Aug02
Hiking the Surreal…
Yesterday afternoon, I joined a local hiking club for a potluck dinner and evening hike at the Alkali Flats Trail at White Sands National Monument.  There were about twenty-five attendees, and a wonderful mix of food. (Loved the mega spicy guacamole!)
We began the five mile hike at 7:30 p.m. The heat of the day was dissapating, and a gentle soft breeze was most welcome to us all. The moon was not full but visable, but we were advised to bring along flashlights – just in case.  It was still daylight when we began the hike, but about halfway through night fell. It was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had – hiking up and down the dunes in the dark.
However, at one point it got “dicey.” It seems that sand dunes shift as the wind blows, and some of the markers were almost buried in the sand – even harder to see in the dark. At one point, we all stopped because we couldn’t find the next trail marker.  Suprisingly, a small group (with their flashlights) fanned out and finally got us all back on the trail. Visions of “Hansel and Gretel” came to mind – maybe we should have left a trail of breadcrumbs in the moonlight…
We finished the hike about 9:30 p.m. – just in time to stop for a drink on the way home back to Las Cruces. You can view all of the photos of the hike in this Flickr set.
Wow, that must have been an exciting adventure. I for one would go for something like this.
How are you Desert Diva? Hope your summer vacation is just great.
oh….this photo is wonderful……too bad the way was found…now you do have to report to the schoolhouse….
Your photos from this trip are fantastic, well done!
That sounds like an interesting experience! I love the White Sands area.