21-year-old rock climber falls, dies at storied ‘Close Encounters’ filming location: National Park Service

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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, was “rappelling the second pitch of El Cracko Diablo” before his deadly fall, according to a release from the National Parks Service.

Shortly before 8:00 pm on Sunday, September 22, park rangers at Devils Tower were informed of a fall sustained by a visiting rock climber. First responders discovered 21-year-old Porter and his climbing partner about 45 minutes later, according to a release.

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During Porter’s fall, he “sustain[ed] major injuries” and was subsequently pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics. The distance from which the 21-year-old fell is “still under investigation,” according to an email sent to Fox News Digital from Devils Tower National Monument.

North America, USA, Wyoming, Sundance, Devils Tower National Monument, Devils Tower. (Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Devils Tower stands nearly 900 feet from base to summit and got its name from a poor early 1900s translation of “Bear Lodge” from the Lakota people into English. It is located in the Black Hills of Northeastern Wyoming.

The rock formation’s “hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America,” according to the National Parks Service. More recognizably, Devils Tower was featured heavily in the 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, directed by Steven Spielberg.

Director Steven Spielberg filming the 1977 sci-fi movie ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind,’ by Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. (Screen Archives/Getty Images)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind features Devils Tower as the “contact point” between human beings and the extra-terrestrials from the movie and as a motif of the main character’s recurring visions.

Porter’s partner was stranded after his fall and was later rescued by climbing guides from Devils Tower Lodge and Buck Wild. According to the National Parks Service, the majority of climbing falls and deaths occur during the rappel.

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The National Parks Service cites that there have been seven climbing deaths since the formation became a park in 1906. Climbing Devils Tower is not permitted during parts of spring and summer for nesting falcons on the Tower, as well as “Native American cultural and ceremonial values.”

Climbers scale Devils Tower. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“While climbing fatalities at Devils Tower are infrequent, it is still inherently dangerous,” wrote the National Parks Service. Various tips to be a smart climber include wearing helmets and to watch for animals on the climb. The El Cracko Diablo climb is rated at a difficulty level 5.7 by the Mountain Project.

The National Parks Service recommends, “in the event of an emergency, remain calm and attempt to call 911 or yell down to the Tower Trail. Assistance from local resources and monument staff may be available, though rescue is not certain.”

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“Devils Tower express appreciation for Devils Tower Lodge, Buck Wild Climbing Guides, Hulett EMS, and the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and monument staff who assisted in search and recovery efforts, and offer condolences to the family,” the National Parks Service release concluded.