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Friday Night Field Trip - Devil's Tower |
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Friday, 24 August 2012 15:46 |
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It took the Earth about 60 million years to form it but this landmark nestled in northeastern Wyoming is America's first national monument, and it draws in visitors from around the globe. Black Hills FOX reporter Darren Leeds traveled to Devil's Tower for this week's Friday Fieldtrip.
Chief of Interpretation Nancy Stimson says, "Deep within the Earth there was a mass of molten rock that forced its way up. Similar to a volcano but this was a very gradual process, not the violent eruption of a volcano. This was a mass of molten rock that pushed its way up to the surface." This geologic process started about 60 million years ago. And after a great deal of cooling and millions of years or erosion the Earth gave us what we know today as Devil's Tower. This landmark became the nation's first national monument in 1906 and since that time it has drawn in visitors from all over the world. Stimson says, "Each year we have approximately a half million, just nearly a half million visitors come here from Japan, from all over the US. We get people from outside the US and they come here to enjoy the tower, they come here to climb the tower." The vertical columns at Devil's Tower make for some of the best climbing in the region. Climbing Ranger Sean Nelb says it's a good way to kill some time and draws thousands to the area each year. Nelb says, "We have around 4,000 climber days a year and that translates into roughly 15 to 30 people a day during the high point of the year, which is May through September. Takes most climbers between four and six hours to go up the tower. A good team can do it in less that two, and the actual climbing on the tower is around 600 feet or so." But if you have a fear of heights and prefer to stay more "grounded" the hiking trails surrounding Devil's Tower are a great way to take in some scenery. Stimson says, "There are some great hiking trails here. There's Joyner Ridge, the Red Beds Trail, the Lower Red Beds Trail, and we've got some great hiking around here. They're not very long; they'll only take about an hour to an hour and a half. That's one of the lesser known hiking trails in this area." While hiking in the shadow of the tower, its size can be overwhelming but standing at 600 feet it's still a sight to be seen for miles. Darren Leeds Black Hills FOX News. |
