Devils Tower National Monument

I forgot a major thing we did! Between the gluten accident and the day to day traveling changes, my brain was pretty foggy. Oh, well me tell you about it now!

On our way to South Dakota, we stopped at Devils Tower National Monument on the border of Wyoming. This protected area is sacred to many indigenous tribes, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, Lakota, and Shoshone. All have spiritual connections to the landform and sacred narratives about the area. Many Native Americans return to the Tower every year in June, around the summer solstice, when the National Park Service bans climbing on the monument, so that they can practice spiritual traditions. As you walk the trails, you can see prayers bundles tied to the trees in various shades of red, yellow, blue, green, white and black. Devils Tower is seen as the place where the physical and spiritual world connect.

When you admire Devils Tower, you can understand why. The massive rock formation stretches straight into the sky, 600 feet tall in some areas. Various theories involving volcanic activity try to explain this inspiring monument. It’s made of a series of symmetrical columns that are continuing to break off and change the shape of the area. The ground at the base also continually erode, making the Tower grow forever taller.

As you walk around it’s base, you have to lean back and shield your eyes to see the tippy top. Mostly gray, pale oranges and greens cover bits and pieces here and there. Sometimes you might spot a flash of color as a climber reaches for the next crevice to place her hand.

It truly is worth the visit, a magnificent landform in the middle of otherwise flat prairie. You can see it for miles away, set in the middle of blowing grasses with only a few tress at its base that look like ants. If you have have the chance, I encourage you to stop.