Better posted late than never.
I first remember reading about Devil's Tower in 7th grade. The imposing name gave me pause. Due the sheerness of it, I wondered how anyone ever climbed it. It's just a big, crazy rock jutting up out of the middle of nowhere, and the stuff of cool Native American legend! Now, a decade and-a-half later, the mysterious attraction continues for me with this great story!
Climbing Devils Tower a daily delight
By The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
http://mail.indianz.com/boardx/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=33126
"We're just working on bettering personal bests," said Sanders about people he guides and himself. "If I'm not pressing myself, then what am I doing asking others to push themselves?"
Climbing usually is done in tandem with a partner. Sanders often does his climbs solo - and "free" or without safety gear that climbers use. It's the most dangerous way to climb, and he knows it.
"The first thing in the morning, I pray and say I give it up, I gotta stay sober today," Sanders said. Climbing Devils Tower is an important part in Sanders' sobriety because it's a form of meditation. The solitude of hanging on the side of a column high above the ground - alone - is a time of deep clarity.
Sanders said he often asks himself why he climbs alone. But it is in those climbs those times that he is forced to overcome himself.
"We're just working on bettering personal bests," said Sanders about people he guides and himself. "If I'm not pressing myself, then what am I doing asking others to push themselves?"
Climbing usually is done in tandem with a partner. Sanders often does his climbs solo - and "free" or without safety gear that climbers use. It's the most dangerous way to climb, and he knows it.
"The first thing in the morning, I pray and say I give it up, I gotta stay sober today," Sanders said. Climbing Devils Tower is an important part in Sanders' sobriety because it's a form of meditation. The solitude of hanging on the side of a column high above the ground - alone - is a time of deep clarity.
Sanders said he often asks himself why he climbs alone. But it is in those climbs those times that he is forced to overcome himself.
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