Devils Tower National Monument

Thirty five years ago Dave and I traveled out west, bringing Dennis and Jill with us.  It was a wurl-wind 2 weeks, Dave and I remembered some things, and have forgotten the total trip.  However, one stop - or we think a drive-by - was Devils Tower.  We decided to visit the park early on Thursday, we saw how crowded it can get by noon.  We got to the park by 9:30am and parked the car and walked the loop around the base of the Monument.  We had stopped at the visitor's center 2 days earlier to see and hear what we could do.  No movie so the time in the visitor's center was very brief, it was really crowded with people.

We are about 2 miles from the entrance to the park

The path around the base is paved, at times quite steep, but doable.  Loop is 1.5 miles around, every view of the monument would seem to be the same from someone who has not visited the park.  We experienced a quite different time.  Very peaceful, very spiritual.  And very few people.  Dave kept saying - it is really peaceful here.

Driving the road inside the park to the base of the tower

Big to-do's this Sunday, it's the annual picnic for the settlers - glad we will not be there

Once we saw the prayer bundles, we saw many of them along the loop 

We saw numerous prayer bundles and shawls from American Indians who frequent the park, it is very sacred to them.  And during the month of June hikers and climbers are encouraged not to go off-path, the month of June is sacred to the Indians and also nesting falcons are busy building nests and rearing their young.

We did not see any climbers on the monument - until - we were almost returned back to the beginning when we spotted 2 ascending.  Jerks.  I guess they don't respect the authorities' when asked not to climb.  We found also where the historic wooden ladder that was built in 1892 is located on the east side of the tower, still visible through spotting scopes.

With naked eye, could not see ladder.  But through scope, for sure.

3rd column from left - you can see the ladder in crack - looks like a tube 

Now that I knew where it is, can find it in this picture.

Entrance to visitor's center from same place viewed ladder - they are lined up

Wild blue flax were in bloom all over 

Half-way point

Saw mommy deer, baby, squirrels, turkey vultures, heard the falcons and could see them flying way at the top.  They say that over 5000 people have climbed to the top of Devils Tower.  The area on top is the size of a football field, grassy, has mice and snakes up there.

Climber in blue, anchor man in white almost at bottom of tree

By the time we returned to the car and headed home, there was at least 30 cars waiting in a line-up to go through the ranger check-in.  Good planning on our part.

And the line-up as we left