Scott Davis Anderson

In lieu of making kefir, I have been traveling.  My travels have taken me to The Great Sand Dunes National Park, where my friend Jeremy and I camped for two wintry nights.  The high temperature was 31°F and the low was 6°F. The wind chill was reported to be -10°F.

Upon arriving at the park, we explored the base of the dunes before heading out to set up our campsite.   The majestic contrast between the dunes, the mountains, and the national forest were breathtaking.  We ended up exploring for a little longer than we had realized, and as the sun quickly set behind the mountain tops, darkness consumed us.  We set up our tent with the use of a headlamp and a mini flashlight, and celebrated shelter with some freeze dried beef stroganoff and Redstone Mead. The stars were immaculate.  Orion appeared as usual, entangled with hundreds of stars that would have been indistinguishable had I been looking to the heavens from the city.  The sky looked less familiar as I hesitated to find the big dipper among so many unfamiliar constellations.  Sleep did not come easy in the frigid night air, as our haste caused us to miss closing some of the tent’s many zippers.  Nonetheless, we awoke happy and content on continuing onward with our adventure deeper into the dunes.

The second night Jeremy and I hiked toward a large mountain that stared at us with its two avalanche runs like giant white fangs.  It felt as though the mountain had been summoning us since our arrival at the park.  It became a mission of mine to get as close to it as possible, so I could better understand the power behind them.  In a hikers trance, we continued pushing further and further until we found ourselves on the tallest peak directly in front of the mystic mountain.  The dune peak we set camp on was around 8500 ft, and we arrived just as the sun began to set.  We were able to snap a few photos as we set up the tent, but the sun was soon swallowed up by the horizon.  We settled into the tent and ate some freeze dried sweet and sour pork and swallowed down a mixture of vodka and Kool-Aid, introduced to me by a camping buddy on a previous adventure.  The night temporarily seemed less frigid, but the wind continued to whip and howl throughout the night.  We soon realized we were sleeping on frozen ground as our body heat began to melt the ground beneath us.  The morning arrived and we emerged from the tent shivering with excitement as we were greeted by a new day, blessed with beautiful surroundings.  We packed our gear into our backpacks and soon found ourselves running down the sides of the steep sand dunes, laughing and smiling at the beautiful hand we were dealt.

Jeremy and I attempted to document our adventure by creating videos and snapping photos, but we found ourselves frequently saying “photos can’t do this place justice!”  I would also add that words can not replace the experience either; photos and words can only begin to describe it.

I leave this morning for Bozeman, Montana.  The plan is to visit Yellowstone National Park and visit with friends.  I will be traveling with my Mead and Vermicompost bin, so I will seek a cozy spot for my pets to rest while I head out for the next winter adventure.

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