This morning I woke up with a jolt, my phone was going off and in my sleepy haze my brain instantly went to something wrong back home, it took me a few seconds to realize it was just the alarm I had set the previous night. My plan for waking up at 5:00 am was to make coffee and relax but the more I thought about it it probably wasn't a good idea to have coffee before hiking The Great Sand Dunes. I substituted a protein shake for the coffee instead and by 6:30 am I was driving the short distance to the park. Before I even reached the park my day was already made for I saw my first ever wild pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)! It was a male and ran across the road in front of me; not too long after that I came across two huge male mule deer (Odoceileus hemionus) and then a few minutes after that four adult females and two fawns!!! Morning made ;)
When I finally made it to the parking lot I had already determined that today would be a good day. So grabbing my water pack I headed for the High Dune which was a 699 foot sand dune. In order to reach the dunes I would first have to cross the Medano Creek which was quite cold mind you. Once I made it across, I put my socks and shoes back on over my muddy feet and looked around to see where I should start. There are no trails going up the sand dunes but one can see the multiple foot prints from those who came earlier. Off in the distance I saw three people and so I decided I would follow them and see where it took me. It didn't take me long at all to decide that I am no fan of hiking up sand dunes! It was hard going and I had to stop quite often to catch my breath and rest my weary feet which never got a strong hold in the sand.
Soon I passed the three people I had been following and learned that they too did not really know how to get to High Dune so I took off in one direction and our roles were switched, for they were now following me. During the rest of the hike I pretended that I was a survivor that had become lost in the desert and now spent my days hiking in a wasteland of sand dunes searching for civilization and a trace of water. Let me tell you it actually worked to take my mind off of hiking those sand dunes. I also passed the corpses of many a beetle, throughout the hike, which after some research I discovered were ten-lined june beetles (Polyphylla decemlineata).
By around 8:00 am I would say I reached High Dune and carried on to the next dune over which was a tad higher. The view was spectacular for all around me were sand dunes which were themselves surrounded by green mountains that contained snow upon their summits. It was a surreal experience that is for sure. After just sitting on the top of the dune looking out over the vast landscape and snapping a few pictures I headed straight down the sand dune as if I were sand boarding.
Back at my camper, I headed in the direction of Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs since everyone I had spoken to had told me how absolutely amazing it is; plus I already had it on my list of things to see. The reality of it was unfortunately not as glamorous as everyone had made it out to be. It was basically a few large red rocks sticking out of the Earth, which I can appreciate the geologic history, but I just don't get what all the talk was about. It was so crowded with people that all the parking areas within the park were completely full so I was not able to stop and truly look at anything. The only thing I could think that would be worthwhile at this park would be rock climbing but that was $170.00 and if I am to spend that kind of money I would prefer to climb somewhere where the view does not include thousands of people.
By the time the drive thru the park was over and I had failed to locate a laundromat that I could park my camper I was irate. For the first time since starting my journey I felt like I did beforehand when I would become angry and upset. I think that the reason I felt this way was due to a combination of things such as: Garden of the Gods not being as great as I was anticipating, the roads were rough to drive on with my camper, homeless people were everywhere and I just received a bad vibe from Colorado Springs. I find it interesting how some places affect people in such a way and there have now been a few places that as soon as I entered the city I wanted out, whereas others put off a good vibe.
From Colorado Springs I drove west towards Aspen with a plan to head into Maroon-Bells Snowmass Wilderness for some hiking. The further I got from Colorado Springs the more beautiful the landscape became. There were mountains all around me and the air smelled fresh with a storm off in the distance. After a few failures in finding a place to camp I settled on BLM land near Twin Lakes. The view I had of the mountains was breathtaking and the temperature up there had dropped to around 58 degrees so it was perfect for snuggling up in pants and a sweatshirt.
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| The Great Sand Dunes NP |
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| Garden of the Gods |
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