Great Sand Dunes #OptOutside

This past weekend, I discovered that I love sand! For #OptOutside Friday, my pawrents took me to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. What a stunning surprise! You'd never expect to see North America's tallest sand dunes sandwiched between the Rocky Mountains and the high-mountain deserts. The landscape here is so diverse - too much for my little flat nose to take in! This park highlights thirty square miles of tall, gray sand dunes, as well as grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes and tundra. And it's dog-friendly!

We also picked a great day to explore the dunes. The sky was crystal-clear blue, the weather was cool, and the wind was still. I had so much fun sprinting through the sand, rolling down the dunes, and playing in the sand. The sand acts as if it is alive, dancing and rolling with the wind, avalanching and slipping through your paws with every step. I was in heaven!

But where do these sand dunes come from? The story of the dune's origins is constantly changing as geologists continue to unravel the many geologic mysteries of the dunes. In a nutshell, the Great Sand Dunes have been formed over thousands of years as sand deposits from mountain streams and lakes in the San Luis Valley floor are carried by forceful, northwesterly winds. The sands are caught by the low curve of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountain range and create the sand dunes in the valley below. An amazing geological feat in the southwest!  

Some of the dunes are super steep! I kept running in place trying to climb to the ridge of a massive dune and dug myself into a hole. My pawrents had to come rescue me and carry me to the top!

What a wonderful day for exploring and being outside this thanksgiving weekend. It is adventures like this with my pack that make me grateful. Hope all my furrends were able to #optoutside this weekend!

-Rosie

An Afternoon on Atalaya

Atalaya Mountain is like old faithful for me. It's a great hike that offers the greatest bang for your buck in terms of views, workout, and forest terrain for a distance of only about seven miles round trip. This is also a great year-round trail and fun to hike after deep snows. Atalaya Mountain is just over 9,000 feet in elevation and has many trails to choose from. Since today is little sis's first time hiking Atalaya, we hiked our standard Atalaya Trail that begins at St. John's College.

View looking back towards St. John's College as we begin our ascent. 

Lil sis is up for the challenge!

Atalaya is Spanish for watchtower, as people would use the grand vistas from the top of the mountain to watch out for fires in the valley below. From the top, you have a stunning full view of Santa Fe and the surrounding valleys.

We had wonderful, but not typical, November weather. The sky was so blue!

The beginning of the hike is one of my favorites. You feel like you are in Narnia! The trail is mostly shaded by pinon and juniper trees, as the trail winds its way up the mountainside. The forest smells so fresh and so clean! My nose was in heaven.

We always choose the steeper route -- it cuts off about a mile round trip -- and the climb gives you a great workout. The trail here is steep and rocky, but you still feel cozy with the surroundings of the forest canopy. As we climbed higher, the forest fauna begins to change to introduce more Douglas fir and ponderosa pine trees.

Near the top, the trail opens up to reveal breathtaking views of the Santa Fe valley. After a few switchbacks, the trail leads to the ridge along the top of the mountain, where you can walk along the ridge, enjoying the beautiful views, and scout for the ideal picnic spot for lunch.

And it's a great spot for snuggles, of course!

This has always been one of my favorite hikes!

-Roxie