By Scott Shephard

The last time Deb and I visited the Devil's Tower was about 20 years ago. I can't speak for Deb, but I can say that I have weathered more than the Tower in those two decades.

Natural structures like the Devil's Tower, which formed when the earth's surface here was roughly 1600 feet above the current top of the the Tower, make me feel small. And they also give me a good sense of the difference between human time and geologic time. My six decades of life are nothing compared to the millions of years of weathering that shaped this landscape.

For the hour or so that Deb and I explored this amazing place, Deb and I were part of that landscape. And though we were as insignificant in scale as the prairie dogs that inhabit the plain below the Devil's Tower, we can live with that. When I am in a place like this I just feel lucky to be alive.

Phantom 4 Pro FC3310 1/400s f/6.3 ISO100 8.8mm