The two women, who became friends at a Disney World internship in Florida, had spent two days exploring the park and camping in the park’s back-country, accessible only to hikers or drivers with four-wheel drive vehicles.
A big draw is the area around Medano Creek, which becomes a playground in the spring and early summer when the water is a little deeper and widespread than it was in July.
Kids bring buckets and shovels and adults splash in the shallow surf.
"It’s like the only beach we have," Blackburn said. "In May, everyone comes out and plays. The water is only about 2 inches deep, but it’s fun. It’s cold, though."
About that time Malcolm sounded the horn in Blackburn’s SUV, her signal to hurry.
"He does that all the time," she said, laughing. "He gets impatient."
Although the dunes are the centerpiece of the park, the area around Medano Creek is a good example of the diversity in the landscape. Visitors can explore wetlands and grasslands. Toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, forest trails wind through aspens and firs and alpine trails reach above timberline. Hikers may find pronghorns, bighorn sheep, elk, buffalo, even black bears.
As I was walking along the Montville Nature Trail later in the morning, I asked ranger Paul Yoder about the chances of encountering a bear.
"Fairly likely, but more likely that one will see you," he said.
"Whenever I encounter a bear on these trails, I usually say something in a loud voice like, ‘Oh, look, there’s a bear,’ and then it goes away ... Black bears that live in this area will almost certainly run away."
We didn’t run into any bears that morning. Birds and plants were the order of the day on a hike Yoder was leading called "Bird and Tree Business."
"I think this is a pretty amazing place because the mountains are so precipitous," he said. "The life zone here is amazing."
The Montville Trail was rich with wildflowers and birdsong, partly thanks to a wet spring. First by whistling, then by using a small recorder he called to the birds along the trail. They responded again and again.
"I choose little birds so not to scare them," he said. "If I choose a red-tailed hawk, we wouldn’t hear or see anything. The rule of bird calling is, you always play or call something smaller than what you want to see."
Just as the solid brown sand had become a collection of distinct colors, the noise in the woods was becoming a symphony of songs played by individual birds. Not that I could identify any of them. That’s why Yoder was here.
"I thought I heard a hermit thrush," he said, then whistled.
"Yeah, he’s calling back. Do you hear that?"
Into the dunes
It was 8 a.m. by the time I crossed what was left of Medano Creek and got serious about exploring the dunes, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Rangers had told me that High Dune is about a two-hour hike round-trip. From there, Star Dune, which at 750 feet is the highest dune, is another mile and half away.
No trails lead to or through the dunes, but the commanding views from the top make it difficult to get lost. The only path is made by the footsteps that have preceded yours. Good luck following them.
As the dark, moisture-packed sand beyond the creek gave way to softer, steeper sand, my pace slowed. I learned quickly to seek out any evidence of water because the sand would be harder-packed there, making it easier to walk.
Otherwise, it was baby steps -- digging in, sliding back a little, with each step.
By the time I reached the top of the first big dune, I had a decision to make. Which ridge to follow? By this point, the footprints had disappeared, no doubt erased by the wind.
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