1 June 2023
It’s hard to express the bond formed between thru hikers. Even though Maggie and I rarely spent more than a handful of days with the friends we made on the PCT, there is something special about the shared experience.
When I got a text from Noodle that he was passing through Salida, CO, with another PCT hiker and their friend, I made sure to connect with them. They had been out backpacking in the Elk Range, confronting the realities of late spring snowpack. In search of more snow free terrain, they bailed to lower altitudes and booked a backcountry campsite in Great Sand Dunes National Park. As a funemployed adventurer, I had to say yes when they invited me to join! It would be a casual overnight into the dunes, with more emphasis on getting good pics for the ‘gram than the physical challenge.
The four of us, Noodle, Upgrade, Paige, and myself, set off from the Pinyon Flats campground around 5 pm. It would only be 4 miles to our campsite, and the longer summer days made our late start quite reasonable.
The weather was wonderful with mild temps and some high cloud cover. Occasionally, the sun broke through, and the dunes lit up with a brilliant gold on the horizon.
The trail was fairly mellow, weaving through lots of pinyon pine with the occasional grove of firs and cottonwoods. We took loads of pictures on this short stretch of trail, making sure to capture any noteworthy view between the trees.
Some dark, threatening clouds were growing to the west. Between all the photo shoots and otherwise awkward pace hiking through sand, we decided to take a small shortcut down a wash which would lead us directly to the Indian Grove backcountry site. Other than piles of thorny tumbleweed, the shortcut worked out quite well. We found the camping area in a clearing between large trees. Mother nature kindly waited while we got to work setting up our tents. We had a few moments to explore the campsite, but a cold rain began to fall and we all took shelter.
We hatched a plan for the next day. Upgrade really wanted to get some pictures in the dunes around sunrise, which meant leaving camp around 6 am. I’m not much of a morning person, but I agreed it would be worth it. I can always catch up on sleep with my lifestyle.
I was up at 4:30 to get some hot tea and oatmeal down before setting off at dawn with the group. One obstacle was in the way – Medano Creek. Cutting between our camp and the dunes, no one wanted to ford the creek and start the day with wet, cold feet. It didn’t take long to find a solid log crossing, but it was damp and slippery. We all crawled or straddled the log and scooted our butts across, a fun way to start the day!
There are no trails in the dunes. We didn’t even really know where we were going, just uphill. This east side of the dunes was fairly vegetated up the first slope, with grasses and shrubs, even a small cottonwood. We worked our way up as the sun was starting to peek out behind the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We picked a high dune as our goal and plodded onward.
The lighting was truly epic, totally worth the early start. Low angle sun casts shadows everywhere, showing off the landscape’s texture. Most of the discussion was on how to frame the perfect shots.
The real treat of hiking out from our backcountry campsite was that we had this corner of the dunes all to ourselves. There is a popular area where the pavement ends in the park. You can expect to see hundreds of people around there, but we were all alone out here, soaking in the serenity.
The four of us reached the summit of our high dune, where we took a seat and caught our breath while the views continued to take our breath away.
The best part about going up sand dunes is going down. Steep slopes and relatively soft ground mean you can absolutely rip it straight down. I tend to to a skip-jump stride, maximizing my air time between each step. Running down the dunes makes me feel like a little kid again!
We wandered back down to camp, crossing the log bridge again. We were back at camp around 8 am, and we took some time to chill and pack up.
We hiked out on the sandy road, enjoying casual terrain and casual conversation. We weren’t even in the park for 24 hours, but it was one of the most beautiful and fun experiences I’ve had in a national park! Once again, great company made for a great time. I wasn’t planning on going to the Great Sand Dunes National Park this summer, let alone wake up for a sunrise photoshoot, but I’m glad I have adventurous friends who get me out to do cool stuff!
Distance Over Time 