4 Wheels 4 Girls

On April 14th, we went to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We were going to hike on the dunes. We had breakfast and then we went into the Visitor Center. They told us that we should go to a different parking lot, closer to the dunes. We saw deer along the road. We drove for a short while. We had to get our snow gear on. After that we finally got on our hike.

I ran to the front because I was so happy. When I stepped in the sand, I thought it was mud and I jumped over part of the sand. I started to run and it felt really weird with my feet sinking in the sand. I waited for everybody to catch up and then I started to run again. We walked on the flat sand for a long time. The flat sand was actually a dry creekbed which fills with melting snow every summer and carries sand from the dunes away for the wind to blow back on top of the dunes all over again. Then we came to our first dune. It was small but we could see the dunes were going to get much bigger.

The fresh snow made beautiful patterns on the dunes as it blew around and began to melt away

I lead us up the big dunes. It was hard at first, but it got easier to walk up the dunes. [Editor’s note: It was easy for Ellie; the rest of us were huffing and puffing the whole way up.] We got thirsty and my mom told us to lick the snow off the dunes and try not to get sand in our mouth.

Licking the snow on the way up.

We continued up the bigger dunes toward the peak of High Dune. At the top of one dune I thought we were at the top, but on the other side was just a big drop and taller dunes. When my dad caught up, he told me we should wait for the rest of our family.

That's me leading the way up the dunes. Come on, everybody!

Then I lead the way to the very top. When I got there, I shouted with joy and almost fell down the side of the dune. When everyone else got to the top I hugged them. Greta was grinning from ear to ear. At the top, I saw the Sangre de Christo mountains all around, and I saw even bigger dunes stretching a long ways away.

That's me at the very top of High Dune!

We rested at the top and then started our hike down. Stella lead us down the dunes until I cut in front of her, and then we ran down together.

Being in the dunes made me feel happy to be there.