The smell: damp earth and rock, wet pinon and juniper.
Above, jagged stone, overlaid with green, swallowed in cloud.
Below, massive sand dunes, people and trees dotting them like ants.
We cross a tiny creek amid the aspens. It gurgles over rocks with the gusto of a much bigger body of water.
We’re in the trees instead of on the dunes because I thought it would be the only comfortable place in the park at noon. Noon summer temperatures on the surface of the dunes can hit 150 degrees.
But a morning frontal system that’s still hanging around has the air temperature at 55 degrees at midday.
On any other day, we’d see 13,000-foot peaks soaring above us.
But on any other day, we wouldn’t see fog, wouldn’t see the muted tan of the dunes meet blue stone and green trees as if through a filter.
The light on the huge field of flowers at the highway wouldn’t be as dramatic.
The weather is always in control, but Colorado’s swings in temperature and precipitation really bring that home.
Show up. Prepare for temperatures somewhere between freezing and boiling, and any or all levels of precipitation.
Let nature do the rest.
Hike length: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: easy
Trail traffic: light
Wildlife spotted: three hawks and a rabbit on the highway into the park
Woman Seeks Elevation 