Backpacking Great Sand Dunes National Park: Sunrise beneath the ponderosa pines

An early October sunrise greeted us as we unzipped and crawled out of the tent on Sunday morning.  While temperatures weren't as frigid like the numbers we experienced in the exposed dune field, it was still chilly with remnants of frost seen about in this subalpine forest that surrounded us. There's something…

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Backpacking Great Sand Dunes National Park: Wandering directionless into the wilderness

We made it through our first night camped out in the dunefield though temperatures dropped sharply as soon as the sun completely dove past the horizon.  The eeriest thing throughout the night was the silence, hearing only the routine slowly building strong gusts of wind that barreled down from the top of the tall dune…

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Backpacking Great Sand Dunes National Park: Pitching a tent in Colorado's sandbox

I was overcome with the biggest sensation of gratitude, standing once again on my feet at Colorado's dreamy Great Sand Dunes National Park. Rewind to 2015 in the midst of a 19-hour drive back to Wisconsin, I detoured from the main highway to check out this national park, but  my first time visiting  was much too sh…

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