They are right about the sledding!

by Jake
(Golden, CO)

They are right about the sledding. I love going to the Sand Dunes. I've been there many times, but this one takes the cake.

I went up there with my girlfriend last winter, and there was snow on the dunes so we thought it would be perfect sledding conditions. Well, we were right.

We hiked up to the top of the first ridge, and I decided to go first. It was easier hiking than normal because the sand was partially frozen. I hopped on my sled and literally flew. I was going so fast that I bailed about 50 feet before the bottom and still slid the rest of the way down. It was awesome, and I was excited to do it again. But first, it was my girlfriend's turn.

She hopped on her sled and flew down too. There was only one problem; she didn't bail! She just closed her eyes and flailed her arms. I was at the bottom yelling at her to bail, bail, bail! But she didn't.

We were farther up the Medano Primative Road where the water runs next to the dunes. The bottom was pretty much a sheet of frozen ice, and it made a pretty sharp angle with the slope of the dunes.

Well, she hit it hard to say the least, and she didn't stop there. She slid all the way across the flat area, about 100 feet, and finally stopped on the other side where it starts to slope back toward the parking lot.

She barely missed hitting a good size rock with her head, and I mean barely! It was so close that I actually thought she did hit it. I went sprinting over to her to find her laughing.

She was a little sore, but other than that she was fine. It was definitely a trip I will never forget.

If I could offer one piece of advise it would be: Go sledding in the winter because it is awesome, but either go higher up the dunes so you level out before the bottom, or learn how to bail!

Have fun!!