After our two-hour drive to get there, we enjoyed a yummy vegan picnic under the pine trees before setting off on our hike. We hiked the short trail first, which is asphalt and goes right around the base of the Tower. It was pretty crowded, as it typically is in summer. We got some good views of the crazy people who like to climb the sides of the Tower instead of contenting themselves with walking around it. ;-)
Then we hiked the long trail, which is my favorite. It's a dirt trail that winds through some interesting and varied countryside, providing perspectives of the Tower most people never see. And there's usually no one else on the trail. On past hikes, I've had the trail entirely to myself - even during the Sturgis Rally, when the short trail is packed. On this day, we passed one person in the first couple of minutes and that was all.
After our hike we paid a visit to the prairie dog town (always fun!) and listened in on several interesting prairie dog conversations. We also stopped by the adjacent "Circle of Sacred Smoke" sculpture, just unveiled last year.
We were finishing up our long trail hike and were nearing the parking lot when I saw these two butterfly buddies on this thistle. I had to take several photos to get this one, where they both have their wings completely open. Definitely worth the time and patience it took to capture...
"Just living isn't enough," said the butterfly,
"one must also have freedom, sunshine, and a little flower."
~Hans Christian Andersen
And it's also nice to have fun friends with whom to share pretty days, pretty hikes, and pretty thistle flowers. :-)
Here are a few more photos from our day at D.T....
Devil's Tower, or Mato Tipila (Bear's Tower) in Lakota,
America's first national monument (Sept 24, 1906).
Sacred to several Native American Plains tribes,
tempting to climbers, and familiar to "Close Encounters" fans.
Robyn & Jess with Junkyu Muto's Circle of Sacred Smoke
Robyn & Jess on the long trail
overlooking the Belle Fourche River
Another view on the long trail.
(Hey, that soil looks like the Hungarian Paprika I just bought!) :-)
Prairie dog friend on sentry duty
This guy was really giving us a stern talking to! :-)
(To answer Robyn's question, he's saying,"Get off my lawn!")
