Chevy Boy

Chevy, the latest addition to the family:

Colorado Sand Dunes backpacking trip

Last weekend we went on an overnight backpacking trip in The Sand Dunes National Park in the San Luis Valley by Alamosa. This was one of the best camping experiences so I decided to document it for further use. Here's the breakdown of the weekend trip:

• Leave Boulder at 8am, get there by 12pm. The 285 route is unbelievable with high plains and multiple passes
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• We crossed the Medano Creek and started walking barefoot through the dunes. It is a surreal experience that I highly recommend. Some sides of the dunes are very hot (we believe Sedona burned her paws a little bit) and some side are quite cold. Riding down the very steep side of a dune is a lot of fun.
• We started on our hike around 3pm. We drove up the jeep road to the "Point of no return" Don't forget to let some air out of the tires otherwise you'll get stuck in the sand which is not fun. We had to hike on the jeep road because dogs are not allowed on the trails anymore. All the terrain is very sandy and the hiking speed is about half as normal. Although the air temperature was in the 50's it was quite hot at the sand level. Sedona would walk for 5 minutes and then take a break for huffing and puffing.
• We hiked 3.8 miles up to the Wilderness and then found a good campsite 0.5 miles up into the reserve. The campsites were amazing: bear boxes, metal fire rings, and lots of firewood because everybody carcamps. Fires are allowed in the wilderness.
• We had a fire going for a few hours and turned in at 9:30 pm. The overnight temperature was in the 20's but neither of us was cold. Sedona was shaking to keep warm around 4am, but she snuggled in between our sleeping bags and warmed up quickly.
  
• In the morning we took a short hike without backpacks to the Frenchman's cabin, 1 mile up the road. We found a group of 8 big horn sheep at the second creek crossing.
• We started the hike back at around 1pm. We decided to take the trail on the way down which turned out to be a mistake. I usually like a more challenging route, but hiking in the sand is up and down the dunes is quite exhausting. We made it back to the car in 2.5 hours
• We stopped in Alamosa for a bite because we ran out of food when we left the campsite (I call it super efficient backpacking). We ate at Pizza Den a mom & pop italian place that we surmised was one of the best food places in Alamosa. The town is very hot and dreary, with a typical western flavor.