5/22/11- White Sands National Monument, White Sands, AZ.
Leaving Carlsbad was nearly as exciting as entering it- flat dusty roads surrounded by expanses of dry dusty earth so vast that the wind would try to drive the Jeep for me. Eventually, though, we wound our way up through the canyon and exited a pass on the other side of the mountains only to be faced with yet another vast expanse of desert. On the distant horizon, you could barely make out the thin dark ridge of another looming mountain range, and beyond it, a third. Like parallel cut canals, the ridges seemed like fences keeping wild herds of dust devils separated from one another. 
The last of these mountain ranges we climbed through brought us our first taste of the high alpine environment. Before we knew what hit us, we were over 7,000 feet above sea level, and were noticing the first few Aspen trees mixed into the tall pines around us. The nearby construction of new ski lifts and signs for an ice rink seemed strangely out of place so close to such a hot dry place as White Sands Arizona.
As we emerged from the pine trees, we could see another desolate basin before us, and in the distance, the thin white line of the pure white sand-dunes in the park. This valley (very similar to Roswell) was loaded with outer space/ alien themed gas stations and “museums” as this particular stretch of desert was home to a couple of U.S. Air Force bases and the majority of the U.S. missile testing & firing ranges. At the entrance of White Sands National Monument as we paid for our campsite for the night, the ranger reviewed a number of potentially dangerous pieces of missile shrapnel that we should be careful not to disturb should we encounter them.
White Sands Monument deserves all the attention it gets for being one of the most truly alien environments on earth. Mile after square mile of pure white gypsum sand with so little to differentiate one dune from the next that even with a compass, backcountry enthusiasts need be wary of becoming disoriented and lost. Since there was no available car camping (or water) inside the park, we were happy to break out the backpacks and light weight camping gear for the 1mile+ hike to our campsite. Unfortunately, the hard packed sandy patch at the base of a nearly 70 foot tall sand dune felt like concrete to those of us using only thin foam sleeping pads.
The last of these mountain ranges we climbed through brought us our first taste of the high alpine environment. Before we knew what hit us, we were over 7,000 feet above sea level, and were noticing the first few Aspen trees mixed into the tall pines around us. The nearby construction of new ski lifts and signs for an ice rink seemed strangely out of place so close to such a hot dry place as White Sands Arizona.
As we emerged from the pine trees, we could see another desolate basin before us, and in the distance, the thin white line of the pure white sand-dunes in the park. This valley (very similar to Roswell) was loaded with outer space/ alien themed gas stations and “museums” as this particular stretch of desert was home to a couple of U.S. Air Force bases and the majority of the U.S. missile testing & firing ranges. At the entrance of White Sands National Monument as we paid for our campsite for the night, the ranger reviewed a number of potentially dangerous pieces of missile shrapnel that we should be careful not to disturb should we encounter them.
White Sands Monument deserves all the attention it gets for being one of the most truly alien environments on earth. Mile after square mile of pure white gypsum sand with so little to differentiate one dune from the next that even with a compass, backcountry enthusiasts need be wary of becoming disoriented and lost. Since there was no available car camping (or water) inside the park, we were happy to break out the backpacks and light weight camping gear for the 1mile+ hike to our campsite. Unfortunately, the hard packed sandy patch at the base of a nearly 70 foot tall sand dune felt like concrete to those of us using only thin foam sleeping pads.
No comments:
Post a Comment