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We hired a guide to take us up the tower. Frank Sanders has been climbing for about 35 years and has many first ascents in Yosemite, the Tetons and Devils Tower. In one 2 week period in 1976 he put up 7 new routes on the tower. Frank and his better half Mary run a bed and breakfast at the Devils Tower Lodge. It is located through the park on a dead end road that heads out the North side of the park. Their front yard borders the park boundary. It is a very scenic location with full views of the tower. They also have a 3 bedroom 2 bath cabin which is on the east side of the valley and looks on the Northeast side of the tower. We stayed in the cabin and fixed all of our own meals. Frank and Mary are not only excellent climbers but they are very gracious hosts as well. We felt welcome from the minute that the front door was opened to greet us. I love those two dearly.

On Friday Frank and one other guide Gene took us up to the tower to get use to the rock and its characteristics. We spent the early part of the day climbing several 170 foot long cracks up the side of Devils Tower. They ranged in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.8. I climbed the rib between two of the cracks which was a 5.10 face. The rock is very hard, clean, and bites the shoe well. As a finale for Friday Frank took us over to the Durrance route and had us climb the Leaning Column, which is the first pitch. It was very exciting. We ended the day by rapping off the standard rappel route and walking back to the car in the dark. What a great day!

Saturday morning started off early at 6 am. We all met at Frank and Mary's, sorted gear and headed for the tower. We split the party of 5 climbers into two groups. Three climbed the Durrance route and two the Wiessner. These were the first two "climbing routes" put up on the mountain. Both are a 5.7 to 5.8 climb. We retraced our steps of the previous day to the base of the leaning column. At this point we split up and I headed with our guide and Bill Brown, from Idaho Falls, to the Wiessner. The first pitch Was straight forward 5.4 climbing. We then scrambled to the top of a broken column which was at the base of the Wiessner crack, 120 feet of sustained 5.6. This is a left hand crack that is off width, big enough to insert hand, arm and shoulder. the left hand and left foot work the inside of the crack with the column on the outside, while the right hand fishes for small nubbin holds on the face between the Durrance column and the Wiessner column. the right foot is placed as high as possible on the face to force the body into the crack. And so it goes for 120 ft of almost vertical climbing. Upon reaching the top of the column I felt like I had made a big mistake in trying what I was doing. Bill climbed the pitch before me and he is a big strong guy, and it was a great struggle for him. I about died.

From the top of the column we moved right and down about 5 feet to some small holds and stemmed in a long stretch across a blank face into the crack on the far right of the top of the column top belay stance. This crack is 70 feet of sustained 5.7 climbing. In order to climb this crack we had to turn around and face out looking out over the valley with left arm, shoulder and left leg in the crack. Again the right foot worked the crack like a jack placing the toe on the out side of the crack and the heel against the inside. The right hand would be placed in a downward pressing position and the entire body would lever on the right foot and move up about 6 inches. At least that's what Frank, the guide, did. Bill struggled up the crack using his enormous strength. He tried to push but it did not work so he turned a bit to face the crack and literally pulled himself up with his right hand and flailed with his feet. I was determined to do this pitch in fine style, since I had done such a miserable job on the first crack. I got the technique right but could not get my right foot to jack across the crack. Every time I would try to stand on it I would slip and fall back. As a result, I would move up the crack at about an inch at a time. SLOW progress. I made it by pushing with my right hand like Frank did. I kept looking at that piton placement above me where Frank had clipped in. It was the original pin that Wiessner placed on his first ascent. I gained great respect for that man. I thought if I can just get to the pin I can stand on it and rest. Well before I knew it I was past the pin and standing on the top of the second column with the hardest part of the climb over.

From this belay stance we could see the climbers on the Durrance route. They had climbed to the top of the leaning column and then climb from the top of the column belay stance straight up two off width cracks about 3 to 4 feet apart on a smooth face with a column on each side 70 ft of 5.7. this is climbed by jamming the right crack while stemming over to the left crack most of the time. Near the top the cracks get further apart and it is necessary to stem back into the right crack with both hands and feet. This is where most people fall because there is little to hold onto and one is off balance as the move is made to get both feet and hands placed. Once up this last 10 feet the top of the second column is achieved on the Durrance route.The third pitch, cussing crack, is really a chimney 40 feet of 5.5. This brings one to the level of what is called the "meadows". It is a broad slopping ledge on the Southeast side of the mountain about 200 feet from the summit.

At the meadows is where the Durrance and the Wiessner meet. The flack crack with a huge chock stone in the center, 70 feet of 5.5, is finished by climbing an easy 20 foot face on small holds with ones butt hanging out over 800 feet of air. This brings one to the belay stance below the summit. From this point it is a scramble to the top.

Ronni was waiting for me when I got on top. We embraced, cried, laughed and ran for the very top. I scribbled my platitudes in the summit register while I continued to cry and placed a picture of my family deep under the summit rocks. Later we all had a ceremony where we scattered rocks on the summit of Devils Tower that were taken from the summit of Aconcagua. Something that probably no one else has done.

The three rappels to the bottom were uneventful till we got to the bottom of the last one and the rope was 15 feet short. Frank was livid. We finally put in some protection and hung a long webbing on it and down climb the last little bit. By the time we all got to the bottom of the rappel it was almost dark. We scrambled down to the trail and walked back to the car in the dark while the guides pulled the ropes.

It was a great climb. Probably the neatest thing I have ever done. I look forward to going back next year and trying some other routes.