air. Lupe kept making the mistake of letting the flying disc hit the ground before trying to grab it. The flying disc didn’t bounce at all, although once in a while it landed rolling on edge.

The flying disc almost always died right where it first hit the ground. Still, Lupe did have fun chasing it. In hot pursuit, Lupe kept coming to screeching stops, before scrambling back to grab it. She then thought it was fun to try to make the flying disc squeak. The squeaker wasn’t very loud, but those big soft Dingo ears could hear the squeaker well enough.

Lupe was very happy with her new Tuffy Ultflyer flying disc. It was the only one of the four items in the PupJoy box she showed any interest in on the day she received it.

Lupe wanted to go practice with the flying disc many times that afternoon. She kept bringing it to SPHP, who obliged her with a few more tosses each session. Gradually SPHP was getting the hang of throwing the flying disc. It took a while for Lupe to realize she could catch her new flying disc in the air without letting it bounce. She had even more fun streaking after it then!

Mind flinging this flying disc for me a few more times, SPHP?

Despite SPHP offering the Down Dog Snacks and Grandma Lucy’s Dog Treats to Lupe several more times that first day, Lupe’s opinion of them hadn’t changed. She didn’t eat a single one of either kind. Neither did she show any interest in the American Dog fabric carrot. 1 out of 4 isn’t very good, but at least Lupe did get some real enjoyment out of her Tuffy Ultflyer. PupJoy hadn’t struck out completely.

The next morning, there was another email from PupJoy. This one requested feedback from Lupe. Ouch! It wasn’t going to be too pretty. SPHP felt sort of bad filling out the response questionnaire, but the truth was the truth. Besides, the opinions were really Lupe’s, and Carolina Dogs are always honest about their feelings. Still it seemed a shame, when all the PupJoy products were high quality, and Dustin had been so nice to deal with.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, SPHP gave PupJoy a ranking of only 2. SPHP wrote a detailed explanation of what Lupe thought of each product to explain the low ranking, then hit the send button. Nothing happened. The feedback didn’t go through. Maybe there was a limit to the number of characters or time taken for the response? Technology – who knew?

No matter, PupJoy would have been disappointed in Lupe’s opinion anyway. Although, if PupJoy was really interested in making their services better, it’s patterns of negative responses that are most apt to alert them to potential problems in need of solutions. However, Lupe’s opinion was only a single data point. SPHP wasn’t going to try to rewrite and resend all that again.

And that’s how things stayed until the evening of that second day. Sometime after dark, an unexpected visitor showed up at the door of SPHP’s office. By golly, if it wasn’t Bugs Dingo!

*Aww, what’s up, SPHP?* An unexpected visitor showed up at the door of SPHP’s office on the evening of the 2nd day. Bugs Dingo was here and ready for some wild American Dog squeaker carrot action!

Bugs Dingo was looking bright-eyed, curly tailed, and cute as a button. A carrot still seemed like a crazy dog toy, but Bugs Dingo had a different opinion. She was ready for some wild American Dog squeaker carrot action!

The game was Keep Away. Up and down the stairs. From the living room through the hall to the bedroom and back. Over and over again. Bugs Dingo was lightning fast and elusive despite the confined quarters. However, when SPHP did manage to corner Bugs and make a grab for the carrot, it was made of such slick material that Bugs Dingo had a hard time managing to hang on to it.

Keep Away evolved into Tug-O-War. It took Bugs a while to learn how to maintain a good grip on the fat end of the carrot. When SPHP got sole possession, the carrot was flung to the far side of the room, or up or down the stairs. Bugs Dingo dashed after it every time, bringing it back to SPHP instantly, for more carrot fun.

The games went on to the extent of SPHP’s endurance. Bugs Dingo didn’t want to let that carrot get put away. She wanted to make it squeak, and like any rodent, she wanted to gnaw on it. Bugs Dingo took it to bed with her that evening. She wanted that American Dog carrot, and not her usual rawhide stick.

Bugs Dingo took her American Dog carrot to bed with her on the 2nd evening after it arrived in the PupJoy box. She wanted it instead of her usual rawhide stick. SPHP had to watch her so she didn’t chew it to pieces, though.

The American Dog carrot wasn’t the only thing Lupe changed her mind about. After a couple of days of offering the Down Dog Snacks and Grandma Lucy’s Oven Baked Dog Treats to Lupe multiple times a day, only to be turned down each time, SPHP started just leaving a few treats scattered around on the floor.

At first, nothing happened. On the floor they remained. SPHP was about to conclude that those healthy treats really were going to have to be given away. However, Lupe had been pondering something. Since she was now part rabbit, as Bugs Dingo, maybe she didn’t have to be a total meat-eating predator? Maybe some veggies were OK?

After laying on the floor for a couple of days, one morning SPHP woke up to find the treats had all disappeared. SPHP tossed a few more on the floor. Those disappeared, too. Not right away, but eventually. Gradually, Lupe was warming up to healthy veggie treats. Grandma Lucy’s Pumpkin Recipe was her early favorite, but soon she was just as ready to accept the Down Dog Snacks Peas, Love & Carrots treats.

Over the course of a week, a new PupJoy routine emerged. With snow on the ground, balls didn’t bounce. During the day, Lupe preferred chasing her new Tuffy Ultflyer. In addition to becoming quite good at catching it in mid-air, she enjoyed making it squeak. She really liked latching onto it with her jaws, and being slung around by SPHP whirling in a circle with all 4 paws off the ground. Whee!

Many times each day, Lupe brought her flying disc to SPHP to announce that it was time for another flying disc session. When her birthday came on 12-14-16, Lupe started her day off right with her flying disc.

Lupe with her flying disc on her 6th birthday on December 14th, 2016.

In the evenings, Bugs Dingo wanted to play with the American Dog carrot. Up and down the stairs, racing back and forth between rooms. Keep Away and Tug-O-War. When SPHP tired out, Lupe still wanted to make that carrot squeak, and still wanted to gnaw on it. Although it’s made of tough material, SPHP had to put the carrot away to keep it from being totally demolished in short order.

On Christmas Eve, Lupe even took her carrot with her to Grandma’s house.

Lupe took her American Dog carrot with her to Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve for something to do while waiting for Santa.

Bugs Dingo at Grandma’s house. Christmas Eve 2016.

At bedtime, Lupe continued hopping up on the bed with SPHP like she usually does. Instead of wanting her usual rawhide stick, though, she had a new idea for a nightly routine.

Apparently Lupe had read the part on the Down Dog Snacks bag about “Feed as a training snack.” It worked! She quickly trained SPHP to feed her more snacks. Lupe stayed next to SPHP on the bed, happily munching and crunching away on Grandma Lucy’s Pumpkin Recipe and Down Dog Snacks Peas, Love & Carrots flavor treats. Every so often, she would bark or growl to signal the need for a fresh supply.

So where do things stand now, nearly 2 months after Lupe received her PupJoy box? The Tuffy Ultflyer flying disc from MyDogToy.com is looking kind of bedraggled, but remains basically intact. SPHP continues to throw it for Lupe many times each day.

The American Dog carrot has suffered quite a bit of gnawing damage, inflicted during a couple of brief oversights when Bugs Dingo was left alone with it for a few minutes. One of the two green tops is completely gone. The end of the carrot is missing, and half of the stuffing torn out. Bugs Dingo still loves the carrot, though, and still gets to play Keep Away and Tug-O-War with it most evenings.

The American Dog carrot has suffered some gnawing damage from Bugs Dingo, but Lupe still likes to play with it.

Lupe still has quite a supply of her usual treats received from Santa and other benefactors at Christmas. However, all of the Grandma Lucy’s Pumpkin Recipe and Down Dog Snacks Peas, Love & Carrots flavor treats were munched and crunched up long ago. Well before they ran out, it was clear Lupe was really enjoying them.

First impressions aren’t always right. Lupe’s initial 2 out of 5 stars first impression drastically under-rated PupJoy. Lupe wound up enjoying all 4 of the products in her PupJoy box. SPHP thought only the carrot was a little weak for Lupe. Even though it is made of military grade material and designed to be tough, Bugs Dingo had no problem causing significant gnawing damage in only a few minutes when left alone with the American Dog carrot.

So maybe PupJoy should have been given 3.5 out of 4 stars for the products Lupe received. The 5th star should be saved for evaluating cost, always an important consideration. Of course, Lupe’s first PupJoy box was a gift from Erik & Ana (thank you!), so to Lupe, the price was an unbeatable free of charge.

SPHP did a little checking online and found the following approximate retail costs for the items Lupe got in her first PupJoy box: Down Dog Snacks $10, Grandma Lucy’s Oven Baked Treats $9, American Dog carrot $10, Tuffy Ultimate Flyer $16.70. Total retail value of $45.70. Since the PupJoy website shows a cost for gift boxes ranging from $23 to $44 with free shipping in the USA ($5 in Canada), it appears PupJoy does offer at least fair value for money spent, and perhaps a discount.

What it all boils down to is Lupe’s new PupJoy rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. Is she hoping there’s more PupJoy in her future? Of course, she is!

Reasons to try PupJoy

Healthy treats with All Natural, Grain Sensitive, Protein Sensitive & Organic options
Premium quality toys
Customizable box contents – 28 possible configurations
Choice of subscription plans available – a one time single box; or quarterly, bi-monthly, or monthly regularly scheduled shipments
Gift plans available
Convenient home delivery
$2 of each PupJoy box purchase is donated to help give shelter animals a chance at life

Interested in trying PupJoy? Tell them Bugs Dingo sent you! Use this link to receive a $10 PupJoy welcome before ordering, and Lupe will receive a PupJoy credit, too! Simply enter your information where Lupe’s appears and submit. Lupe thanks you, and hopes you have a wonderful PupJoy experience, too!

Links:

pupjoy.com

$10 PupJoy welcome

Want more Lupe adventures? Choose from Lupe’s Dingo Tales Index or Master Adventure Index. Or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures.

Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-15-16)

Day 17 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska.

Was it foggy? No, only condensation inside the G6. Stepping outside, the sky was overcast. No sunshine at all, but the clouds were pretty high. Most of the mountaintops were in view. Hopefully, the clouds would burn off as the day went on.

Yesterday’s feeble attempt to climb Dillon Mountain had ended before Lupe even gained any elevation. It was SPHP’s fault. SPHP had fallen into a blueberry trap. All ambition had drained away as SPHP consumed blueberries, and Lupe dozed on the soft, spongy tundra. The whole attempt had been doomed from the start, anyway. The previous day’s climb of Sukakpak had sapped both Lupe’s and SPHP’s energy.

Today, though, this was it. Now or never. Lupe and SPHP left the G6 (9:41 AM, 57°F) parked N of milepost 207 along the Dalton Highway, and headed S. Lupe followed a faint road through the forest, and then animal trails to the edge of the swamp. Instead of trying to go SE through all those terrible tussocks again, this time Lupe went SW to the river.

Following the Bettles River S, Lupe made much faster progress than yesterday. Part of the time it was possible to travel over exposed parts of the riverbed. Other times, the river forced Lupe and SPHP up onto the E bank, where there were usually trails to follow. Lupe was gaining on her first objective, a low saddle between Dillon Mountain and High Point 2003.

Looking SE along the Bettles River toward High Point 2003, the low hill at center. The S edge of Dillon Mountain is seen on the L. Lupe's first objective was the saddle between them. — Looking SE along the Bettles River toward High Point 2003, the low hill at center. The S edge of Dillon Mountain is seen on the L. Lupe’s first objective was the saddle between them.

Lupe turned SE, leaving the Bettles River when she got close to High Point 2003. Lupe and SPHP crossed a lot of spongy ground on the way up to the saddle between High Point 2003 and Dillon Mountain. Despite occasional wet areas with annoying tussocks, Lupe had avoided nearly all of the difficult tussock-infested swamp NE of the river.

Lupe on the N slope of High Point 2003(R). Much of the saddle area toward Dillon Mountain(L) is in view ahead. Photo looks E toward the end of Dillon Mountain's S ridge. — Lupe on the N slope of High Point 2003(R). Much of the saddle area toward Dillon Mountain(L) is in view ahead. Photo looks E toward the end of Dillon Mountain’s S ridge.

As a guide, Lupe and SPHP were using a copy of a Peakbagger.com trip report on Dillon Mountain (4,820 ft.) written by Richard Carey. Carey, a highly experienced mountaineer, was the only Peakbagger.com account holder ever to have reported climbing Dillon Mountain. Carey had climbed the mountain more than 21 years ago on August 4, 1995.

Carey’s trip report mentioned an old road in the saddle, but Lupe did not come to it. Lupe and SPHP were staying on the S side of the saddle close to High Point 2003. Maybe it was more toward the other side of the saddle, closer to Dillon Mountain? Or maybe 21 harsh Arctic winters had obliterated the old road?

The ground was spongy with tundra moss, but otherwise travel wasn’t difficult through the saddle area. Lupe and SPHP gave up on finding the old road, instead following animal trails that Lupe kept coming across. According to Carey, the next objective was to reach Dillon Mountain’s S ridge, which was still a mile to the E.

As Lupe continued SE beyond High Point 2003, she came to a wide grassy area free of the tall dense bushes that grew nearby. During wetter periods, the entire grassy area might well be a fairly large pond, but only a remnant pond was here today. The grassy area was easy traveling. Lupe and SPHP went along its NE edge.

Lupe beyond High Point 2003(L) near the E end of the grassy area. Photo looks WNW.

Lupe left the grassy area and High Point 2003 behind, re-entering the forest. She angled E, toward Dillon Mountain, crossing the saddle to avoid losing elevation. Soon she started a moderate, steady ascent traversing Dillon’s lower slopes.

Carey advised getting up onto Dillon Mountain’s S ridge, but not until beyond the steep eroded cliffs on the upper portion of the ridge. A glance at the mountain made it easy to see why.

High, steep eroded cliffs along the upper S ridge(R) of Dillon Mountain. Even without Richard Carey's sound advice, Lupe and SPHP would have avoided any attempt from this direction. Photo looks N. — High, steep eroded cliffs along the upper S ridge(R) of Dillon Mountain. Even without Richard Carey’s sound advice, Lupe and SPHP would have avoided any attempt from this direction. Photo looks N.

It wasn’t clear exactly how far Lupe needed to go before attempting to climb up onto the huge S ridge. Lupe and SPHP simply pressed on toward the lower end of the ridge looking for any promising way up.

In the forest, Lupe crossed three boulder fields left by landslides. The first one was small. The next two, considerably larger. When Lupe reached the third boulder field, a forested ramp was visible on the far side.

Lupe reaches the third boulder field she crossed. The forested ramp she would climb to reach the S ridge starts almost directly above her, joining the main ridge toward the upper left. Photo looks ENE.

Lupe crossed the boulder field, continuing on to the base of the forested ramp. The ramp was quite steep and fairly narrow, but Lupe began the ascent. Trees and bushes made some parts of the climb annoyingly slow for SPHP, but there was nothing new about that.

About halfway up, water was dripping from the rock wall next to the ramp. By now, it was sunny and warm, the clouds having dissipated somewhat. Lupe seemed to like sitting in the cold dripping water. SPHP immediately dubbed this place the “Dingo Shower”.

Lupe at the lightly dripping “Dingo Shower” on her way up the steep ramp to the S ridge. The water dripped so slowly, it didn’t show up well in this photo.

Lupe and SPHP made it to the top of the ramp. There wasn’t really any clear spot where Lupe gained the S ridgeline. Instead, she kept coming to and climbing up a series of benches. All these benches were forested, relatively steep, and separated by stretches of even steeper ground.

The climb went on and on. Lupe gained lots of elevation. SPHP kept trying to lead Lupe toward the NE to see what was on the other side of the ridge, but the ridge was very broad. For a long time there was no open view. Eventually, though, the trees began to thin out.

Finally, Lupe made it above tree line. A steep, open slope continued relentlessly higher. Looking E toward Wiehl Mountain, SPHP could see Lupe must still have a big climb ahead. Wiehl Mountain still looked much higher than where Lupe was.

Lupe above tree line, somewhere on Dillon Mountain's S ridge. Photo looks NNE. — Lupe above tree line, somewhere on Dillon Mountain’s S ridge. Photo looks NNE.

Wiehl Mountain from the S ridge of Dillon. Lupe still had a considerable climb ahead of her, since the highest part of Wiehl Mountain shown here is only about 300 feet higher than Dillon. The true summit of Wiehl Mountain is higher yet, but off the R edge of this photo. Photo looks E.

Lupe climbed and climbed. SPHP started to become concerned. Carey had warned in his trip report that the S ridge was complex. About 4 uplifted bands of rock run E/W across the main S ridge. Carey said they were more easily crossed lower down on the E side.

Lupe was getting mighty high up. Although SPHP had been trying to head NE, the S ridge was very broad. As far as SPHP could tell, Lupe hadn’t gotten around any uplifted rock bands yet. Fear grew that Lupe was going to arrive up on some kind of dangerous pinnacle with no way forward.

Lupe still on her way up the steep S ridge. The Bettles River(L) is seen far below. Photo looks SSE.

At last, a little tor appeared high above Lupe, perched up at the end of the long slope. As Lupe worked her way up to it, SPHP wondered if it was the “Tor of Glad Tidings” or the “Tor of Doom”? The answer would be clear soon.

The little pinnacle of rock (R of Center) perched at the top of the long slope. Was it the Tor of Glad Tidings or the Tor of Doom? Photo looks N.

Lupe reached a shallow saddle at the top of the slope. SPHP’s heart sank. It was the Tor of Doom! Some sort of cliff was almost certainly just out of view beyond it.

The summit of Dillon Mountain could be seen ahead, still many hundreds of feet higher, at the end of the long, jagged S ridge. SPHP had made the fatal mistake, warned against by Carey, and led Lupe straight on up the S ridge to the uplifted rock bands.

Gah! How sickening! Was this defeat? How was Lupe ever going to get to the summit? Going all that way back down to try again farther E was unthinkable. Just getting this far had sucked up so much energy and time!

Lupe near the Tor of Doom(R). The summit of Dillon Mountain was in view, still many hundreds of feet higher, beyond the jagged uplifted rock bands of the S ridge. Photo looks N.

There was a rounded flat area to the NE, a little higher than the Tor of Doom. Glumly, SPHP climbed up there to take a look around. If nothing else, it was time to take a few photos of how far Lupe had made it. Lupe followed along as happy as a clam.

Sure enough, there was a cliff directly ahead. It wasn’t all that high, maybe 20 feet? Didn’t matter. No way was SPHP going to attempt to navigate it, or let Lupe get hurt trying it either. Even if Lupe could get past this cliff, it looked like a series of cliffs continued along the ridge. SPHP tried to figure out where Lupe was on the topo map. Around 700 feet below the summit seemed likely.

Dang, Carey! Why did he have to be so right?

Well, because he’s an extraordinarily experienced mountaineer! Over 2,600 ascents logged on Peakbagger.com on 6 continents around the world! His top 10 ascents are all over 15,000 feet, the top 2 over 20,000 feet. You did notice that, didn’t you, SPHP?

Oh, thank you so very much Looper! And I’m just a foolish day hiker way out of my league. I get it, and it’s plainly hard to deny given where we are right this very minute!

No need to get sore about it, SPHP, you asked. I still love you, and this is a fabulous spot. Look at the views! Aren’t you all about the views? What’s wrong with this? What a glorious place!

You’re right, of course. And I still love you, too Loop, so very much. The views are fabulous, and we are extraordinarily lucky to be here. The only thing wrong about this place is it’s not the summit, and there doesn’t appear to be a way to it without going way, way back down the mountain. There’s not enough time to do that, even if I had the energy. I thought we were going to make it. Look over there, the summit’s not all that much higher than where we are now, not compared to how far you’ve already come! Anyway, you’re right, picture time. We’ll take a break and think about what to do next. Maybe we’ll come up with something.

Why hadn’t SPHP thought this all through better when clearly warned? Nothing to be done about it now. Take those pictures. Lupe had certainly made it to a dramatic and beautiful spot.

Lupe on the rounded high spot even higher than the Tor of Doom. Ahead lies the summit of Dillon Mountain, but a few feet beyond Lupe is an unseen cliff. Photo looks N.

Looking SW toward Sukakpak Mountain (4,459 ft.) in the background. In the foreground on the L is one of the jagged cliffs of Dillon's S ridge. — Looking SW toward **Sukakpak Mountain (4,459 ft.)** in the background. In the foreground on the L is one of the jagged cliffs of Dillon’s S ridge.

Lupe was tantalizingly close, but Carey's uplifted rock bands along the S ridge posed a seemingly unsurmountable challenge to Lupe and SPHP without going way back down the mountain to try again farther E, as Carey recommended all along. Photo looks N. — Lupe was tantalizingly close, but Carey’s uplifted rock bands along the S ridge posed a seemingly unsurmountable challenge to Lupe and SPHP without going way back down the mountain to try again farther E, as Carey recommended all along. Photo looks N.

At first, SPHP thought the peak on the R was a separate mountain, but soon realized it was almost certainly High Point 4228 along Dillon's E ridge. Lupe seemed to be 100 feet lower, which would have placed her still 700 feet below Dillon's summit. Photo looks NE. — At first, SPHP thought the peak on the R was a separate mountain, but soon realized it was almost certainly High Point 4228 along Dillon’s E ridge. Lupe seemed to be 100 feet lower, which would have placed her still 700 feet below Dillon’s summit. Photo looks NE.

Looking SE toward the true summit of 5,765 ft. Wiehl Mountain.

The Bettles River is seen below on the L flowing toward its confluence with the Dietrich River (unseen) to form the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River seen at upper L. Photo looks WSW.

Hey, wait a minute! While taking the last photo, SPHP noticed a wide ledge of relatively level grassy ground in an unexpected direction. It was close by to the SW, only a little below the cliff where Lupe and SPHP were standing. Was there a way down to it? Did it lead anywhere?

Lupe went back down to the small saddle below the Tor of Doom. SPHP had thought there was nothing but a fearsome cliff beyond the saddle. Getting closer to the other side, there was a huge cliff, but there was also a rocky chute leading directly down to the grassy ledge. The ledge appeared to go up and around the 20 foot cliff Lupe and SPHP hadn’t been able to get beyond!

Looper! It’s your Luck of the Dingo again! Looks like we can at least make it to the next uplifted band of rock. Come, on!

Lupe was already leading the way. SPHP picked a way down the steep, rocky slope. Soon Lupe stood on top of the next band of rock. Once again, there appeared to be no way forward along the ridge, but at least Lupe was past the first cliff now!

Looking S from the top of the 2nd band of rocks back toward the low cliff(L) that had stymied Lupe and SPHP at the 1st band for a while. That 1st cliff wasn't all 20 feet high, after all. Parts of it were only 10 or 12 feet high. The low cliff still would have forced Lupe and SPHP a long way back down the mountain, if it hadn't been for the short, steep, rocky chute which led down to the grassy area below. The chute is a little hard to pick out, but is near the center of this photo. — Looking S from the top of the 2nd band of rocks back toward the low cliff(L) that had stymied Lupe and SPHP at the 1st band for a while. That 1st cliff wasn’t all 20 feet high, after all. Parts of it were only 10 or 12 feet high. The low cliff still would have forced Lupe and SPHP a long way back down the mountain, if it hadn’t been for the short, steep, rocky chute which led down to the grassy area below. The chute is a little hard to pick out, but is near the center of this photo.

Well, SPHP, the good news is we are a little higher and closer than before. The bad news is there are more rock bands and cliffs ahead. By the way, suddenly the weather's not looking so hot, either. Now what? — Well, SPHP, the good news is we are a little higher and closer than before. The bad news is there are more rock bands and cliffs ahead. By the way, suddenly the weather’s not looking so hot, either. Now what?

On top of the second rock band, Lupe was a little higher than before, and a little closer to the summit. The view ahead was still disconcerting. More rock bands and more cliffs. They looked impassable. Now what, indeed?

Looking around, it appeared that Lupe might be able to get by this 2nd cliff by following the rock band she was on down to the SE. About 150 feet lower, the rock band looked like it broke up enough to destroy the cliff’s continuity. Lupe should be able to get around it down there. Only 150 feet of elevation loss was tolerable, but once she was beyond the 2nd rock band, then what?

The valley between the main S and E ridges was in view. Off to the NNE, SPHP could see sort of a gap in one of the biggest bands of rock sloping down the mountain. The gap was at a point not too far below Lupe’s current elevation. If she could get around this 2nd cliff, and make the traverse over to and through that gap, she would be well on her way to the middle of the SE valley. The SE valley was very steep, but maybe Lupe could climb straight up it?

Well, Loopster, that valley doesn’t look any worse than Decoeli (7,650 ft.), and you made it up that. Let’s see if we can get over there.

150 feet of elevation loss to get around the 2nd cliff turned out to be more like 300 feet. Lupe was 1,000 feet below the summit again, but at least she could resume climbing slowly once more, while angling toward the gap. More importantly, by staying well below the S ridgeline as Carey had advised, Lupe could hopefully bypass any more difficulties with cliffs and rock bands.

The summit of Dillon Mountain disappeared from view. A cloud passed over, sprinkling rain. SPHP called a halt to put on an old blue plastic rain poncho. It wasn’t very good, but helped some.

That’s your emergency rain gear, SPHP? You look like the Cookie Monster!

Yeah, yeah, let’s go, Dingo!

The plan worked! Lupe and the Cookie Monster made it to the gap and beyond. Blue sky reappeared. The blue rain poncho went back in the pack. Lupe reached the middle of the SE valley. SPHP began plodding slowly straight up the steep slope. The climb was easiest where there was a little heather, and not just loose rocks. Fortunately, for a while, there were plenty of heather routes to follow.

Way down below, something was moving! A small herd of mountain goats was running single file across the valley. They disappeared over one of the rock bands of the S ridge.

Lupe heads for the SE valley. Photo looks NNW.

Lupe reaches the middle of the SE valley. The summit is still way, way up there! Photo looks NW.

Mountain goats ran single file across the SE valley far below. They soon disappeared over one of the rock bands of the S ridge. Photo taken using the telephoto lens.

The steep climb seemed endless. Lupe became bored with SPHP’s dreadfully slow pace. She began roaming at will all over the vast SE valley, as if she was a mountain goat herself. She often went out of SPHP’s line of sight, reappearing suddenly hundreds of feet above or below. She returned frequently to check on SPHP’s snail-paced progress.

The energy Lupe displayed was astounding! Once, SPHP became worried. Lupe couldn’t be spotted anywhere. SPHP called and called her. In a couple of minutes, a tiny American Dingo appeared at least 500 feet down the mountain, racing practically straight up. It only took her two minutes to reach SPHP, arriving breathless and panting like a steam engine.

Loopster! That was incredible! You could be at the summit in 3 minutes, couldn’t you? Take it a little easy, though, and stay closer. You’re going to bust a lung doing that!

Bit by bit, the summit was getting closer. SPHP was almost certain Lupe was going to reach the top of Dillon Mountain. Unfortunately, the weather had been deteriorating again for some time. Blue sky was losing the battle against the spreading gray clouds.

Gray clouds spread across the sky as Lupe and SPHP progressed up the very steep SE valley. Wiehl Mountain(L) is disappearing from view, but the Bettles River can still be seen. Photo looks SE.

Lupe was having a grand time roaming the SE valley while climbing Dillon Mountain. Although SPHP was gradually getting closer to the summit, clouds kept obscuring it. Photo looks NW.

300 or 400 feet below the summit, it started raining again. Lupe was so close to success, there was no way she was turning back, even if there wouldn’t be anything to see except fog. Sometimes there were still breaks in the clouds. SPHP continued to hope Lupe would have some kind of a view.

Since it wasn’t raining hard, and the showers were intermittent, SPHP was slow to put the Cookie Monster costume back on again. Another mistake. SPHP wound up getting fairly wet. Should have done it earlier. The Cookie Monster costume didn’t come off again the rest of the day. Lupe’s fur was all soaking wet and cold to the touch, but she wasn’t shivering at all. She still seemed to be in great spirits.

The climb got tougher. Heather was virtually non-existent. Lupe and SPHP climbed among loose, wet, gray rocks. There were bigger, more stable rock formations over toward the E ridge. SPHP worked over that way. The climb remained very steep. Rocks were sliding and tumbling with every step.

Carey had suggested finishing the climb up on the upper E ridge, which leads directly to the summit. However, it looked like pretty rough going on top of the ragged ridgeline. SPHP stayed just below the firm rock formations, using those rocks for assistance.

Not too much farther to go! Photo looks W from a little below the top of the ragged E ridge.

Perhaps 200 feet below the summit, Lupe reached a sizable, nearly level area with a thin covering of heather right up on top of the E ridge. As expected, the ridge proved too rough to stay up on it. The climb got even steeper, as Lupe and SPHP continued up a little S and below the ridgeline during frequent rain showers.

Lupe returned to the top of the E ridge again above a large rock formation. She was on another fairly roomy level spot. There was a patch of heather, but this level area was mostly covered with sand. A steep slope of sand and small rocks led up to a small saddle between two rock outcroppings about 30 feet higher up. The summit! Was it true?! If so, Lupe was almost there!

Lupe on the final, short sandy slope to the summit. Photo looks W.

A minute or two later, Lupe was there, perched high on Dillon Mountain right next to the summit cairn! Lupe received exultant congratulations and praise from SPHP, who shook her expert mountain-climbing front paws enthusiastically. The luck and persistence of the Dingo had prevailed!

As far as SPHP knows, Dillon Mountain is the northernmost peak any Carolina Dog has ever been seen on.

It wasn’t raining when Lupe reached the top of Dillon Mountain. The clouds had lifted somewhat, too. The views, although not nearly as clear as they had been 2 days earlier on nearby Sukakpak Mountain, were still incredible and much better than SPHP had expected.

The Dietrich River, Dalton Highway and even the Alaskan oil pipeline are seen far below. Photo looks NNW.

The 50 foot long summit area on Dillon Mountain featured two rocky high points separated by a saddle that wasn't much lower than either one. The N high point where the summit cairn sat was only moderately higher than the S high point pictured here. Photo looks S. — The 50 foot long summit area on Dillon Mountain featured two rocky high points separated by a saddle that wasn’t much lower than either one. The N high point where the summit cairn sat was only moderately higher than the S high point pictured here. Photo looks S.

Looking down the sandy slope at the last nearly level spot Lupe had reached along the E ridge on the way up. Wiehl Mountain(R) is seen across the valley. Photo looks ESE.

The small prominence seen R of Center is part of the start of the S ridge. Wiehl Mountain(L) again in the background. Photo looks SE.

Tremendous cliffs were in every direction, except toward the steep valley to the SE where Lupe and SPHP had come up. While SPHP took photos, Lupe nestled down in a relatively sheltered spot among the rocks and sand in the saddle between the N and S high points. A gigantic cliff was only a couple feet away.

Our soggy Carolina Dog heroine tries to nestle on rocks and sand in the only slightly lower saddle between the N and S high points. A gigantic cliff is only a couple feet beyond her. Photo looks W.

Comfy! Hmm, maybe not so much, but it will have to do. Photo looks W.

Sukakpak Mountain, which Lupe had climbed only 2 days ago. Photo looks SSW.

Looking down the infamous jagged S ridge. Bettles River below. Photo looks SSE.

SPHP realized Lupe wouldn’t be able to spend much time up on Dillon Mountain. Fog and rain showers were visible in many directions. Nearly all distant mountains were obscured by clouds. Rain could start in again any time.

It was also getting late in the day. Although Lupe had demonstrated that she could have made the entire round trip to Dillon Mountain and back in only an hour or two, dawdling around waiting for SPHP to drag up the mountain had taken nearly forever!

A patch of blue sky appears above the Dietrich River. It sill looked like there could be more rain coming at almost any time. Photo looks NNW.

Roughly 20 minutes after Lupe arrived at the summit, the rain hit again. Most definitely time to go! Lupe and SPHP were already underway, when suddenly there came a single loud peal of thunder. Lupe never heard another one, nor did she see any lightning, but the thunder lit whatever fire could be lit under SPHP. From then on, it was down the mountain, as fast as possible.

As fast as possible wasn’t fast at all. Going down the super steep slope was harder and slower than climbing it had been. Rocks slid out from underfoot, tumbling hundreds of feet. It rained often, sometimes rather hard. Poor Lupe was absolutely drenched. When she was finally far enough down the mountain so there was some vegetation, she tried desperately to dry herself off on the heather. It didn’t work. Everything was soaking wet.

There was no point in trying to go back to the S ridge where Lupe had left it. The sun would be down soon. SPHP didn’t think it would be possible in fading light to find the steep forested ramp where the Dingo Shower was in order to get down off the ridge. The plan was to just head straight on down the SE valley, then follow whatever river was at the bottom around the S end of the mountain.

Down, down, down! Lupe reached a waterfall in the SE valley. Below it, the valley was narrow and steep on both sides. The terrain forced Lupe and SPHP down onto the valley floor, which continued to lose elevation rapidly. Fortunately, the stream was underground nearly all the time.

Lupe below the waterfall in the SE valley. She had already lost a tremendous amount of elevation.

Below the waterfall, Lupe continued to lose lots of elevation. Finally, SPHP grew worried. Hours had gone by since leaving the summit. The sun must be down by now. The end of the SE valley looked like it was still a long way off. There was almost certainly a river of some sort at the bottom. What if it went through a narrow chasm boxed in by cliffs? Lupe and SPHP would be stuck out here all night.

That didn’t sound good at all. SPHP had come prepared only for a day hike. No tent or supplies. SPHP had matches, but there was no way to start a fire with everything totally drenched, and more rain coming. Other than cold hands, SPHP was fine. Lupe, however, had been cold and wet for a long time now. She still wasn’t shivering, but what would happen when it got too dark to be moving around generating heat?

Maybe it was better to get out of this SE valley, and try going around the mountain now, while there was still some light? SPHP decided it was the best option. Lupe and SPHP left the SE valley, entering the forest.

The forest floor was covered with thick, spongy, wet moss. It was a lot easier to move here than down in that interminable SE valley. SPHP charged through the woods. Lupe seemed to realize there was a need for speed. She sniffed frantically everywhere, searching out the best routes ahead. Clouds obscured much of the precious twilight. Rain continued sprinkling now and then.

After a while, there were cliffs to the SSE. A river was in view farther down the mountain. Lupe and SPHP stayed above the cliffs, turning more to the SW. The dark outline of Sukakpak came into view ahead. That was great news. Lupe was making progress!

Lupe started coming to landslides full of rocks and boulders. At one of the first landslides she came to, there was a particularly big rock. SPHP laughingly asked Lupe if she remembered that rock. Lupe whined. How odd! Then it struck SPHP. That rock did look faintly familiar.

SPHP looked around, back the way Lupe had just come. Even in the growing darkness, SPHP was almost certain of it. This was the landslide near the Dingo Shower ramp up to the S ridge. In fact, there was the Dingo Shower ramp, barely visible in the gloom. Lupe was already past it on the way back.

Haha, Loop! We’ve got it made now! Since we aren’t going to die of hypothermia tonight after all, maybe we should try to avoid being eaten by grizzlies, too?

SPHP started to sing. SPHP is a terrible singer, but if you are trying to drive away grizzly bears, how good do you have to be? What the singing lacked in quality, SPHP made up with volume. The song of the hour was, of course, She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain!

Lupe crossed the next 2 landslides, she passed through the saddle between Dillon Mountain and High Point 2003, this time staying much closer to Dillon Mountain. She even seemed to find a stretch of Carey’s old road here, though it was hard to tell for certain in the darkness.

Nearing the Bettles River, there were troubles crossing a couple of ravines with water and mud in them. SPHP finally just plunged right through, getting soaking wet feet. Along the river, SPHP got stuck in dense stands of tall bushes, while Lupe continued racing around sniffing as if they didn’t exist.

Lupe drove those 6 white horses around the mountain a zillion times, but at long last she reached the Dalton Highway and the G6.

It must have been after midnight when Lupe jumped in. Up on her stack of pillows and blankets, she started licking herself frantically. SPHP toweled her off, fed her an entire can of Alpo, and put her special blankie on her. She soon felt much warmer, and fell asleep almost immediately.

The Cookie Monster costume was in tatters. SPHP was soaking wet and cold, too. SPHP tore off the old blue rain poncho, stripped down, toweled off, and put on dry clothes. Better! Now to turn on the heater in the G6, and enjoy the luxury of warmth. Click… Click?! Nothing but click? Nope. Click was it. The battery was dead.

Lupe climbing Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska 8-15-16 — Climbing **Dillon Mountain**, Brooks Range, Alaska 8-15-16

Spiffy. Nothing to do about it now. SPHP piled on every available blanket and snuggled down under. The battery was just going to have to wait until morning.

Related Links:

Next Adventure Prior Adventure

Sukakpak Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-13-16)

Lupe’s Last Mile North, Brooks Range, Alaska (8-14-16)

Want more Lupe adventures? Choose from Lupe’s 2016 Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index, Dingo Vacations Adventure Index or Master Adventure Index. Or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures.

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 188 – Peak 6181, Peak 6040 & Custer Mountain (1-18-17)

2017 was the pits! Dullsville. Cold, cold, cold. And snowy. Day after day, Lupe stared out the window. She would heave a big sigh after a while, give up, and go lay on the couch looking like she’d lost her last friend. Now and then she got to chase her new PupJoy flying disc across the glacier in the back yard, but that was about it for excitement. With temperatures hovering near zero, she wasn’t even getting her usual evening walks.

However, temperatures had started creeping up the last few days. The snow began to melt a little. Finally, this morning’s forecast called for blue skies and unseasonable warmth. SPHP asked if Lupe would like to go hiking in the mountains? Lupe could hardly believe her big soft Dingo ears! If barking, racing around in circles, and leaping for joy mean anything, she was more than ready!

Lupe had spent most of her Black Hills expeditions in 2016 climbing peaks around the SW, NE and NW perimeters of the Black Hills. In the fall, she even ventured way up into the Bear Lodge mountains in NE Wyoming. SPHP had expected that by the time 2016 was over, there wouldn’t be many named peaks remaining in the Black Hills that Lupe hadn’t climbed at least once – a handful, but not many.

However, Brian Kalet, a very active mountaineer from Colorado, had come through the Black Hills in May of 2016 to climb a curious set of peaks mostly concentrated in the southern Black Hills. Brian had added all of them to the Peakbagger.com data base. When Lupe is logged in to her account, these peaks show up as red circles on the topo map, meaning she hasn’t climbed them. And Lupe doesn’t allow red circles in her Black Hills home base without a good reason!

Why had Brian come here? And why had he climbed such an odd combination of mostly unnamed peaks? The only clue SPHP could find was that all of Brian’s ascents here had over 300 feet of prominence. Prominence is the vertical distance a peak rises above the highest col (meaning pass, ridge, or saddle) connecting it to a higher summit.

Perhaps Brian had been deliberately searching out mountains with at least 300 feet of prominence? That’s a metric tracked on Peakbagger.com, and Brian Kalet has climbed over 3,100 different such peaks, the second most of any account holder. Nothing else seemed to make any sense.

Whatever Brian’s reasons, now that it was 2017, it was time for Lupe to turn those annoying red circles on the map to green. They had been taunting Lupe long enough! She’d gotten a head start on the Brian Kalet peaks by climbing Peak 5688 and Peak 5440 in December. Next up on her list was Peak 6181, located 1.5 miles NW of the town of Custer.

Mica Ridge Road goes very close to Peak 6181, but a quick scouting trip proved the property along the road was all privately owned. SPHP resorted to parking the G6 at a pullout for an “interpretive site” on the E side of Hwy 385 (9:14 AM, 41°F). From here, Lupe had USFS land access all the way to Peak 6181.

The mountain was only 1.25 miles off to the SSW. Lupe crossed over to the W side of Hwy 385, and started climbing a fairly steep slope. She had to leap through nearly foot deep snow, which easily came up to her belly. Lupe likes snow, though. She was excited to be out in the hills again, and having a good time. Up the thinly forested slope she went, heading for the top of a ridge. She reached it at a saddle between two minor high points.

The top of the ridge had less snow, only half a foot in most places. Lupe crossed level ground leading to the nearest high point to the S. After a short climb, she was there. Thunderhead Mountain (6,567 ft.), where the Crazy Horse Memorial is located, was in view to the N. Off to the SW, Lupe could see her objective, Peak 6181.

From the first minor high point Lupe reached, the Crazy Horse Memorial on Thunderhead Mountain was in view. Photo looks N using the telephoto lens.

Off to the SW, Lupe could see her objective, Peak 6181 (Center).

S of the minor high point, Lupe saw a thickly forested hill. This hill was nearly as high as Peak 6181, but she didn’t need to climb it. Instead, Lupe went S only far enough to reach a logging road that headed SW. Near this road was a dramatic looking rock outcropping, the top of which leaned out into space. It reminded SPHP of a petrified artillery gun, thereby acquiring the name Artillery Rock.

Lupe near the dramatic, overhanging rock outcropping known henceforth as Artillery Rock. Photo looks W.

Snow had drifted onto the logging road as much as 2 feet deep in places, which was pretty deep for Lupe. Often there was less snow off the road. Bare ground existed in a few places with a lot of S exposure. Yet plentiful slash and debris left off-road by the loggers frequently made the road easier to deal with despite the snow. Lupe continued SW toward Peak 6181 following the road closely, but not always right on it.

Although at times a bit of a struggle for Lupe, the trek along the road was pretty. The snow was still quite frosty and crunchy. In many places it was unspoiled by any tracks. Snow crystals sparkled in the bright sunlight like tiny jewels. Big granite rock formations nearby added scenic interest.

Lupe on the logging road. Peak 6181 is dead ahead. Photo looks SW.

Snow crystals sparkled like tiny jewels in the bright sunlight.

Getting closer! Granite rock formations near the logging road like those on the R added scenic interest to Lupe’s trek. Photos look SW.

The climb to the top of Peak 6181 was easy, and didn’t take long. Lupe followed the NE ridge up. Soon she was standing on the highest rocks at the summit. Hah, success! Another red circle on the Peakbagger.com topo map would turn green for Lupe!

Lupe stands on Peak 6181’s highest rocks! Photo looks W.

Lupe had surprisingly good views from Peak 6181. Most of them were from points a little below the top of the mountain. Too many trees blocked the views at the summit, although Lupe did have open views toward the W and NW from there. Atlantic Hill (6,393 ft.) and Bear Mountain (7,166 ft.) were among the peaks she could see from the summit.

Atlantic Hill is in the foreground slightly L of Center. Bear Mountain is the high, long ridge seen beyond it. Photo looks NW using the telephoto lens.

Even though it hadn’t taken Lupe terribly long to get here, the snow had made the journey considerably more strenuous than it ordinarily would have been. Lupe and SPHP took a short break at the summit. Loopster wasn’t hungry yet, but SPHP munched on a few carrot sticks. Lupe curled up on the ground near SPHP’s feet.

After break time, Lupe went to see the rest of the views from points a little lower down.

**Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.)** (Center). Photo looks SE using the telephoto lens.

**Harney Peak (7,242 ft.)**, South Dakota’s highest mountain, was only visible between the trees from one little spot on the NE slope of Peak 6181. Photo looks NE.

**Mount Coolidge (6,023 ft.)** is the high point straight up from Lupe’s shoulder. **Custer Mountain (6,089 ft.)** is straight up from her tail. Photo looks SE.

**Sylvan Peak (7,000 ft.)** (Center). Photo looks NE.

**Buckhorn Mountain (6,330 ft.)** (R of Center). Photo looks ENE.

With her exploration of Peak 6181 complete, Lupe returned to the G6 by the same route (11:50 AM, 55°F). Since it wasn’t even noon yet, Lupe had plenty of time to climb another mountain. Her next objective was Peak 6040, located a couple miles SW of Custer.

The plan was for Lupe to also climb Custer Mountain (6,089 ft.), if there was enough daylight remaining after Peak 6040. SPHP parked the G6 at the intersection of Lower French Creek Road and USFS Road No. 341, about 0.75 miles NNE of Custer Mountain (12:06 PM, 54°F). Lupe set off heading W on No. 341, which was snow-packed.

For a mile, Lupe stayed on No. 341, gaining elevation gradually the whole time. She then left the road to climb S toward a saddle between High Points 5900 and 5998 on the topo map. She found a snowy logging road near the saddle, but did not follow it. Instead, she turned SW toward High Point 5998. For a while, she had an easy time climbing along a fairly broad, rounded ridgeline.

Lupe had an easy time climbing this fairly broad, rounded ridge on her way to Peak 6040. Photo looks SW.

Lupe tried to bypass High Point 5998, skirting it to the SE. However, this side of the mountain became progressively steeper, and was littered with increasing amounts of deadfall timber. Snow made things so slick, that SPHP started slipping. After a few minor stumbles, SPHP decided Lupe had better head up to the ridgeline.

By now, Lupe was already close to the top of the ridge. She reached it in only a couple of minutes. Lupe had succeeded in bypassing High Point 5998 to some degree, but wasn’t far S of the very top. Only a little farther S was a nice level spot with some grass, and a wide open view toward the town of Custer.

S of High Point 5998 on the way to Peak 6040, Lupe had a great view toward the town of Custer. Peak 6181, which she had climbed earlier, is seen beyond the town a little L of Center. Photo looks NW.

The ridge leading SSW toward Peak 6040 was narrow and rocky. Peak 6040’s summit was only 0.33 mile away, but this route was very slow going. Medium-sized rocks sitting at all sorts of angles dominated the whole length of the narrow ridge. On both sides, the terrain was steep and full of trees, deadfall, and more rocks. To the E there was also snow.

Lupe on a typical stretch of the narrow, rocky ridge leading SSW to Peak 6040. There weren’t any cliffs or other dangers, but the ridge was full of obstacles that made this route very slow. Photo looks SSW.

Lupe had no choice, but to pick her way forward through all the obstacles, while staying on or very close to the ridgeline. Gradually, both sides of the ridge kept getting steeper and more difficult. The rocks on top increased in size as Lupe continued S. SPHP began to fear Lupe might come to rocks so big she couldn’t climb over or get around them.

The ridge kept getting steeper on both sides, and the rocks on top were getting bigger and harder to climb or maneuver around. Photo looks SSW.

Fortunately, that never happened. Lupe managed to reach the top of Peak 6040. The highest rock was only about 50 feet N of the S end of the ridge. The skinny summit rock was standing on end. It was barely wide enough for Lupe to balance on, but she hopped right up on it.

Lupe stands on the highest rock of Peak 6040 to claim another peakbagging success! SPHP had started to fear she might not be able to reach the summit from the ridge she had been following. Fortunately, the ridge became a little wider, and the rocks smaller, shortly before Lupe reached the top. Photo looks SSW.

There weren’t any views to speak of from the summit rock due to the forest. Lupe and SPHP went on to the SSW end of the ridge, where there were at least some views to the S. Due to the S exposure, the ground was snow-free and dry. Lupe and SPHP stopped for a break. Lupe still wasn’t hungry. SPHP consumed the rest of the carrot sticks. Lupe curled up with her head resting on SPHP’s leg.

From the end of the ridge, Lupe had a good view of Northeast Cicero Peak. Photo looks S.

Far to the SSW, Lupe could also see **Parker Peak (4,848 ft.)** (the small hill at Center). Parker Peak is the high point of Fall River County. Photo taken using the telephoto lens.

It had taken much longer to reach Peak 6040 than expected. SPHP sat looking at the partial views, petting Lupe, and pondering what to do next. The original idea had been that Lupe would follow the ridgeline all the way back over a series of high points around to Custer Mountain.

Clearly that wasn’t going to work. The ridge route was too slow. Lupe would run out of daylight. Only two other options existed. She could forget about getting to Custer Mountain today, or she could try going down the SW slope of Peak 6040 to see if there was a faster way lower down leading directly over to the last saddle NW of Custer Mountain. That was a long shot, but might work.

After a 15 minute break, SPHP checked out that 2nd option. Peering SW down from the end of the ridge, what little could be seen through the forest was encouraging. Lupe would easily be able to go down that way, if it didn’t get any steeper. May as well try it.

Before leaving Peak 6040, Lupe returned to the summit again.

A pensive Lupe sits among rocks a little S of the summit. Photo looks NNE.

Lupe surveys the situation from next to Peak 6040’s summit rock, seen beyond her tail. Photo looks NNE.

*OK, I’ve done this mountain, what’s next?*

A small opening between branches gave Lupe a glimpse of Harney Peak (R) to the N.

Near the actual summit, Lupe also had this pretty decent view to the SW.

With her photo duties complete, Lupe returned to the SSW end of the summit ridge and started down to the SW. The forest hid all distant views, but the slope remained only moderately steep the entire way. Lupe gradually turned S, then SE as the terrain permitted. This route would have been a much easier way to the top of Peak 6040 than the NNE ridge she had actually followed.

Lupe finally arrived down at the top of an excavation into the side of the mountain. Below was a flat open area, which might have had something to do with an old mine shown on the topo map. From the open area, a primitive old road went E. Lupe went down to the road and followed it.

At first there was a lot of snow, and later on deadfall timber was in the way at regular intervals, but the road was level and turned NNE, the direction Lupe needed to go. Lupe was making good time again. Despite a few obstacles, this was a much faster route than the ridge had been.

The road eventually ended, but not until it was almost to a large clearing. On the opposite NE side of the clearing was the slope leading up to the saddle immediately NW of Custer Mountain. The sun was low in the sky by the time Lupe gained the saddle, but she still had time enough to climb Custer Mountain! Up she went.

Lupe had climbed Custer Mountain (6,089 ft.) once before, almost 2 years ago in March, 2015. SPHP only remembered that the summit had been at some large rocks with virtually no views, but Lupe had found a way to the very top.

Little had changed in nearly 2 years. After climbing the steep slope, Lupe arrived at the NE end of a narrow summit ridge consisting of large rocks with steep drops on both sides. However, there was room enough to work SW among the rocks and trees for 100 – 150 feet all the way to the true summit. Lupe was leery of getting right up on the exposed summit rocks, but finally relented. The Carolina Dog stood faithfully waiting for the OK to come down.

The only real change at the top of Custer Mountain was that many pine trees had been killed by pine bark beetles and had lost all their needles. Most of the dead trees were still standing, but it was a little easier than before to see off into the distance.

A slightly nervous Carolina Dog stands at the true summit of Custer Mountain. This was Lupe’s 2nd time here. Photo looks SSW.

Loopster waited up there long enough for SPHP to climb down to take this shot looking back up. Photo looks SSW.

*Are you done yet, SPHP? The view is grand if you like dead trees, but I’ve seen enough!*

Sunset was coming in 15 minutes. Time to skedaddle! SPHP gave the OK, and Lupe jumped down from the true summit. The American Dingo paused twice going back along the summit ridge, once where there was an opening among the dead trees where she had a good view of Daisy and Kruger Peaks, and again at the very NE end of the ridge, where Harney Peak could be seen.

**Daisy Peak (5,948 ft.)** (R) and **Kruger Peak (5,838 ft.)** (L) from Custer Mountain. Photo looks SSE.

Loop at the NE end of the summit ridge. She liked standing on this nice flat rock. Photo looks NNE.

Back down the steep NNW slope. The sun was gone before Lupe reached the saddle. As the light faded, the Carolina Dog turned NNE and continued down the mountain. The snow was a foot deep in this part of the forest. Lupe had to work getting through it. Down, down. At last USFS Road No. 314 came into view. Lupe had it made now! The G6 wasn’t far away. (5:28 PM, 36°F)

Expedition No. 188 finally got 2017 off to a successful start. Lupe had fun, and left with high hopes for more Black Hills adventures in the very near future. After all, she still has a lot of Brian Kalet peaks she needs to climb!

Going down the steep NNW slope of Custer Mountain minutes before sunset.

Links:

Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition

Want more Lupe adventures? Choose from Lupe’s Black Hills Expeditions Adventure Index or Master Adventure Index. Or subscribe free to new Lupe Adventures.