Delighted. When you think of Colorado, what do you picture? Snow-capped mountains, dark evergreen forests, the yellow fall foliage of quaking aspens, or picturesque waterfalls surrounded by fields of wildflowers? Do you ever picutre the tallest sand dunes in North America, invoking thoughts of camels and extreme thirst? There is an amazing little secret, tucked into a pocket of jagged snow-capped mountains and bordered by two life-giving seasonal streams, in central Colorado that looks exactly like every picture of the Sahara Desert you've ever seen, minus the camels. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is everything I've described, and so much more.
Sand dunes as tall as 755 feet above the valley floor shift in the winds of the valley, stretching some 30 square miles back into a little corner formed by intersecting mountain ranges. Medano Creek, a seasonal stream that gushes from the nearby mountains while snow is melting, but dries up to a braided sandy channel at the front of the dunes by August, encircles half of the dune field and is the reason the dunes exist. Without water, the great dunes would sail away in the wind, grain by grain. Medano Creek itself is incredible, and one of the only places in the world where the creek pulses in waves, like at an ocean beach.
Megan and I were able to spend an entire day at Great Sand Dunes National Park in June, and it was just as amazing as every other time I've had the chance to visit this little pocket in central Colorado. The first thing we did is put our packs on and hike to the top of High Dune, the tallest dune on the front ridge of the dune field. It wasn't easy, even with the mental preparation I tried to give myself and Megan. It's rather disheartening when for every step you take, you slide half a step backwards in the fine grained sand. Even after a heavy rain, which we watched from halfway up a mountain across the valley, the sand shifted every time we moved. Our hike had us mostly moving upwards, though we followed the crests of the dunes and sometimes dipped down briefly in the saddles between each dune. Up and up, over a mile and a half of scorching sand, combined with higer elevations and a hot sun.
I'm pretty sure Megan hated me for the majority of the hike, but I hope she'll admit that the view at the top was spectacular. We were surrounded by sand, stretching all the way back to the mountains and then down to the creek. The rain was still drying off, and the dunes looked marbled in differnt shades of tan from our vantage point. High Dune was the destination and turn-around point for most of the day-use people at the park, and the crest of the dune was crowded. Walking a little farther away, out into the dune field, you were completely alone. Get out of sight of the front ridge and you might as well be the only person on earth.
Megan and I headed back to the creek after admiring the views and resting for a while. We drove the park roads, me wishfully longing for the Point of No Return Road that I knew from experience that my car would never be able to handle. Megan and I chose to catch some rays along the banks of Medano Creek, laying out our towels on the wet sand and stepping into the warm, shallow waters of the creek if we needed to cool down. We meandered downstream, watching the fascinating pulsing waves flow around us. The creek pulses due to it's composition: fine grained sand. As sand is carried downstream, it gets deposited and builds little sand dams which pool water behind each dam, until the pressure becomes too great. The dam breaks, sending a small wave of water rushing downstream. In late June, the creek is no deeper than mid-calf, and the waves look like large ripples, but the phenomenon is still mesmerizing.
Megan and I spent a relaxing day at the dunes, polishing it off with an incredible sunset. While we didn't get to see the Sangre de Christo mountains behind the dunes turn their namesake blood red color, we got to experience a tranquil sunset filled with light and shadows. We were even treated to a thunderstorm as we drove back to our campsite, making me wish that we had camped at the dunes instead. I have every intention of going back sometime soon, and might even make Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve my first overnight backpacking trip. Now that would be amazing.
What I'm listening to: Ironfoot by Howard Shore
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