Devils Tower魔鬼塔

侯冬意

◆Brief Introduction 概况

Devils Tower is a famous rock in Crook County， northeastern Wyoming. It rises 1，267 feet （386 m） above the Belle Fourche River， standing 867 feet （265 m） from summit1 to base. The summit is 5，112 feet （1，559 m） above sea level.

Devils Tower was the first declared United States National Monument2， established on September 24， 1906， by President Theodore Roosevelt. The monuments boundary encloses3 an area of 1，347 acres （545 ha.）.

In recent years， about 1% of the monuments 400，000 annual visitors climbed Devils Tower， mostly using traditional climbing techniques.

魔鬼塔是怀俄明州东北部克鲁克县一块著名的岩石。它高出贝尔富什河1267英尺（386米），从岩石顶部到基部高867英尺（265米）。岩石顶部海拔为5112英尺（1559米）。

1906年9月24日，西奧多·罗斯福总统宣布魔鬼塔为首个美国国家纪念区，该纪念区占地1347英亩（545公顷）。

近年来，每年40万名游客中大约有1%的人爬上了魔鬼塔，他们大多使用的传统攀岩技术。

◆Origin of the Name 名字的由来

The rock was named by Native Americans“the Bears House” and so on. The name “Devils Tower” originated in 1875 during an expedition4 led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge， when his interpreter reportedly misinterpreted a native name to mean “Bad Gods Tower”， which was later changed to“Devils Tower”. All information signs in that area use the name“Devils Tower”， following a geographic naming standard whereby the apostrophe5 is eliminated6.

这块岩石被美国原住民称作“熊的居所”等。“魔鬼之塔”这个名字源自于1875年由理查德·欧文·道奇上校率领的探险队。据说当时他的翻译把当地的名字曲解成了“邪神的塔”的意思，之后又变成了“魔鬼之塔”。于是该地区所有的信息标志都遵循了地理命名标准省去了撇号而使用了“魔鬼塔”这个名字。

◆Native American folklore 美国原住民的传说

According some of the Native American tribes7， a group of girls went out to play and were spotted by several giant bears， which began to chase them. In an effort to escape the bears， the girls climbed on top of a rock， fell to their knees， and prayed to the Great Spirit to save them. Hearing their prayers， the Great Spirit made the rock rise from the ground towards the heavens so that the bears could not reach the girls. The bears， in an effort to climb the rock， left deep claw marks in the sides， which had become too steep to climb. Those are the marks which appear today on the sides of Devils Tower. When the girls reached the sky， they were turned into the stars.

根据一些美国原住民部落的传说，有一群女孩出去游玩，被几头巨大的熊发现了，熊开始追捕她们。为了躲避熊，女孩们爬上一块岩石，跪倒祈求神灵的帮助。听到她们的祈祷，神灵使岩石从地面向上升起，让熊无法抓到她们。岩石变得十分陡峭无法攀爬。熊们为了攀上岩石，在岩石侧面留下了深深的爪痕。这些就是现在魔鬼塔侧面痕迹的由来。而这些女孩们升上天空，化成了星星。

◆Close Encounters of the Third Kind 《第三类接触》

The 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind directed by Steven Spielberg used the rock formation as a plot element and as the location of its climactic8 scenes （where the government specialists communicate with the UFOs）. Its release was the cause of a large increase in visitors and climbers to the monument.

1977由史蒂夫·斯皮尔伯格执导的电影《第三类接触》将该岩石作为情节元素和影片高潮（政府专家们与不明飞行物进行交流）的发生地。该影片的上映使造访该纪念区的游客和攀岩者的数量激增。

◆Climbing 攀岩活动

In recent years， climbing Devils Tower has increased in popularity. Today， hundreds of climbers challenge the rock walls of Devils Tower each summer. All climbers are required to register with a park ranger before and after attempting a climb. No overnight camping at the summit is allowed； climbers return to base on the same day they ascend9.

The Tower is sacred10 to several Indian tribes. Because of this， many Indian leaders objected to climbers ascending the monument， considering this to be a desecration11. During the month of June when the tribes are conducting ceremonies around the monument， climbers are asked （but not required） to stay off the Tower.

近年来，攀登魔鬼塔越来越受欢迎。如今，每年夏天有数百名攀岩者来挑战魔鬼塔的石壁。所有攀岩者在攀登之前和之后都必须向公园管理员登记。禁止在山顶露营过夜；攀岩者要在攀登的当天返回岩石基部。

魔鬼塔是多个印第安部落的圣地。因此，许多印第安人首领反对攀岩者登上魔鬼塔，认为这是一种亵渎。在六月，当各部落在该纪念区周围举行仪式时，登山者被要求（但不是必需）离开魔鬼塔。