Needles of the Black Hills. The Iowa Mountaineers 1961 Summer Camp in the Black Hills represents the first outing of a major mountaineering club in this area. Forty-four members set up camp at the Forest Service campground at Horsethief Lake. From camp, members traveled by auto to the Cathedral Spires and Sylvan Lake areas, where they made a number of climbs during the period August 15-27. Beginners did most of their climbing on the numerous pinnacles near camp. Climbing was under the direction of Hans Gmoser and Harvey Carter, with John Evans and Herb and Jan Conn providing valuable advice and leadership from their wide experience in this area. A school of mountaineering was conducted by Annie Carter. Registers were placed on 12 spires: Cathedral Spire 1, Cathedral Spire 4, South Tower, Inner Outlet, Outer Outlet, Bloody Spire, Bell Tower, Olton’s Shoulder, The Monster, Sultan’s Tower, Elkhorn Mountain, and Horsethief Spire. All had been climbed before, but the registers were previously in makeshift containers. For the most part, climbs were made using the routes described by Herb Conn of Custer, S. D., in his booklet "Rock Climbs in the Needles." This area is highly recommended for serious rock climbers, as the rock is excellent, there are many chimneys, and there are innumerable climbs of all degrees of difficulty. The outing was climaxed by ascents of Devils Tower, Wyoming by two parties. The Durrance route was used. One party consisted of John Evans, Sue Prince, Celia Eckey, Hans Gmoser, Claire Brown, Bob Ashton, Earl Carter, Harvey Carter, and Annie Carter. A second climb was made by Hans Gmoser, Sibyl Christensen, and James Wilkerson. John Ebert served as advance director and James Osborn as outing leader.

John Ebert