08 Jul See the Milky Way

Last night I saw the most magnificent night sky and stars I’ve ever seen and probably will ever see. The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a certified dark night skies park, which means on a night when there are no clouds and no moon you can actually SEE the stars and the fluorescent lights of the Milky Way!! Due to our very remote location, the size of the towns around the park, and the high elevation, we have little to no light pollution here in the park! It’s insane really, because you don’t need a flashlight past midnight because the Milky Way is so bright! It was around 11 p.m. when I climbed High Dune, which is the second tallest dune in North America at 700 feet. When I reached the top, I was awe-struck at the colors in the sky; there were hues of blue and green and yellow all mixing above me, and I felt as if I could see every single star. I couldn’t even take a picture of the sight because I knew no camera could do justice to this once-in-a-lifetime sight. The photo added is not mine, but I wanted to give y’all a glimpse of what I saw and this was the best picture I could find. I have never been a outdoors person before or someone who hikes dunes by themselves in the middle of the night, but seeing something that is 100,000 light years away and colors that can’t be put into words can change a person.