Having survived the horrors of the San Luis Valley state park campground (see previous post), we were delighted to make our way to our next National Park, Great Sand Dunes. Since we had briefly scouted out the park the day before, we knew where our campsite was and what we wanted to do upon arrival. We quickly set up the tent and established our base camp for the next two nights.
Up until the time of planning our trip, we didn’t even know there was a Great Sand Dunes National Park, and we would have never guessed it was in Colorado, miles and miles away from the ocean. But there they were, giant sand dunes stretching out before us, up to 750 feet tall. What a sight. At home in Nags Head, our property abuts Jockeys Ridge State Park, with sand dunes rising up to 100 feet. Our dunes are dwarfed by the massive dunes of Great Sand Dunes. It is really unbelievable.
On our first evening in the park, the weather was beautiful. It was mild, with only a slight breeze, so we decided to take a hike on the dunes. As we approached them, we could see and hear the sights and sounds of dozens of happy families reveling in the huge sand box that surrounded us. It was a very neat moment.
To get to the dunes, we had to cross a small creek that runs between the parking area and the base of the dunes. Usually at this time of year there is no water running in it, but on this day there was. Like little kids, we decided to leave our shoes in the car and walk barefoot thorugh the cool and refreshing ankle deep water and begin the ascent, We had no intentions of climbing to the top of the tall dune in front of us, and so we took a leisurely pace upward, enjoying the festive atmosphere of a summer evening in the park.
The dunes towered above us. With each step we took, we were proceeding higher and higher.
The families below us were looking smaller and smaller, and yet the dunes seemed to be getting taller. After about a half of an hour of walking we reached a decision point: push for the summit or head back down. Since the weather was so pleasant and we were feeling fine, we decided to continue upward for the crest of the 650 foot dune we were scaling. The last 200 feet was extremely steep and it was necessary to crawl hand and foot to the top to avoid tumbling down. When we reached the peak, the view was breathtaking. In front of us were even taller dunes and behind us stunning mountain peaks. In between the two was a vast, green meadow marking a transition between the two ecosystems. We took time to just savor what our eyes beheld.
Satisfied that we had reached the top, we hiked along the ridge of the dune we were on and then down the face of a second one to reach the bottom and once again we walked through the cool creek water and back to our car. What had started out as a small taste of what we were planning on doing the following day turned into a feast of all the dunes had to offer. Given the forecast for the next day, warm temperatures and somewhat windy, we knew we had made the right choice in making the climb that evening. We also knew we could fill up our time with other activities in the park.
In the morning, we took a very nice 2 mile hike up one of the mountains adjacent to the campground. At one point during the hike, we noticed a rather large black object about 50 yards away. It was a hugh black bear who took a minute to look at us, and then quickly bounded off into the forest. It was the first time either of us had seen a bear while we were hiking on foot. In the past we had seen them from the safety of our car, but this time, there was no car separating us from the bear; we were in his home turf. Since it was a black bear, we knew we weren’t in danger, but it still caused us to pause and remember where we were.
Our time in Great Sand Dunes was very nice. It provided a different experience than the canyons we had spent so much time in over the past couple of weeks. The dunes did make us a bit homesick for our own dunes back in Nags Head. We were still more than 2,000 miles and weeks away from home, though, so we pushed those thoughts from our minds and focused on the beauty before us. Next stop, Rocky Mountain National Park.