Devils Tower...

I woke up early at the Arrowhead Motel in Buffalo, Wyoming. I'd decided on the Arrowhead after an impromptu internet search for a Mom & Pop place as opposed to a national chain. It was cheesy and cliche, but it was so freakin' cool I'd happily stay there again. After a long day of driving the night before, I just wanted a shower and a comfortable bed, and the Arrowhead had both of those.

 

The Arrowhead Motel in Buffalo, Wyoming...

 

I'd set a pretty optimistic schedule for a single day, and it was going to begin with Devils Tower in Crook County, Wyoming.

 

Now, maybe you don't know what Devils Tower is. But, if you've ever seen the movie "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", you've seen it. Richard Dreyfuss made a likeness of Devils Tower out of mashed potatoes, and then out of clay:

 

Richard Dreyfuss destroys his living room in 1977. Teri Garr was pissed...

 

When I first saw that movie, I don't know that I was even aware that it was, in fact, a real place. Well, it's not only real, but Devils Tower was the first named United States National Monument. It was given that honor by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

 

And, before someone feels the need to call me on it, you'll notice the absence of an apostrophe in the word "Devils". This is due to a geographic naming standard which eliminates the apostrophe. So, if you have a problem with that, don't blame me. Blame your government.

 

So, Devils Tower...

 

Long before the white man came along, members of the Arapoho, Crow, Cheyenne, Lakota, Kiowa and Shoshone tribes had ties to it, and each had their own name for it. In fact, the name "Devil's Tower" (yes, there used to be an apostrophe) came about due to the misinterpretation of an Indian name to mean "Bad God's Tower", which morphed into "Devils Tower".

 

Devils Tower, which is actually the neck of a long extinct volcano, rests in the upper northeast corner of Wyoming. As I was travelling east on Interstate 90, I jumped off the freeway in the small town of Moorcroft (pop. 1,009), and headed north on Route 14. The first thing you see is a sign letting you know that you've still got a ways to go:

 

 

I found myself expecting to see this monolith around every curve and, before I knew it, I did. It almost seems out of place. The terrain isn't that crazy. Sure, there are hills and such, but there's simply nothing like Devils Tower until, well, you get to Devils Tower. It's difficult to find the appropriate words to describe your first thoughts upon seeing it. From a distance, it almost looks like it could be a mirage; like it could be gone when you come around the next curve. But up closer, there's no denying that it's there, that it's real and that it's amazing.

 

It is, most assuredly, very real:

 

Devils Tower. For those of you keeping score, this photo was taken not with the Canon 5D, but with the Canon G12...

 

The tower itself is made up of igneous material, although there's disagreement on how the tower actually formed. Some say it was formed by an igneous intrusion. Other geologists, later on, searched for further explanations. Some thought the molten rock making the tower might not have surfaced, while other researchers are convinced the tower is all that remains of what once was a large volcano. In 1907, yet another theory was that Devils Tower must be an eroded remnant of a laccolith. This actually proved to be a very popular theory in the earliest 20th century.

 

Whatever its origin, there's no denying that Devils Tower is amazing and it is awesome.

 

As you roll up to the entrance, you're met with one of (I think) the most beautiful park entrances anywhere in the United States:

 

The entrance to Devils Tower National Monument...

 

Once at the Visitor Center parking lot, you're met with two trails you can take to hike around the Tower. I opted for the "Tower Trail". At 1.3 miles long, it's the shortest of the two. The "Red Beds Trail", which was the other, comes in at around three miles:

 

The available hiking trails around Devils Tower...

 

This became one of those times when I was glad I've quit smoking. The hike wasn't strenuous, but there were portions of it which, had I still been hittin' a pack and a half a day, would've required some rest periods. There were plenty of inclines, and I just don't know how my smoker's lungs would've taken to those.

 

Many Native American tribes hold the Tower sacred, and they don't like the fact that it's open to climbers. A compromise was reached, though, in that every June people are requested not to climb. It's only a request, though, but most agree to it. The reason for this is that constellations in the sky line up with certain features on the ground, and this becomes particularly important to the Native American tribes during the Summer Solstice.

 

I had no designs on climbing, so a good mile-plus hike would be all I was in for. Well, that and taking a ton of photos.

 

Before I got too far down the trail, I was reminded that this isn't just a place of recreation for 400,000 people a year, but also a place of deep reverence for others:

 

This sign refers to items left behind by Native American worshippers, who worship here every June...

 

At first, I was a bit bummed because my very first shots of the Tower were going to be taken with me shooting into the sun, which rarely isn't a recipe for disaster:

 

Devils Tower: 8:30am...

 

My mood changed significantly, though, as I made my way down the 1.3 mile trail around the base of the Tower. Photographers love to get that "morning light", and I found that I had it in spades:

 

A well lit Devils Tower...

Devils Tower in the morning light...

 

It's difficult to describe my reaction to Devils Tower. It's an epic thing, to be sure. To me, though, it makes me think of how we, as "man", can get pretty full of ourselves when we do something impressive. But look at Devils Tower. Look at it. Do that. We've done a fair job in our history of doing things to nature, both good and bad, but look at what "nature" is capable of on its own.

 

It makes us almost unnecessary.

 

My hike around the Tower was a good one, and I couldn't help but taking one more shot while I was there. For whatever reason, I wanted a picture of my hand resting on the base of this monolithic masterpiece:

 

The base of the Tower...

 

I felt small.

 

I did a fair amount of shooting, and decided it would probably be best for me to head back to the truck and get back on the road. I needed to get into South Dakota, and on to other things to see, shoot and write about.

 

Devils Tower, though, was impactful, although it's difficult for me, even days later, to put my finger on why that is. It's one of those things which, try as you might, you can't accurately describe or assign a reason to.

 

And maybe it's a waste of time to even try...