[Leica] Great Sand Dunes National Park

[Howard Ritter]

Thanks, Aram. No, we did not. My wife and I are healthy and thankfully unafflicted with heart, lung, or joint issues, but we do both labor under a deficiency of fitness and a moderate excess of avoirdupois. If Weight Watchers works as well as they claim (starting as soon as we arrive home!), then I’d like to come back and climb High Dune next year. Really looking forward to that trip down!

—howard


On Aug 8, 2014, at 5:41 PM, Aram Langhans <leica_r8 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Love that place and your pictures are great.  But did you hike to the top?
> I timed some of it.  About half way up is a sort of level area and that is
> where my wife pooped out.  That was at about 250 feet.   I went from there,
> stopping in a few places to photograph, and it took me 45 minutes to slog
> up, two steps forward, one step back.  I was exhausted but thrilled to be at
> the top of the High Dune on the first ridge.   They say it is 700', but it
> was the hardest 700' I ever did.  Rested at the top and took some photos,
> then turned to go down.  I packed my camera carefully in a case and under my
> windbreaker in case I fell, then off I went.  I timed it, too.  It took less
> than 4 minutes to get back to her.  Each step with the sliding down was
> probably 15-20 feet.  It was like skiing.  Amazing and fun.
> 
> Aram
> 
> Aram Langhans
> (Semi) Retired  Science Teacher
> & Unemployed photographer
>  
> “The Human Genome Project has proved Darwin more right than Darwin himself
> would ever have dared dream.”   James D. Watson