Date: May 18 - 19, 2018
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park
Distance: 10 miles round trip
Weather: Windy (up to 40 mph)
Group: Solo trip
This is a dry area. I started my trip with 5 liters of water. I returned to the car the following day without a drop left. If you backpack in this area, I strongly recommend taking LOTS to drink. I also wouldn't backpack in this area after May, unless you go in after 6PM and are out by 10AM. Even with temperatures in the high 60s/low 70s, this was hot. Add a dehydrating wind and you burn through water in a hurry.
A large part of what makes this area so appealing is the presence of the adjacent mountains. Unfortunately, you have to get a permit (free) to backpack in this area, but the permit office doesn't open until 9:30AM. After waiting an hour and then securing my permit, I downed about a quart of water over 1/2 an hour, and headed out with my pack that was almost 40% water (by weight).
I meandered around, picking paths through the dunes, for about 5 miles. Towards the end of that meandering I started checking out the wind situation in various spots – down in bowls, behind little ridges, out in the open, etc. They all seemed to get about the same amount of wind. So I picked a spot with a view and set up the Trailstar.
I can usually pitch this shelter in a few minutes. With the wind and loose sand, it took me over an hour, unfortunately. I’d get a stake/anchor in and move to another and a gust would tear it out. I had come prepared with longer stakes and snow/sand anchors, but to get any of them to hold I had to dig pretty deep. Digging deep in loose, dry sand, also means going wide. So in the end, I had to excavate 10 separate 2-ft diameter spots to get solid anchors that could take the wind.
About an hour after getting the Trailstar set, the wind started getting serious. It also shifted directions - twice. Long story short – picture me laying on the ground under the Trailstar with my backpack and stuff sacks piled around the entrance (me huddled behind them) trying not to breathe sand as the wind slowly buried me with sand. I decided that would make for a long night so I explored around and found a little bowl that the wind seemed to be missing (at least right then). I went back to the Trailstar, took it down (carefully so it didn’t turn into a kite) and then re-pitched it in the bowl.
While packing, I had debated between bringing Moby Dick (sea/waves of sand and all) or the Martian (alone in the middle of a wasteland). I settled on the Martian and read it while enjoying the afternoon/evening sun while putting up with non-mission scrubbing wind.
Lightning flashes and thunder woke me up around 10 or 11, but fortunately the storm passed by. I slept great and had everything packed and was headed back by 6AM. I had to pause for the sun to work through some clouds, but was rewarded with some fun photography opportunities.
