Tower Take Two

Ranger, Tourists and Tower

Fast forward one year and three days.  This time severe weather would not be an issue.  Indeed, our timing could not have been more perfect.  As David, Maraya and I rolled into the KOA Campground two miles from the base of the Tower, a storm had just passed through, ushering in high pressure and blue skies for our upcoming climb.   We set camp at 1:00 AM under the reflective light of a glorious full moon.  The Tower I’m sure was quite a sight, but our exhausted bodies had energy only to erect our tents and collapse in them.

With copious amounts of rain the previous day, there was no sense of urgency to get on the Tower, so we slept in – till 6:00 AM.  Our first order of business was to organize our racks and packs.  I also took the time to cook a hot breakfast of oatmeal and coffee for the team.  By 7:15, the car was packed and we were on our way.

Pre-Climb Team Photo

A Park Ranger cheerfully greeted us at the entrance kiosk and informed us that a pair of climbers had beaten us to the gate by about ten minutes.  I spoke briefly with the other climbers upon entering the parking lot and learned they too were climbing Durrance, the most popular route on the Tower.  But since we planned a different approach I was not concerned.

At 7:50 AM, David signed us in at the climber registration kiosk and the climb was begun.  We walked up and along the macadam path to a point below the leaning pillar, the first pitch of Durrance.  Turning left, we scrambled up a short path and found ourselves in the Bowling Alley, a slabby run-out area below the final rappel station.  This is also the beginning of the alternate start to Durrance.  Ropes were flaked, knots were tied, and gear was checked, and with the simple command “climbing,” David began his lead.

The alternate start is simple and short at 5.4.  David made quick work of it and Maraya followed and cleaned.  By the time I arrived at the belay station, David had already traversed left, without belay, to the base of the leaning pillar.  The team from the parking lot was still on the leaning pillar and we were forced to wait.

Maraya nearing the top of the 1st pitch

When it was safe to proceed, David took lead again on the seventy-foot leaning pillar pitch.  It was clear from the pace of the team ahead of us that we were in for a long ascent.  But this was the first time David, Maraya and I were climbing as a unit, and we weren’t exactly speed demons ourselves.  In addition, David and I were swapping leads, so transitions at belay stations, rope management and pack hauling all added extra time to our project.

The second pitch on the Durrance Route is called the Durrance Pitch.  It follows two parallel cracks for seventy feet: one that takes protection well, the other, an off-width.  Rated at 5.7+, it is considered the toughest pitch on Durrance.  For the first fifty feet both cracks can be utilized, then the climber must commit to one or the other crack for the final stretch.

Bill Choosing Left on Durrance

Last year, Patrick took lead here; this time was my time.  My crack climbing technique still needs a lot of work, so the Durrance pitch worked me hard.  By the time I reached that point of decision fifty feet up, I was already breathing hard.  I chose the left finish, topped out and set anchor.  Maraya and David followed, both getting a good workout in the process.

David took back lead on the Cussin’ Crack.  Only thirty feet in length, the Cussin’ Crack is the shortest pitch on the route, but its awkward start surely gives credence to its name.  David was the best choice to lead this pitch as his colorful vocabulary did not disappoint.  My video was not salvageable after all of the sound editing, so only still photographs remain to memorialize David’s efforts.

Maraya safely thru the Jump Traverse

When our team reached the top of the Chockstone Pitch it was decision time.  Once again, we encountered the team from the parking lot, still working Bailey’s Direct, a 150-foot chimney-infested pitch and one of the finishing options.  Since I had already climbed Bailey’s (last year), and because we didn’t want to wait, our team chose the other finishing option – the Jump Traverse.

There is no actual jump in the Jump Traverse, but there is plenty of air as you work across a chest-high horizontal finger crack for fifteen feet.  A piton around a corner in the roof, if utilized, makes the Traverse a 5.6.  Keep hands off the piton, and you have a 5.8.   I was back on lead, and being 400 feet off the deck, I was in no mood to be a hero.  I chose the 5.6 variation.

The Meadows

With the team safely across the Jump Traverse, a short stroll through “The Meadows” led us to a 100-foot chimney/crack system which we climbed un-roped to the summit.

At the flying ant infested summit cairn, we took our obligatory summit shots and signed the summit register, and then it was time to rap off.

It was a very different scene for me this time at the first rap station atop Bailey’s Direct.  (For the chaos of 8-9-10, click here).  A light breeze and bright sunshine allowed us to take our time as David lashed our ropes together with the Euro Death Knot (EDK).  David rapped first.  He got a little off track but quickly realized his error and made the necessary correction.

Maraya on final pitch 500 feet up

With all three of us at rap station #2, it was the moment of truth – it was time to pull the ropes. The Tower is notorious for its rope-eating cracks.  We had made a very conscious effort to stay on the face of the columns during our rappel in order to prevent our ropes from getting stuck.  I pulled. The rope moved easily.  I saw the EDK getting closer and closer.  Then the rope dropped from the upper anchors.  Just as I extended my hand to catch the falling end – disaster.  The rope caught on protruding rock twenty feet above us, just beneath the roof of the Jump Traverse.  I flicked and pulled but to no avail.  It was hopelessly stuck.  David and I were forced to scramble back up through The Meadows to assess the situation.  David fixed an anchor and lowered me to the source of the stickiness.

David beginning rappel

The remaining rappels were without incident, and in short order we were back at the Bowling Alley coiling our ropes, having had the distinct pleasure of meeting Frank Sanders along the way.  Frank is the area’s greatest resource on Devils Tower.  A climbing guide with well over 1000 ascents of the Tower, he also runs the nearby Devils Tower Lodge.  We chatted with Frank from our final rap station, as he stood about fifty feet across from us on top of the Durrance Pitch.  He was guiding two clients to the summit for a sunset dinner, some star gazing, and a nighttime rap down.

Frank Sanders atop Durrance Pitch

Our team returned to the parking lot via that same macadam path where curious non-climbers had watched our entire endeavor with wonder and awe.  As expected, we received rock star treatment.  We answered questions and posed for pictures, some of which were openly taken, others surreptitiously snapped by tourists presumably unaware that rock climbers, for the most part, are not only tame but often friendly.

Team Summit Shot

David and I then transformed into tourist mode ourselves, stopping at the car for our National Park Passport Books.  We entered the Visitor Center, still harnessed, slightly dirty and disheveled, and proudly stamped our books.