Thursday, July 22, 2021

Sledding and Boarding the Great Sand Dunes

 After our short hike at Zapata Falls, and packing up camp, we headed over to the Oasis Store and Campground to pick up a sand sled and sandboard. Then, we promptly headed into Great Sand Dunes National Park for our next adventure. The parking lot at the dune field entrance was pretty crowded, but we were able to find a parking spot relatively quickly. After packing some snacks and water and dousing ourselves with sunscreen, we crossed Medano Creek and headed into the dunes. 


At the first little ridge we found, we decided to give the boards a try. I waxed them up and we hit the slopes.



After a short time on the bunny hill, we were ready for a little bit more of a challenge and so we headed deeper into the dunes. 


We found a nice spot that we made our base for the next few hours. 






After a little while, I decided I wanted to explore a little deeper into the dunes. Noelle and Sierra were content to just stay put and slide down the sand. They let me go off on my own to try ascending to the top of High Dune. It was a tough hike in the soft sand, but I did make it to the top of High Dune. (Ironically, High Dune isn't the highest dune in the park, nearby Star Dune holds that title.) 



It was a much quicker return hike and after a few more turns sliding down the sand, 


the dunes started to feel pretty hot. We left the dune field for a parking lot picnic before moving on to our next adventure. 

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