Glen Dickson America Expedition. Climbing the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and a few
other places.
10th May 2026 – 26th May 2026.

Sunset on Tower Ridge

10/05/26. My trip to America started in Edinburgh with a long flight to Chicago and then
on to Rapid City. I had managed to arrange a more direct flight only days before I left, as
somehow, I had booked flights with an extra stop at another airport after Chicago. This
would have taken more time, so I was glad for the free change.
All United Planes

I had an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation.) arranged the previous year so
customs was quite straightforward. Due to the 7-hour time difference and catching the
flight to Rapid City as the sun was going down, I slept through the whole flight.
Picking up my hire car from the airport, which, arriving at night and driving on the other
side of the road tired was a challenge. I had no roam worldwide setup on my phone so I
couldn’t use my data for maps. Luckily, I put the map on through the airport Wi-Fi___33,
navigated to the hotel and setup Wi-Fi there so I could arrange roam worldwide through
Three. For some reason I thought my contract included it.
11/05/26. The first day was supposed to be a rest day for the jet lag, but there was not
much to do in Rapid City, but Custer State Park was a close drive. I planned just to do
Mount Rushmore and back again. But as I was planning it Instagram showed me reels of
the Needles Highway and Crazy Horse. So, these were also added to my first day.
I was disappointed with Mount Rushmore as it looks bigger in the photos. Which I found
out later they were supposed to carve bodies below the heads but ran into issues with
rock quality. It was still impressive, but what impressed me more were the rock features
behind the heads, which looked like good climbing.

Mount Rushmore

I drove to Crazy Horse Memorial that is still being carved and was more impressed by
the size and story related to it.

Crazy Horse
The First Nation tribes carving something bigger and more impressive than Mount
Rushmore and certainly a statement to the Americans who stole their land and ignored
their traditions and culture.
The Needles Highway left me saying wow around every corner. Granite spires around
every corner with crazy shapes and sizes. Sylvan Lake also impressed sitting in an area
of the spires.

12/05/26. I had booked a guide for here as warmup to Devils Tower later in the week. I
had no idea what routes we would do or where, as long as it was iconic and memorable.
The climbing was not easier, with sharp quartz crystals and awkward moves challenging
me at every move and scratching up my forearms.

Walking into the Needles

The First Pitch
We climbed a three pitch multipitch, a crack climb, and then another three pitch climb
up Spire 4 the tallest of the spires in the park

Working out the Traverse

On the Traverse Pitch

down the pinnacle

Sylvan Lake Views
It involved a squeeze through a hole and then a lean over a gap right at the top of the
climb.

Spire 4 Ascent with amazing views

Working out the moves

Feeling Pumped
Each of the climbs finished at the top of a spire and gave excellent views across the
park.
14/05/2026. My drive to Devil’s Tower and my first view of it left me in awe even from the
distance. The smell of sweet Sage filled my nose as I stepped out the car to talk photos
of it.

First Look at Devil’s Tower

Up closer it was even more impressive with columns rising impossibly to the top.
Up Close, Durrance Route on the left, up the leaning column
It is made up of rare igneous rock- Phonolite Porphyry, with Feldspar and is the largest
example of columnar jointing in the world standing at 264 metres.
My main aim of the expedition was to climb a route called Durrance; a 6 pitch 5.8
named after Jack Durrance who established the route in 1938 after Fritz Weissner put
up the first route in 1937. The route was easier than the Weissner route.
5.8 equates to a bold HVS on Trad climbing but due to the style of climbing the grading,
generally would be a grade harder at E1 but only if you liked crack and chimney
climbing. I knew it was going to be a challenge for me not with not really climbing this
style much, AND doing 6 pitches of it.
Luckily, I had an amazing guide and approached the climb feeling confident but nervous
and emotional, at finally being here after years of dreaming.

Pitch 1

Coming up Pitch 2 The Leaning Column

Passed the Crux Pitch

A dream achieved!
15th & 16/05/26
I was supposed to spend 2 more days learning Big Wall techniques, but due to me not
getting any days of Big Wall climbing in I thought it better to use these days and climb
other routes and get a good feel for the Tower. As Durrance was the easiest route it
meant there was no option but to climb harder. The rock was sharp and I was already
bleeding from my knees, hands and elbows from the chimneys and cracks, but I knew I
could do it. On the 15th we climbed El Cracko Diablo, a 5.9 right facing multipitch crack
climb with good hand jams.

Learning to hand jam properly
And I got to live out another dream by climbing the stem box pitch of the Weissner
Psudo route.

Stemming the Weissner Psudo.
The next day, after a discussion with the guide, we decided to climb even harder, as I
hadn’t fallen off a route yet, and although I was tired and a bit broken from pushing so
hard. We chose to do Walt Bailey Memorial a 5.9+ (more like 5.10) 55m finger crack
route. As I had only climbed a few finger crack routes more than 7 years ago and nothing
so sustained, I felt like I had finally found the top of my skill level. I did fall off it but only
after the crux. I reckon if I hadn’t done 3 hard days in the lead up to the route I may have
got it clean.

Feeling the pump after the crux
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iy8u2uv7sleffptbiqk56/Video-16-05-2026-16-20-
56.mov?rlkey=ir3wobqmejd9v0bta44q1lt5b&st=0nz7k1zo&dl=0
Link to finger crack climb.
The Devil’s Tower was very special to me, the guide and family at the lodge I stayed at
were like a family and I felt like I was part of it.
On leaving I had dreams of standing on the columns and knew I would go back again
next year. But my trip was not over. I still had a 2 day drive to Zion National Park to climb
there!
19/05/26. I entered a permit lottery and won a permit to go to Angel’s Landing. A
scramble up one of the rock prominences in the Zion valley. Even although I climb,
walking along thin ledges with big drops on each side still gave me the fear
The way

The view from the top
21/05/26. Climbing in Zion. The last day of climbing on this trip and just a half day of
climbing before the heat of the day crept in. The rock here is soft sandstone and quite
sandy and friable low down with good harder sandstone high up on the big walls. We
climbed a 3-pitch route called Adventure Time 5.10 (soft in the grade), which involved
some proper open chimneying, a delicate traverse, where I snapped part of a hold off! A
squeeze through a hole and then a face climb up to the top. Another stunning mixed
route with magnificent views.

Relaxing in the chimney pitch

Bridging the gap

Out on the face
In the 2 weeks there I also got to see the Grand Canyon, some ancient Petroglyphs at
Parowan Gap, stay above 3000m’s at a ski resort and the lights and shows of Las Vegas
and drove more than 2000 miles across the middle of America.
It was such a memorable trip that I will go back to Devil’s Tower next year and lead the
routes the guide took me up, as well as El Matador a 5.10D considered to be much
harder than anything I have ever climbed before.
I am appreciative for the help Neil Mackezie Trust gave to help make this trip possible
and the whole trip has given me a lot of experiences to write about it my dissertation.
Until next year then