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Often times, looking in our own backyard may bring the best vacation memories. Devil's Tower in Wyoming is just a short drive away from where I live and I had visited often through the years. When my best friend from college called and said she needed a fourth person for a climbing excursion I didn't hesitate when she said it was Devil's Tower.

Life had gotten in the way for both of us after graduation, but all the preparation calls for the trip quickly melted the years away. Meeting up at the motel we didn't care the weather wasn't cooperating and we were complete novices at this rock climbing adventure.

Our trainer and guide had patience with us as he did negotiating a rough climb. After a morning of going through knots, finding equipment that fit, ropes and safety training we made the drive to the tower. How daunting was the sight of the tower from the angle of "I'm going to climb that?" Our fears were quickly overcome as we tackled smaller rock formations in the area to gain hands on knowledge and experience. I think we avoided looking at the tower most of the first day as well.

Falling into bed that first night we were exhausted and muscles we had long since forgotten screamed. The second day the challenges grew in preparation for our climb on the third day. The knowledge of our trainer helped reassure us when we worked in the shadow cast by Devil's Tower.

In all my visits I had never even considered attempting to climb the steep juts that shoot up into the sky over 1,200 feet. I knew the history of Devil's Tower being the first national monument in the United States and a sacred Native American area. The phenomenal views of the tower are a photographer's dream and the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" put Devil's Tower (and Wyoming) on the map.

We joked about finding alien evidence on the top when we reached it and learned that all those who had assaulted the formation had their names in a book kept at the peak. I marveled at those who had climbed Devil's Tower decades before there were any carabiners, ropes, harnesses or hard hats.

On the much anticipated day of our climb we woke up to snow on the ground. The dampness and cold delayed our climb, which was to take six to eight hours on the assent and a few more on the descent. Our guide broke the news that the climb would have to be postponed for another time and the schedule book was poured over.

During the four months anxiously awaiting our return my friend and I called each other frequently

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