The van shook all night long from strong winds, but I slept good nonetheless. I needed and got eight hours of deep sleep. It was 60F at 0630, five degrees colder than yesterday at 0500.
Once awake at sunrise, I wanted to move on and leave the army post. Two days at WSMR is enough!
The wind died down when I got to White Sands National Monument, which meant that the eight-mile loop to the trailhead was open; high winds can close the road due to poor visibility.
I made it to the Alkali Flats trail at 0845. One other car was already in the lot. This trail is the only significant hiking trail at White Sands NM. For almost 4.6 miles it loops around the alkali flats of the former Lake Otero's old bottom, now made of traveling dunes. The trail is marked with orange stakes marking the route, and some are barely visible as drifting sand covers many.
White sand was all around me. This fine gypsum sand is the kind of sand I was expecting South Padre Island to look like. Instead I found oil and tar-laced sand covered with plastic trash there. Here at the park the sand seemed pristine, and fine, and so soothing to the tired legs. I hiked this trail barefoot.
The only other signs of life were two jet fighters circling the area.
Just as I reached the half-way point the wind started in again and didn't relent. Gypsum sand got into my eyes, my mouth, and quickly covered my body. I had no choice but to lay low until the wind died down, and hopefully it wouldn't take too long. The winds had been gusting for the past two days, but never long enough to proclaim long-term danger to anyone.
I sat there, with my back facing the northwesterly wind while I stared out toward the east, watching the fine sand skirt the top of the dunes. It was a surreal vision, and images of me "disappearing" in the sand came to mind. What if I got burried in the sand waiting for the winds to die down?
What would happen if I sat right here for a while and then out of the blue a body shows up from behind the dusting sands? I thought, as I huddled low, the wind blowing around me. No sooner than I thought that, two bodies did appear behind me on the trail. Seeing the two apparitions slowly moving into focus was like a scene from a M. Night Shyamalan movie. There were two bodies, both wearing backpacks and boots. They looked like two soldiers weighed down with combat packs on their backs.
I got up and contined my hike, stopping to take shots of the blowing wind or other sand formations.
My teeth were covered in a fine layer of the salty gypsum sand and my eyes were getting caked over in fine dust as well. The winds never did die down until I got back to the van at 1100, as the two men from Washington State caught up to me.
"Did you enjoy the sand?" I asked.
"It was awesome!" replied one man, all smiles.
"I had to sit down for a while to wait it out and thought how weird it would be if someone saw me, and there you two guys showed up"
"We saw you, but you were hard to find (I was wearing khaki-colored clothes that blend in with the desert) and you kept coming and going from us."
I was thirsty and still very sand-covered. I could feel the fine particles on the back of my neck.
The park was busy by the time I left. Familes were parked near the loop trail, many hiked up the small dunes along the road and rolled downhill. People posed in the white fine sand and kids blew the fine particles with glee for their mothers to see.
White Sands is a unique little place and I always enjoy coming here. I may plan a weekend trip back soon and plan it in accordance with the full moon. The park offers fullmoon hikes every month and allows visitors to stay longer to take night-time photographs. Nature photographers covet great shots of the night-time sand lighted in hues of deep blues and purples.
http://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/alkali-flat-trail.htm
Once awake at sunrise, I wanted to move on and leave the army post. Two days at WSMR is enough!
The wind died down when I got to White Sands National Monument, which meant that the eight-mile loop to the trailhead was open; high winds can close the road due to poor visibility.
I made it to the Alkali Flats trail at 0845. One other car was already in the lot. This trail is the only significant hiking trail at White Sands NM. For almost 4.6 miles it loops around the alkali flats of the former Lake Otero's old bottom, now made of traveling dunes. The trail is marked with orange stakes marking the route, and some are barely visible as drifting sand covers many.
White sand was all around me. This fine gypsum sand is the kind of sand I was expecting South Padre Island to look like. Instead I found oil and tar-laced sand covered with plastic trash there. Here at the park the sand seemed pristine, and fine, and so soothing to the tired legs. I hiked this trail barefoot.
The only other signs of life were two jet fighters circling the area.
Just as I reached the half-way point the wind started in again and didn't relent. Gypsum sand got into my eyes, my mouth, and quickly covered my body. I had no choice but to lay low until the wind died down, and hopefully it wouldn't take too long. The winds had been gusting for the past two days, but never long enough to proclaim long-term danger to anyone.
I sat there, with my back facing the northwesterly wind while I stared out toward the east, watching the fine sand skirt the top of the dunes. It was a surreal vision, and images of me "disappearing" in the sand came to mind. What if I got burried in the sand waiting for the winds to die down?
What would happen if I sat right here for a while and then out of the blue a body shows up from behind the dusting sands? I thought, as I huddled low, the wind blowing around me. No sooner than I thought that, two bodies did appear behind me on the trail. Seeing the two apparitions slowly moving into focus was like a scene from a M. Night Shyamalan movie. There were two bodies, both wearing backpacks and boots. They looked like two soldiers weighed down with combat packs on their backs.
I got up and contined my hike, stopping to take shots of the blowing wind or other sand formations.
My teeth were covered in a fine layer of the salty gypsum sand and my eyes were getting caked over in fine dust as well. The winds never did die down until I got back to the van at 1100, as the two men from Washington State caught up to me.
"Did you enjoy the sand?" I asked.
"It was awesome!" replied one man, all smiles.
"I had to sit down for a while to wait it out and thought how weird it would be if someone saw me, and there you two guys showed up"
"We saw you, but you were hard to find (I was wearing khaki-colored clothes that blend in with the desert) and you kept coming and going from us."
I was thirsty and still very sand-covered. I could feel the fine particles on the back of my neck.
The park was busy by the time I left. Familes were parked near the loop trail, many hiked up the small dunes along the road and rolled downhill. People posed in the white fine sand and kids blew the fine particles with glee for their mothers to see.
White Sands is a unique little place and I always enjoy coming here. I may plan a weekend trip back soon and plan it in accordance with the full moon. The park offers fullmoon hikes every month and allows visitors to stay longer to take night-time photographs. Nature photographers covet great shots of the night-time sand lighted in hues of deep blues and purples.
http://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/alkali-flat-trail.htm
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