View this large. The wind is not kind near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Climbing the dunes was the single, most fun thing I did on my trip. I had no idea what to expect, all I was told was, "Good luck. It's hard", When I started my climb. Climbing giant dunes of quartz sand is what I imagine climbing giant piles of sugar must be like; extremely taxing, but very rewarding. Taking a three-foot step means sinking a foot into the dune and sliding two feet down the slope. Sure, I could have climbed the ridges of the dunes, which are comparatively easy due to the extreme winds packing the sand to a beach-like solidity, but that would ruin the challenge, and the fun. By the time I eclipsed the first peak, I saw another higher. Me, not about to be defeated by a pile of sand, climbed the next highest peak... then the next highest, until I was finally high enough to look over every other dune in the field. I had climbed to the top of Star Dune, the highest dune in North America. Just previous I was on High Dune, which is also no small dune, second or third highest on the continent, I believe (Eureka in Death Valley may be higher, I don't know off the top of my head). By the time I was finished climbing, I had emptied my shoes four times, amazed each time my feet still fit in my shoes with the volume of sand I had cast away. Winds and sand near the top of the dune whip hard enough to irritate skin, and turn it red for hours. "Seeing" the wind is fairly easy, and the hazier, softer, and more-flowing parts of the image--notably the left side--is evidence of sand in the wind. Man, that was fun. paulomernik.com
