Devil's Tower National Monument - Wyomig

We arrived early at Gillette Wyoming attending the 35th Annual Escapee's Escapade.  We decided to go see Devil's Tower National Monument with Barry and Donna, friends that we had met two years ago at an Escapee's Rally.  This photo is at a pull-out about 3-miles from the main entrance.

Here's a photo of Kathy, Donna and Barry in the parking lot.  We decided that after stopping at the visitor center we would hike the 1.3 mile trail around the monument. No two sides are alike.  From the eroded columns on the south to the smooth north side, the tower has many faces.  

 In 1906, President Roosevelt proclaimed Devil's Tower the first National Monument. He made Wyoming the home of both our first national park - Yellowstone and our first National Monument.

Although Devil's Tower has long been a prominent landmark in northeastern Wyoming, the origin of the mammoth rock obelisk remains somewhat obscure. Geologists agree that Devil's Tower formed from molten rock forced upwards from deep within the earth. Debate continues, however, as to whether the rock cooled underground or whether Devil's Tower magma reached the surface.

If you have certification and the proper equipment you can climb to the top of the monument.  If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you can see two climbers in their quest to reach the top.

Records of tower climbs have been kept since 1937.  Approximately 5,000 climbers come here every year from all over the world to climb on the massive columns.  Over 220 routes have been used in climbing the tower.

In the center is the flight of a Golden Eagle, one of four that we observed during our hike.  The Golden Eagle is a frequent visitor to the tower.

Devil's Tower is considered a sacred landmark by more than 20 Native American tribes. The Lakota refer to Devil's Tower as Bear Lodge, and historically used this sacred place for funerals, prayer offerings, and other ceremonies, as well as their Sun Dance ritual.  We observed several prayer blankets as well as prayer offerings hanging from tree limbs. 

The Wind Circle sculpture, which is of white marble with a black base stands an impressive 12 feet tall. The artist designed it to evoke the image of a puff of smoke from a sacred pipe.  The stone used in the sculpture and black granite base come from Italy Fantiscritti Quarry source of Michelangelo's marble.  The sculpture stone base comes from the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Barry took this photo of Kathy and I in front of the sculpture with the tower in the background. 

I took this excellent photo of Barry and Donna in front of the Wind Circle sculpture.  We all agreed that it was worth our 63-mile drive to visit Devil's Tower.  We would recommend a visit for anyone traveling this area.