I started out the day by heading to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Here is a PDF visual of the Park:
It is impressive in the fact that it sits in the middle of Colorado and not near any beaches, but we have tons of dunes like this in Michigan so I did not feel the need to hike around in the sand. I grabbed the prerequisite pictures and climbed back in the SUV.
Originally I was to head over to the town of Westcliffe to hike the Comnache Loop
But the illness had put me behind schedule and I misjudged some of the driving distances. Therefore I pushed through to Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods just Northwest of town.
The rock formations were created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago. Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric people visited Garden of the Gods about 1330 BC. About 250 BC Native American people camped in the park. They are believed to have been attracted to wildlife and plant life in the area and used overhangs created by the rocks for shelter.
I moved on from the main section as there was no climbing allowed there. In a separate section of the park I was able to hop around the rocks a bit and reminded me of a hike I had taken in Capital Reef National park back in 2007.
After leaving G.O.G. I worked further Northwest to Twin Lakes, near the town of Aspen. I stopped at a roadside cabin/restaurant where the locals gave me the location of a forest road where I could park and camp for the night. Its always the conversations with locals at the bar that turns you onto the hidden gems.
I eventually found the road and went back a few miles past the private land markers and camped along a river for the night. I promise tomorrow I will actually hike. What am I doing with all this driving?!
Until Tomorrow
Darren
