Devils Tower was the first location designated as a national monument in the United States. Rising 850+ feet over the Black Hills in northwestern Wyoming, the stone monolith can be seen for miles around. Named from a poor interpretation of a native phrase meaning “Bad God’s Tower”, the name without an apostrophe follows local naming convention. Traditions of native people honor the tower for helping protect humans from bears, with the cracks in the tower a result of scratches from bears or from rising up quickly out of the ground to protect humans from bears. A name reflecting the native traditions would seem more fitting, but has not enjoyed political support.

During my visit, I drove around many of the park’s unpaved, snow covered roads and also walked around the monument without seeing another person. To have an entire national park to myself was an unexpected benefit, especially on a Saturday. This was the first day that I tested myself during my cross country trip by hiking in cold weather and on uneven ground. I seemingly passed without falling down or tiring out, and was rewarded with a gorgeous sunset.

The tower is gigantic, enormous when viewed from over 1/2 mile away. I reflected on how tiny I am compared to the enormity of nature and how I can more completely experience the speck of space and time that I occupy. Stomping around alone in fresh snow was the order of the day.