October 17, 2007, 7am. The dense fog showed no signs of dissipating. It did not appear to be an ideal day for climbing, but everyone knows conditions can vary greatly by location, and fog often burns off as the sun ascends. I had been wanting to climb the Tower for a very long time. Thanks to Mark, schedules had been matched up, plans made, and our party organized. Riding to Spearfish together, Mark, Joel and I sparkled with excitement and anticipation to climb Devil’s Tower for our first time.
We met Lindsay at her new home in Spearfish. Mark entertained the dog outside, we popped quickly in and out of doors to keep the cats inside. Lindsay began the time honored tradition of sorting gear, making piles of nuts, cams, hexes, draws.
The fog now alternated between heavy mist, or what a pessimist might refer to as “light rain,” and a simple grey sky. Without the sun, the air was a bit chill. Lindsay, who had already been on the tower numerous times, suggested we go for coffee instead. Perhaps try the tower another day. We smiled at such a crazy suggestion.
Peter arrived, we stood in our jackets, hands in pockets and looked at the sky some more. Soon, but not what you’d call “early,” we loaded gear and selves into Mark’s rig and headed west.
*Note: The picture is not from this trip; the sun was a bit higher by the time we got there. Photo by Tony Bubb and found at Mountain Project
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