Posted by Doug Andrews on May 16, 2007 at 11:58 PM
Made my first trip down to Great Sand Dunes NP last weekend. Medano Creek was flowing well. A good 100 feet wide and several inches deep. The surge flow was quite interesting to observe. The cottonwoods were starting to leaf out. Tried hiking to the summit of High Dune, but it absolutely kicked my butt. Two steps forward, slide one step back. Started about an hour before sunset. Should have started earlier. Oh well, maybe next time. Here's a pic from near the Sand Pit.
Nice image, thanks for sharing. I find it takes me a good hour to make it over the crest of High Dune, so I like to start a couple hours before sunrise. It's no fun to hike back in the dark, either.
Doug, thanks for the report. I was going to ask if anyone had been there in thelast week or so. I am planning to go soon before it gets hot. How were the temps? Nice capture, I love the colors in the sand.
John
Posted by Doug Andrews on May 17, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Temps were in the upper 70s. Here's a pic of Medano Creek for those curious.
I really like the flow of this and the way that you show dunes, forest, and mountains. It's an excellent eco-diverse shot. I do agree that it has a yellowish cast, though.
Nice shot. I haven't seen many shots with trees- especially green ones. The first time I went to GSD I hiked to the top of Star Dune with a friend. We started at 4:00 and arrived at the top around 4:50. We hiked pretty fast because we were sure that we must have reached the "summit" every time...only to find that we were staring up at yet another higher dune...and another...and another. It was foggy and my headlamp only illuminated the next 20 feet at the most on a moonless night. Once we reached the top the fog started to dissappear and we could see that we were in fact at the top (great view!). My friend climbed in Crocs and had a heck of a time with the sand- a funny sight.
Nice shots! Your first one really shows the immensity of that sand and the contrast with the evergreens is interesting. But I really like your creek shot! It would be so nice to lay down in that water right now.
Doug, very nice shot. The incorporation of trees is a nice difference to this photo. Everything looks just a tad yellow on my calibrated monitor though.
Nice shots Doug. I really like your first one. It's a perspective I haven't seen before.
The last time I hiked High Dune it took about an hour and a half to get up and about 10 minutes to slide down
Discussion
12 repliesJohn
Medano Creek
I really like the flow of this and the way that you show dunes, forest, and mountains. It's an excellent eco-diverse shot. I do agree that it has a yellowish cast, though.
Brian
That's what I meant, a couple hours before sunset. I'm not that slow.
The last time I hiked High Dune it took about an hour and a half to get up and about 10 minutes to slide down