It was Enedina who first floated the idea of making a trip to the dunes back in mid-May. “We should go to the Great Sand Dunes this summer!” she texted me. “Maybe around Fathers Day or your bday?” A couple weeks later, my brother Mark texted wondering if Monica and I wouldn’t mind his coming down from Boulder for a short visit at the end of June or early July, and maybe squeeze in a hike while he was here. After some calendar wrangling amongst the parties, we decided the first weekend in July would be the best time to visit Pueblo and on the following Monday Enedina, Mark, and I would make the 2 1/2-hour drive to take on the dunes.

Enedina’s Boomerang video from our trek at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. She planted the seed for the trip in mid-May.

For the unfamiliar, The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is tucked in a pocket along the eastern flank of the San Luis Valley, surrounded on three sides by the Sangre De Cristo mountains, not too far from Mosca and Crestone, at an elevation of 7,500 feet. The entire complex is 155,000 acres while the park itself is just 44,000 acres. By comparison, Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado is 266,000 acres. And Yellowstone National Park is  2,200,000 acres, 50 times bigger than the The Great Sand Dunes.

But the Dunes lack of stature doesn’t mean it lacks beauty. “They look like a painting,” Mark said, seeing the dunes for the first time. “And what are those? Ants?” he asked as we made our way to the visitors center, referring to the hikers sprinkled over the front of the park’s 30 square-mile dunefield. The dunes in the park can reach a height 750 feet, the tallest in the United States. They dwarf all comers. The lack of vegetation amplifies the scale and adds an element of “other worldliness” to the park.

After a short stop at the visitors center, Enedina, Mark, and I made our way to the parking lot and access to dunes. And though it was still mid-morning, the lot was full. It took us a couple circuits to finally find a spot to park. Mark suggested we walk up Medano creek to avoid the bottleneck of park-goers and hikers. While there are no trails on the dunes, there seems to be a tendency to “follow the leader.” Most of the hikers on the 19,000-acre dunefield are likely within a half-mile of each other and most of those within a mile from the parking lot. Mark’s call was a good one, giving us separation from the crowds. Then came the hard part: walking up shadeless hills under a July sun, at a thirty-degree pitch, in sand, for a mile.

I knew what was coming, having scaled the dunes before. But it was Mark and Enedina’s first time hiking there. Those two quickly learned it’s a meandering, uneven, teetering, ascent. Of course, there’s having to deal with altitude, too. And the sand gets hot, as in 140-degrees of hot, and ends up in everything, but principally shoes.

To no one’s surprised, Mark motored up through the sand with minimal effort (remember, he lives in Boulder, rides bikes, climbs…) while Enedina and I brought up the rear. Twice she was ready to pack it in. Being all too familiar with that state of mind, I encouraged her to keep sipping on her water while Mark suggested an incremental approach (hike-rest-hike) in reaching the top. She persevered, making it to the top and seemed genuinely surprised and pleased at her accomplishment. We documented the summiting with a selfie video that later that evening found its way to the Internet via an Instagram post, hash-tagged, at Mark’s half sarcastic, half serious suggestion with the all-encompassing #everythingcool.

Shadows drift across the landscape as a thunderstorm skirts the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The black dot atop the dune is a hiker.

While atop the dunes, we snacked on some lunch, took in the views, and snapped a few photos. A thundestorm was brewing to the south, making for some interesting light but possibly dubious weather, so we decided to make our way down to the car.

I have to concede it was cool being something of a Dunes ambassador to Mark and Enedina. Southern Colorado, I’ve learned, is home to some remarkably beautiful places. It was nice being able to share that fact with a pair of first-timers. Here’s hoping it won’t be the last time.