We spent 3 days camping nearby Great Sand Dunes. Our first full day, we went to the Visitor Center, got the layout of the park, and then decided on one of the most difficult hikes, High Dune. I thought we’d hike High Dune in 2 days after the expected snow had melted off. But we were there; the kids were excited, and before we knew it, we were just doing the thing. Thankfully, the weather was really nice and cool, and the sand was cool on our feet. The kids decided to hike the whole thing without shoes. It was the most difficult hike we’ve done, and the kids didn’t complain at all!
That evening and the next morning, it snowed, so we laid low, but the snow had all melted off by noon. We went back to the dunes with sand tools in hand to make some fun sand castles. It messed with my head a little to walk by snow with sand castle toys to play.
The next day, we drove to Zapata Falls. The hike was fairly easy 1/2 mile each way with a little bit of elevation gain. The fresh snow made it easier to walk along the frozen stream up to the frozen falls. We could hear water running behind the frozen falls. It was beautiful. Without the snow, I’d recommend wearing ice cleats if the falls are still frozen to keep from slipping.
And then we all came down with Covid. 🤧
We’ve been super careful about exposure for 10 months but decided to eat indoors on our last day at Rocky Mountain NP. We’re certain that’s where we got it. Thankfully we’re all feeling much better now.
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