A 21-year-old rock climber from Wisconsin has been declared dead after a fall at Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming over the weekend.
Stewart Philip Porter of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, died after falling while rappelling the second pitch of El Craco Diablo. According to the announcement: From the National Park Service.
Shortly before 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, park rangers at Devils Tower received a call reporting a visiting rock climber had fallen. Emergency personnel found Porter, 21, and his climbing companion about 45 minutes later, according to the release.
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When Porter fell, he said,[ed] The man suffered “serious injuries” and was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. In an email to Fox News Digital, Devils Tower National Monument said the distance from which the 21-year-old fell was “still under investigation.”
North America, United States, Wyoming, Sundance, Devils Tower National Monument, Devils Tower. (Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Devils Tower is about 900 feet high from base to summit and gets its name from a clumsy English translation of the Lakota word “Bear Lodge” in the early 1900s. It is located in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming.
According to the National Park Service, the rock formation “contains hundreds of parallel fissures, making it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America.” More famously, Devils Tower was featured in the 1977 film “The Great Gatsby.” Encounter with the unknown, Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Director Steven Spielberg filmed his 1977 sci-fi film Close Encounters of the Third Kind at Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. (Screen Archives/Getty Images)
Encounter with the unknown In the film, Devils Tower is depicted as a “point of contact” between humans and extraterrestrials, and as a motif in the protagonist's recurring hallucinations.
Porter's partner was left behind after the fall and was later rescued by guides from Devils Tower Lodge and Buckwild. Most falls and fatalities during mountaineering occur while rappelling, according to the National Park Service.
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According to the National Park Service, seven people have died while climbing since the site became a park in 1906. Climbing Devils Tower is prohibited during the spring and summer due to nesting peregrine falcons on the tower and “Native American cultural and ceremonial values.”
Climbers ascend Devils Tower. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“Fatal accidents during climbs on Devils Tower are rare, but it is still inherently dangerous,” the National Park Service wrote. Tips for being a smart climber include wearing a helmet and being mindful of animals while climbing. Climbing El Craco Diablo is Mountain Project.
The National Park Service advises, “If an emergency occurs, remain calm and call 911 or yell toward Tower Trail. Assistance from local resources and monument staff may be available, but rescue is not guaranteed.”
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“Devils Tower would like to thank Devils Tower Lodge, Buck Wild Climbing Guides, Hewlett EMS, Crook County Sheriff's Office and monument staff for their assistance in the search and rescue efforts and extend their condolences to the family,” the National Park Service release concluded.
