Teacher Hangs By A Thread

by Ernie Reinhold

For as long as she can remember Crook County native Josie Pearson has been intrigued with the thought of climbing Devils Tower. Pearson said, "This was a Dream that I always had." She chose the past perfect tense of the verb very deliberately, and when questioned about having given up the Dream she said she was quite sure she was too old and not in good enough condition.

Each year Community Education offers fitness classes which many of the teachers at Sundance Elementary take. Pearson, the school librarian, has frequently taken these classes. (We can't do anything about getting older, but we can always try to do something about being out of shape.)

In the fall of '99, the new teacher of the aerobics class was Mary Hogeland, frequently assisted by Frank Sanders. When Mary and Frank are not teaching fitness classes, or entertaining guests at Devils Tower Lodge, their Bed & Breakfast, they are climbing Devils Tower. Frank is a respected climbing guide, and is generally considered the finest fellow in the county.

"You discover that if you put your mind to it, your limits are much higher than you thought."

Pearson commented to her teachers about her lifelong Dream, now given up, only to discover that they didn't believe in given-up Dreams. Frank and Mary began to tease and cajole Pearson. "Too old" didn't deter them. "Out of shape" didn't convince them. "Scared of heights" didn't stop their badgering. "Hey, girl, when we gonna go play on the Tower?"

The old Dream started to come back to life for Pearson. She chose the day of May 6, the day after her 52nd birthday, to go with Sanders, Hogeland and another climber Gene Jose, to "play on the Tower." She wasn't trying to get to the top; she just wanted to see what it might be like, to climb, to rappel, to be clinging to a vertical rock with a great lot of nothing beneath her feet. They played for eight hours. She ached a lot the next day, but it was fun. She was dreaming again of climbing Devils Tower. Sanders and Hogeland kept up their teasing. " Hey, girl, when are we gonna climb to the top?"

Pearson teaches the children she works with every day not to be afraid of their dreams, not to give up on an idea just because it seems too hard or too improbable. September 9 was the day she chose to climb Devils Tower. It was a hot clear summer day, against the rock at the foot of the Durrance route (so named for early climber Jack Durrance who pioneered the route).

The rock on this route is quite different from the rock she had practiced on in the spring. This route requires that you wedge yourself into cracks. Many times, there are no obvious places to grab onto or to place a foot.

Pearson was climbing with three experienced climbers, who climbed ahead. She saw them go easily up, but when her turn came, she found herself stuck. She complained to Sanders that she just couldn't find a way, to which he replied, "That's no problem. I'll just tie you off and leave you." He kept teasing, she quit complaining.......she climbed. "You have to listen to the rock. You have to pay attention. I found out that I wasn't afraid. I felt safer on the face of the rock than I do on top of a ladder."

Hogeland and Sanders seem to share a philosophy about the real value of physically demanding activities in general. Hogeland says," You discover that if you put your mind to it, your limits are much higher than you thought." Sanders added, "You learn very important lessons about yourself."

Pearson reached the summit, just as her guides were sure that she would. The view was amazing. It was a clear day, and she could see the Big Horns, as well as the entire Bear Lodge and the Belle Fourche River Valley.

She showed her bruised knees and she says she aches absolutely everywhere, but when I asked her when her next climb would be, the look on her face told me that she is still Dreaming. She said she hasn't yet set a date for the next climb, but she is sure that she will.