Lupe was on a roll! After 2 days in the Black Hills with Moose and Squirrel, (and joined on the 2nd day by Lanis, too), Lupe and SPHP were heading out for yet another adventure, this time on their own again. The weather forecast was for a high in the upper 40’s, followed by days of much colder temperatures. This time of year, it’s important to plan flexibly and just go when the opportunity arises.
Lupe had two peakbagging goals in the central Black Hills. The first was Silver Peak (5,810 ft.), and the second was Old Bald Peak (6,130 ft.). Lupe had been to both mountains before, but it had been more than 3 years since Lupe last stood on Old Bald Peak, and nearly that long since she had been up on Silver Peak.
SPHP parked the G6 at a wide spot along County Road No. 251 about a mile S of Silver City. Silver City is a cabin community located a bit upstream along Rapid Creek to the W of Pactola Reservoir. Lupe left the G6 near No. 251’s intersection with USFS Road No. 249. It was 10:11 AM, and 40°F under overcast skies when Lupe set out for Silver Peak.
Instead of following the road, Lupe and SPHP went right through the forest. Almost immediately, Lupe came to a small creek which was running low. She crossed the creek, and climbed over a little ridge to the S. The same creek, with better flow was on the other side of the ridge. Lupe had to cross the creek again to reach USFS Road No. 249 on the other side.
Lupe and SPHP followed USFS Road No. 249 upstream as it wound around generally toward the W. There were a number of creek crossings. Even though the water flow was significantly better at most places upstream than it had been near the G6, Lupe always found a way across.
Under the cloudy skies, down in the narrow canyon of Nugget Gulch the mood was dark and quiet. Most places there was some snow on the road, which lent a wintery feel to the situation. It was really quite pretty. Nugget Creek bubbled along, breaking the otherwise almost total silence.
It wasn’t total silence, because at intervals Lupe was having a little success at finding squirrels in the trees. Then the canyon echoed with excitement and enthusiasm.
After Lupe had gone nearly a mile upstream along the road, Nugget Creek reached its point of greatest flow. The creek was down below the road in an area of large rocks. A short distance farther upstream, Lupe came to a place where the creek was up close to road level again. Here there was a little stretch of the creek with some still green moss growing in it. SPHP cleverly named this area Mossy Spot.
Almost immediately after passing by Mossy Spot, Lupe came to a junction with USFS Road No. 249.3B. Lupe left the main road to follow No. 249.3B up a side canyon to the NW. No. 249.3B is essentially an abandoned road. There were small trees growing undisturbed on it in places. It still provided a very good path for Lupe and SPHP, however.
No. 249.3B climbed steadily at a fairly good clip. After more than 0.5 mile, it finally just dead-ended. By that time, Lupe had already gained quite a bit of elevation. The crest of a ridge to the W of Silver Peak was visible just a little bit higher up ahead. Lupe and SPHP finished the climb up onto the ridge.
The ridgeline was fairly narrow, and the other side of the ridge was pretty steep. Lupe could see quite a distance to the W and NW from the ridge. In some places, there were rocks jutting up along the ridgeline. Lupe climbed up onto one of these outcroppings for a look around.
Lupe had actually come up from much farther S & W along this same ridge the first time she climbed Silver Peak way back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 48 on 2-23-13. From here, all Lupe had to do to reach the summit of Silver Peak was continue E following the ridge.
It was a lot harder now than it had been back in early 2013. Pine bark beetles had killed many trees. There were now lots of fallen trees blown over by the wind along the ridge. Most of them were laying perpendicular to the direction Lupe needed to go.
Of course, Lupe wasn’t the one with a problem – SPHP was. All the deadfall timber repeatedly forced SPHP down below the ridgeline to get around the worst of it. The summit of Silver Peak really wasn’t all that far from where Lupe had reached the ridgeline, but it took SPHP considerably longer than it had on Expedition No. 48 to get there.
By the time Lupe and SPHP reached the top of Silver Peak, it was time for a break. Lupe had water and Taste of the Wild. SPHP just had water and a rest. The rock cairn with a post sticking out of it that SPHP remembered from Lupe’s first ascent in 2013 was still there. Lupe was soon posing for a couple of photos at the cairn.
Even though there were quite a few dead trees that had fallen over, the summit of Silver Peak was still forested enough to effectively block the views. There were glimpses between the remaining trees of what was out there, but that was about it. The best of what views there were was provided by a small opening back to the NE toward Silver City.
Lupe’s first peakbagging goal for the day was accomplished. Since Silver Peak offered little in the way of inspiring viewpoints, there wasn’t much reason for Lupe to dilly-dally up here. Soon Lupe and SPHP were heading back down the mountain, again following the W ridge.
Even though USFS Road No. 249.3B would have provided an easy route back down to No. 249 again, Lupe didn’t go that way. Instead, Lupe and SPHP retraced the 2013 route. Lupe continued following the W ridge. The ridge turned S, and eventually brought Lupe to Peak 5732 about 0.5 mile to the SW of Silver Peak.
The ridge continued S from Peak 5732, but started losing elevation rapidly. Lupe and SPHP eventually wound up in a deep ravine. The ravine was rather inconveniently choked up with lots of dead trees that had fallen down the steep slopes. There was evidence of a side road off USFS Road No. 249 that had once led through the ravine to Stewart Gulch, but the road was utterly impassible by any vehicle now.
Lupe explored up and down both sides of the deep ravine, while SPHP slowly worked through the tangle at the bottom. Finally, SPHP reached USFS Road No. 249 again. Lupe and SPHP took No. 249 heading S up a valley, the first part of which was a portion of West Nugget Gulch. This far up the valley there was no sign of Nugget Creek.
Old Bald Peak, Lupe’s next peakbagging goal, is about 3.5 miles as the crow flies due S of Silver Peak. Lupe’s route was somewhat longer than a crow’s. No. 249 eventually leveled out at a saddle, and then started heading down. There was a mountain ahead that SPHP thought was Old Bald Peak.
It wasn’t long though, before SPHP realized this mountain wasn’t Old Bald Peak. It was Peak 6043, about 0.75 mile to the ESE. Long ago, Lupe had been up on Peak 6043. Way back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 3, Lupe and SPHP had tried to find and climb Old Bald Peak, but SPHP didn’t know the area back then. Instead of climbing Old Bald Peak, Lupe had climbed Peak 6043.
There wasn’t going to be any such mistake today. When Lupe reached the tiny stream at the intersection of USFS Roads No. 249 and No. 677, SPHP led Lupe off the road and W up into the forest. There wasn’t much deadfall in the forest here, and the slope of the terrain was pretty gentle. Lupe had a blast racing around this way and that.
When Lupe had gone almost 0.5 mile W, she reached the White Forest. Soon the terrain became considerably steeper. It was time to turn S, and follow the ridge up to the summit of Old Bald Peak.
There was a little bit of snow in the forest on the N side of the mountain, but it was still a pretty easy climb. Before long, Lupe was back on top of Old Bald Mountain for the first time since Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 33 on 11-4-12.
Old Bald Peak may have been bald back when it got its name, but it isn’t bald now. There were quite a few trees around. Even so, there were still some open spots here and there along the summit ridge. By moving around a bit, it was possible to see quite a nice variety of views.
Lupe’s Black Hills Expeditions just aren’t as long this time of year, since the sun goes down so early. Even though it really wasn’t all that late yet, the sun was already getting low in the W. It was time to think about heading back to the G6. SPHP thought the slanting rays of the sun were doing a rather nice job of lighting up Lupe’s fur, though. She was looking especially beautiful!
Lupe and SPHP headed down the N slopes of Old Bald Mountain. Surprisingly, there were some views that opened up here and there along the way.
Lupe and SPHP wandered through the forest heading N. Lupe found a small road for SPHP to follow. It eventually curved E and connected with USFS Road No. 249 again.
Lupe and SPHP could now follow No. 249 N, and then E all the way back to No. 251. A short stroll N along No. 251 would bring Lupe back to the G6. SPHP trudged along the road, while Lupe alternately followed along, or checked things out in the forest near the road. The light was fading fast.
At one point, Lupe wanted to stop for a little break. She had some more water and Taste of the Wild. She rested on the ground for a few minutes. Then she was ready to go again.
It grew dark as Lupe and SPHP entered the lower reaches of Nugget Gulch. The sky must have been clouding up. SPHP saw only a couple of stars. Lupe and SPHP navigated the creek crossings by flashlight. Lupe reached County Road No. 251. A couple minutes later, she was at the G6. It looked like it could have been midnight, but it was only 5:44 PM. It was 35°F. The air was calm and still.
Somewhere off to the S, a bird was calling, but it didn’t sound like an owl. Lupe wanted to stay and listen. Lupe and SPHP sat on the ground, and listened to the night. After 5 minutes, the bird was heard no more. The only sound was a faint trickling coming from Nugget Creek, which wasn’t far off. A plane with blinking lights flew by.
After 15 minutes, Lupe was ready to go. She hopped into the G6, no doubt hoping for a nice bowl of Alpo back home. She wasn’t disappointed.
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