The southernmost part of the Rocky Mountain range is called the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, and it's jagged ridge line features prominently in the distance. At the foot of the mountain you would expect the same thing you would see at any mountain base- wildflowers, rolling streams, pines giving way to underbrush. Alas no! You are wrong, and so was I.
This land is home to the one of the largest sand dunes in North America: Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. The sand dunes are straddled by two large streams- the Madano and Sand Creek that keep the sand there and were the original sources of sand deposit from the San Juan mountains.
The park is split up into three parts: the western sabkha (crusty sand), the middle sand sheet (grassy hills), and the eastern Dunefields. I got to camp out near the Dunefields on the eastern part of the park at the Piñon Flats Campground.
My eyes were set on climbing up the tallest dune at the park. Towering at 750 feet this sand dune is the tallest in North America and overlooks over 130 square miles of dune fields. So I began the climb...
The view was spectacular! You could see the San Juan mountains and a couple of Colorado friends I had made along the way said that they were going to find one of the sand dunes in the distance to watch the sunset. Happy Birthday Caleb, hope you saw a good one!
I awoke the next morning to the sound of mosquitos humming outside my tent and mule deer walking through the campsite, rummaging through different areas. As I left national park I caught one last glimpse of the mule deer grazing as the sun rose above the San Juan mountains, setting the dunes ablaze.
