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Friday, July 10, 2015

Hiking - Devils Tower, Wyoming

Devil's Tower

Crossed into Wyoming and had to have our kayaks inspected.  (This was the first of three times that our boats were inspected in this state for possible snails, mussels, etc.  Wyoming is one of 6 states that is not infested with bad water coming in from other places.)


This landmark is truly impressive when you first spot it from perhaps 8-10 miles away.  It almost looks alien like as it rises up from the gentle, rolling hills that surround it.

We toured the visitors center first and learned a little About it.  There are three scientific theories as to how it evolved.   There are many Indian beliefs about it also.  The Indians attribute the ridges down the side to bear claws as a bear tried to scale it.










The Indians think of this as a sacred place and leave prayer cloths and bundles on the trees around Devils Tower.

The Native Americans do not like it being called Devils Tower as it is a holy place.  The name has stuck after all of these years.  We saw  about 20 climbers on the sides of the tower.  I asked one climber that we passed how long it took him to get to the top and he said 4 hours, and it was his first time.


There is a 1.3 mile trail around the tower and every side looks a bit different.  Who knew that I could take so many photos of a tower!  There are many boulders surrounding the base.  From the trail, you can  see the expansive countryside surrounding.  At one point, we could see for miles and miles and didn't see a house or structure anywhere.



We saw prairie dogs everywhere!





Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!


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