Inyan Kara trip, WY - Sept. 2, 2009

[lizs]

I finally heard my name being summoned (cursed??) by the powers that be here. Hence (don't you hate people who use that word?!?), here is a report on my trip up Inyan Kara to see the etching of Custer's name at the summit. I will share a link here, so you can read the column I did on it.

bluffcountrynews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=28046&SectionID=14&SubSectionID=59&S=1

I'll follow that with photos from my Webshots account. Mind you, I compressed them to keep size down, so a few are a little "jaggy," but nothing too bad. I do have excellent digital originals.

It was a great, offtrail trip requiring getting landowner permission, plus checking topo maps really good and getting all the online info our group of three could muster ahead of time.

I don't think I noted this anywhere, but we camped the night before at the Beaver Creek Campground just east of the Wyoming/South Dakota border, a Black Hills National Forest campground. Very pretty on a gorgeous stream which I'm guessing had trout (but not sure). It was probably half an hour to get to the ranch we left from. You could also stay in Sundance, WY, right on I-90.

[lizs]

I can't recall the elevation gain to the summit. It was at least 1,000 ft. So here we've reached the top of the horseshoe ridge, so let's guestimate we've gained 500 ft??? Then you get to walk around on fairly level ground for a bit. And while it's offtrail, you will find a slight trail there from people who go up and/or used by game. So, you can see there's another 500 ft. or so to look forward to in order to reach the summit!!





Here's a view to the south while walking around the ridge...





Our bushwacking route to the top could have been a bit better (if only I would have a GPS track of our much easier route back down!!) We climbed up and over a lot of rocks to gain the elevation - a very good, tough workout! But also fun, if you like climbing around on boulders. I don't have photos of that hard work, HA!!! Here I've reached one of the three summits and am looking north. You can see the three Missouri Buttes and - yes! - they actually are taller than Devils Tower, which you see to the right. But only because it sits in a river valley... (sorry 'bout the quality. This shot was waaaaaaaaaaay digitally zoomed in)

[lizs]

The view from one of the summits looking east/northeast.





I was on a "false" summit. There's Rob on the real thing.... time to get over there and start searching!!!





This benchmark is on the summit.

[lizs]

Putting a few geocaching skills to use to find it - YES! IT'S THE ETCHING!!!





Here I used Photoshop to start enhancing the letters. I sure hope it's the real thing! (I had read some blog where a couple theorized it was perhaps the Custer High School graduating class of '74, hahahahha)





Again, the etching!! If real, this would have been created by personnel in Custer's Black Hills expedition of 1874. I think you'd see it best at a time of day with more shadows. We were there around the noon hour, so the sun was nearly directly overhead. No shadows then!!... OR... perhaps after a rain, when the letters again might somehow be more apparent.

[lizs]

Yes, I WAS REALLY THERE!!!! So there! pffft!! ;D





"Inyan Kara Expedition - '09" Lisa, DJ and Rob





We ate lunch just over the edge of the mountain's summit, on the west side. Hey, I'm an explorer, I'm due an "explorer-type" photo, right??!??

[lizs]

"Where might a summit register be on a treeless, rocky mountain summit?" Good thing I'm a geocacher and found both the etching AND the summit register. (never underestimate a geocacher). I'd already moved on take my fellow expedition member's photo after putting down my sigs. ("Sigs" because there were more than one register)





Coming down off the summit we found a nice route that horses actually could likely have gone up (unlike our crazy route up). Plus.... some old cans, which we left. I mean, if they are over 50 years old (1959 for pete's sake!!!!)... they are considered "historic" and of archaeological interest.

[lizs]

Those rock columns are really cool, the same type formation you see at Devils Tower. Luckily, you can get around them here without the need to climb them to gain the summit. Still... quite handsome!





Mere specks in the meadow, Rob and DJ trek across the final stretch leading to our vehicles - and COLD ONES - and a toast to the successful completion of our Inyan Kara Expedition! Cheers!

[lizs]

CRAP!!! I previewed my first three photos, but never posted them, so lost them. Consider this, then: A PREQUEL... (in other words, those first three shots I messed up. Do you suppose that's the case of all "prequels?!?!")




Here we look back at the ranch we parked at and started from, at left. And if you squint, you can see a horizontal line of black specks, or in real life, cattle being moved.





Just reaching the top of the first "ridge," I found this heavy metal cable tied to a tree and hanging over the rocky edge. For logging, or raising or lowering something?? *shrugs* ... dunno...





Rob hikes along the just-gained ridge on a vague trail. Interesting how those rocks are oriented vertically, isn't it??

[bc]

Nice pics Liz. Is Devil's Tower next? Has to be a big cache up there.

bc (in first person only as bc)

[Diane Merkel]

Wonderful! Thanks very much for taking time to post the photos and commentary.

[Mike Powell]

Lisa,

Thanks so much for posting and I apologize for siccing Mom on you. Some questions; How long did it take from the ranch to the summit? Any advice on spotting from the bottom the preferred route you descended by? I don't know anything about geocaching but I carry a Garmin. Can you give coordinates for the carving? Any contact info for the landowner would sure be appreciated. Great photos and report! Thanks again.

[lizs]

Mike, how soon are you looking at going? I need to contact Rob to double-check some of the info. I'm thinking it took maybe 3 hours or so going up?

I may have a GPS track, but I'm not sure, as I've changed computers, map program AND - yes - even GPS unit. I think I should have a topo map, as well as area map, too. Or I could scan one and "rough" in what I imagine our route was. We had a much better route down on the top half... but on the bottom half we missed the spot where we'd ascended and instead went down a horribly steep area to get back to the meadow. DOH! lol (but that's what great adventures are made of, right? As long as you don't lose your scalp? Or a regiment?!? hehee)

I do have an idea if you went the long way around and up the more gradual, former road/valley on the north end, you might more readily spot where the easy route goes up the final haul (that second 500 ft. or so) to the top, because it's probably a vague trail?? Even so, even though we climbed over, around and were squeezed by boulders on the way to the top, occasionally with a need for a short backtrack, it was a lot of fun. Just keep going in what seems like the right direction - and you'll get there eventually.

I'll write you more in an e-mail when I get the info. I like to keep it a trek a person needs to research and "explore" and inquire about before going to do it - and not just have it handed over. Hence (there's that word again), I'll e-mail. And then, when you've done it, you can hopefully share on a "need to know" basis. LOL, no reason for that... but I know those who have done it don't want it overrun. And I doubt the rancher would want all kinds of people to come and perhaps start trespassing - then access might get taken away for everyone. Don't want that! Thanks!

[Rabble]

Hi Lizs
great photos, sorry that I didn't ever make it to the top! If anyone is in the area, the markers for Troopers Cunningham and Turner are (were?) in the vicinity. Just past the Inyan Kara School ruins on route 585 was a track heading East and about two hundred yards along it were the two markers from the 1874 expedition. (This information is from quite some years back!)

Regards
Ron