Did not know what to expect in White Sands NP but we did figure on a lot of white sand! A surreal and out of this world place it is. It is right in the middle of two USAF bombing ranges so that added a bit to the mystique of the place. We felt a bit like driving in the northeast mid-winter with a dusting of snow on the road.
The trail head for the Alkali Flats Trail. The sign is quick to point out that the Flats trail is not at all flat. Sand dunes are very hard to walk up and down even when the sand is made of gypsum.
This was the first large dune we had to walk over. We should have brought our scree gators along as the sand was very fine and was constantly filling our shoes up. Why not go barefoot you say? Probably should have but to us, 5 miles of hiking seemed a bit long for barefoot.
As with a number of the trail markers here this one was almost completely covered with the plentiful white sand. Usually these carsonite posts are a good 4 feet tall above ground.
Hard to mark a trail like this but the park crew had done a good job keeping most of the carsonite posts from being buried. Each time we got to a post the next one was visible in the distance.
As the sand here is gypsum powder I got to thinking that it must be similar to wallboard or joint compound. Tough to see here but the rain has caused the character of the surface to mimic a poorly sanded joint compound joint. If you have ever tried to patch and sand wallboard you will know what I am talking about.
It was only in the low 70s but the sun was fairly intense so the trusty bucket hat to the rescue. I have never worn sunglasses while hiking but without them, the sun really did hurt the eyes with the intense glare of the white sand.
This “hedge row” must be made of the sturdiest plants alive. The wind just keeps pummeling them with the fine grit and they somehow seem to have a decent existence.
Made it to the top of the loop hike and found this signage. Gotta love the warning to avoid the unexploded ordinance in the area! We opted to stay in this side of the sign. Evidently when the bombing air raids are going on every now and again, not only is the park closed but so is the only highway leading to it, US Route 70.
Walking the border of the missile range and ready to head back on our loop we found the gypsum to be easier to walk on when it was not piled up in dunes. The park literature said that the sand actually holds water and stays moist even though we are in a desert.
Our shadows seem happy after a good 3 hour day in the national park. Might be back to this one some day.