Returning, Part 1: Devils Tower National Monument

Leaving Estes Park

The decision between a ground floor room and a top floor room isn’t an easy one. Being sensitive to noise, a top floor room is the better decision because I value peace and quiet. That being said, when I’m packed as heavily as I am on this trip, a ground floor room is usually preferred in-order to make unloading/loading much easier. My back felt horrible last night, so I welcomed the ground floor room, but the people upstairs were running laps all night and I was glad to get out.

First thing I did was finish-up my blog, then do yoga and pack-up the car. After a shower, I worked for a little while and then headed to the grocery store for some stuff to eat while camping tonight. Finally, I checked-out of the room and headed for Devils Tower National Monument in northeast Wyoming.

The Drive

The drive started-off rainy but exciting, winding through tight roads in canyons lined with jagged rocks. This isn’t something I enjoy because I’m constantly imagining small rocks falling and pelting the sides of my car or large rocks falling and doing much worse. Once I got out of the mountains, it was about five hours of flat, straight driving from northern Colorado to northeastern Wyoming. The entire way alternated between dark clouds with rain and partly cloudy skies with the sun. The forecast said there wouldn’t be any rain at Devils Tower, so I kept my spirits up.

Devils Tower

The excitement level was way down compared to my first visit to Devils Tower, but when I caught my first glimpse of it on the approach I still got tingles. Fortunately, there were camping spots open at the park’s campground, so I didn’t have to resort to staying at the KOA campground nearby. After choosing my spot, I headed-up to the visitors center to stamp my passport(s) and get in a great hike. This time, I combined the Red Beds and Tower Trails into a single hike, but I also added the Valley View Trail loop from the Red Beds Trail, sending me down the side of the tower to circle the prairie dog town near the campground. This all added-up to a nearly six mile hike with lots of elevation that did wonders for my back. That’s no joke, a good hike appears to be a good remedy for a bad back.

Camping + A Movie

Someone was cutting the grass when I left the campground and I’d hoped he would include my spot, but that didn’t happen and I had to set-up my tent in grass that was over eight inches high. Once I got it set-up and all of my stuff inside it wasn’t a big deal. After getting that set-up, I started “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on my iPad which I watched while cooking my dinner of fancy, spicy ramen noodles. Once I noticed someone else setting a fire, I lit-up the Duraflame logs I bought prior to camping at Death Valley and finished the movie from my tent.

Before going to bed, I decided to check-out the stars because there would be no moon tonight. They were spectacular, the brightest I’ve seen on the trip, but I really think that my eyes simply aren’t where they need to be to truly appreciate them anymore. Then again, the ranger who was staying in the campground had her exterior lights on the entire night and that didn’t help at all. After putting-out most of my fire, I wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep.