Mesquite Sand Dunes

Orange, reds, and yellow light hit the dunes for only a minute or two before the desert sun sets. Blues and purples take over as twilight arrives. The warm sand on the bottom of your feet begins to cool, you are covered in sand, and have a smile on your face. This was my experience at the Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley over the weekend. The textures, shapes, and sounds are beautiful. One moment you are walking on firm, dense sand, the next minute the ground turns shin deep, and is soft as snow. Your shoes fill up quickly, so you take them off, because why the hell wouldn’t you? While walking across the dunes, evidence of wildlife is all around. Desert kit fox tracks overlap the tracks on kangaroo rats, sidewinders, and birds, all finding their way into gullies, where mini, oasis, islands hide burrows of kangaroo rats, and other critters. As the evening cooled, I set my tent in the middle of the dunes and fell asleep under the stars. As I slept, kit foxes wandered nearby, as was made evident by the fresh tracks revealed in the morning sand.