Sand Dune Solitude

Recently, I had the opportunity to be one of the ten backpackers issued a back country pass to sleep in and/or around the Great Sand Dunes National Park Dune field.  The park is located in the San Luis Valley near Crestone, Colorado.  Crestone is know for it's positive energy vortex and is full of spiritual people and amazing Buddhist temples.                

I highly recommend this trip for ANYONE who would like a short, but silent backpacking trip into one of the most magnificent places in the world.  The elevation is low enough where you aren't huffing and puffing onto a 14,000 foot peak and is fun enough to explore the different ecosystems in and around the dunes.   You can take as long or as little time you need to hike into the dunes, which means no pressure for speed hiking....unless you set off about an hour or two before nightfall.

Visiting the Great Sand Dunes has always been a person favorite location of mine, but had never slept in the Sand Dunes until last month.  The dunes call to me every early summer, while the Medano Creek still surges and breathes with the with pulse of the earth.  Last year, I heard about the limited back country passes and decided to take advantage of the opportunity this year by completing a solo Sand Dune Solitude adventure.

Upon arriving at the park, I hurried to the visitor center to hopefully obtain a back country permit.  The park only gives out ten permits a night and luckily I was only number four at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon.  The ranger issuing the pass, signed me up to park at Point Of No Return.  Despite the haunting name, I found the very small parking lot and nearby trail head inviting.  I hiked about a 1/2 mile to Medano Creek and played in the water a bit until the mosquitoes were too much.  I crossed the creek into the maze of dunes.  Typically there aren't as many mosquitoes, but Colorado had a record high amount of late snow and early summer rain this year.

After crossing Medano Creek and headed up the dunes. I was able to capture these fabulous views of the San Luis Mountains behind the dunes. Hiking into the dunes themselves isn't too long of a hike as the crow flies, but it definitely drains your energy hiking in the sand straight up to the peaks.  If you haven't hiked in dune before, think of the scenario of one step up/half step down. The sand is also hot during mid day, so I would highly recommend sport sandals.  I was able to hike on the east side w/o a problem since I started my hike around 3pm, after the sun had moved to the west side of the dunes.  Hiking in the evening and early morning is also a good time to hike barefoot.

I set up my bivy and slept inside because of the expected thunderstorms.  Luckily it only rained for about 30 minutes, then I was able to sleep outside under the milky way. Since the temperatures weren't hot and the sand held warmth for part of the night, my summer sleeping bag of 25 degrees did the trick just fine.  I kept my pack light and was able to use my daughter's amazing Osprey day pack.  The food was very minimal- a couple of Luna Bars, 2 hard boiled eggs and lots of water.  This worked out well for a quick overnight trip.

 I decided to summit a dune in the morning right after sunrise,  This photo was take as I was walking up the dune.  Aren't these shadows amazing in the morning sun?

This picture was taken in the morning as I submitted the tallest dune peak by sleeping area.  Taking a few minutes to sit down and enjoy the view is so important to me.  Sometimes being alone and one with earth is well needed to reconnect.  This trip definitely fulfilled that need.  My trip was one of the quietest hikes I ever completed.  I didn't see a single soul past 5 or 6pm, and it was quiet enough to hear the sand blow it's energy around me.  There aren't many birds or animal noises in the dunes, so will confidently call this trip my Sand Dune Solitude adventure.

While taking time to my self I came up with this quote that seems to be a theme in my life.

Top 5 Reasons To Join Us For A Weekend In The Woods

Open Sky Yoga & Restless Genes Wilderness Journey:  Colorado, August 1 - 2, 2015

Nature is calling you - Unplug, connect with the earth, work on your roots and listen to your primal calling.

      Connect with like-minded people -  Be inspired by others and make a new friend.  Feel supported in a safe place to reflect, explore and be playful. 

Focus on just you -  Get away from current situations and refocus your energy.  Listen to your intuition and gain a new perspective.  Connect with your mind and body.

You’ll leave feeling better - Rejuvenate - you deserve it!  Be surrounded by positivity.   You’ll leave the wilderness more grounded and in tune with yourself.

Try something new - Sleep under the stars, learn to forage for food and build a shelter. Go beyond your comfort zone by challenging yourself to adapt to a different situation in the Colorado wild.

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  Space still available.  Contact Jamie for details or to register.

Intuition Is a Primal Skill And Sacred Gift

 What is holding you back from doing what feels right?  Is it your overly rational brain or monkey mind?  Try listening to your intuition instead.   Intuition is a key element to the success of the human race.  I believe it is embedded in our DNA and is in our souls.  Our primal ancestors tapped into their intuition in order to survive and thrive. Unfortunately, our brains further developed and societies  “progressed” toward the direction of losing the ability to listen to our inner voice.

For those of us, who have the mind of an ADD/ADHDer, our brain is often clogged with a million thoughts per minute.  If this is you, you'll definitely want to do more research about intuition and how to tap into this primal and spiritual skill we have all been gifted. Learning how to calm the mind and listen to our inner voice can be a challenge for us in particular.

Tapping into our intuition is often side tracked by an unfocused or overly focused mind.  As a child and young adult, I thrived on the notion of being a free spirit and skipped through many open door opportunities.  During my 30's I thrived on being more “practical”.  I enjoyed weighing out the options for the best possible choice. Luckily,  I personally never feared making wrong choices, like many people do.  Otherwise, I may have held myself back in many ways.  Somewhere during my adulthood my logical mind took over.  Maybe because I felt the need to keep my daughter and family safe according to American societal standards.  However, in recent months, I have come to the realization that it is our intuition that keeps us rooted, safe, accepted, flexible and guided.

Take a minute to truly think about how times have changed, especially America's society.  We often hear the words, “Don’t play with fire!, don’t go outside barefoot, don’t climb big rocks, don’t play with sharp objects, blah, blah, blah".  What if we released some of those logical practicalities as adults and got back to the basics of trusting our own, AND other's instincts.  This includes learning to trust our children's instincts too.  I'm not telling you to drop your children off in the middle of a rain forest and wish them luck as they try to find their way back home, but I am encouraging adults to start topics of conversation and practice around listening to your inner voice.  Let your children explore and develop these skills.   What if we encourage youth to trust and listen to their instincts rather than second guess every thought in their head because this is what society models?  Are we raising the upcoming generation to think for themselves?   Be confident in their choices?  To trust their inner voice?  

Teaching our youth to listen to their intuition is the best gift we can give.

The over rational monkey mind leads us to question our instincts.  Is this REALLY benefiting our overall happiness and well-being? 

Click here for 6 Easy Ways To Strengthen Your Intuition.

Why Do We Instinctively Spend More Time Outside In The Summer?

This time of year might be one of your favorite seasons.  Summer (in the northern hemisphere) has arrived!  Spending time outside seems much more inviting.  The weather is warmer, our moods are uplifted, we aren't weighed down by heavy clothing,  we have a need to increase our physical activity, we feel healthier, our motivations increase, our senses are heightened and we instinctively crave to spend MUCH more time outdoors.

There are countless reasons why we are drawn to spend time outdoors.  Research has proven the benefits of spending time outside and WHY we NEED to be outside.  Below are four simple reasons why our primal instincts kick in and signal our brain to get out into nature on a regular basis.

 4 SIMPLE REASONS WHY OUR BODY CRAVES THE OUTDOORS

Me getting my shot of Vitamin D on May 20, 2015
(Yes, that is snow on the ground)

Vitamin D - Our bodies need vitamin D to help process calcium.  Calcium is what helps our bones grow and stay strong.  Without sufficient vitamin D we are at greater risk for breast cancer, colon cancer, depression, weight gain, osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes, just to name a few.  The sun's rays are strongest in the northern hemisphere this time of year, so expose your skin to the sun (yes really) and get your daily shot of vitamin D today!

Mental Health - Studies have shown people who spend more time outside have a much healthier and happier mental state.  Why do you think eco-therapy and wilderness therapy are growing industries? Exploring nature and being aware of our surrounds has a calming effect on most people.  It's also healthy to push our comfort levels to try new outdoor adventures and expand our confidence.  Being outside gives us a sense of freedom and enlightenment.

Grounding or Earthing - Grounding is a way to connect to the earth's energy and pulse of her heart. Sitting in the ground, walking barefoot, sleeping on the ground at night are all simple ways to re-energize yourself.  This can help clear your mind to improve your focus and creativity.  Try grounding for 15 minutes per day for a week and see how you feel on day seven.

Physical Well Being - When we play outside we improve our balance by walking on uneven ground. We exercise more by playing sports, gardening, outdoor recreating, exploring and just romping around.  Even just breathing clearer air free of indoor toxins, can help your lungs and healthy body status.  With the increase of exercise, your sleep should improve as well.

What if we didn't spend time outdoors?  What would happen to us then?  How sad.  Watch the below video to learn more about what would happen if you stopped going outside.

If you'd like to learn more about how a lack of spending time in nature impacts us, check out Nature Deficit Disorder.

Yoga & Wilderness Survival Skills Journey Announcement!

Restless Genes and Open Sky Yoga have partnered to offer an amazing one night/two day wilderness journey south of Fairplay, Colorado located at 9,000ft in elevation.  Join us in a small group setting, while we connect with others, nature and ourselves.  Specific activities include yoga, barefoot earthing, mini solo experience, soul gazing, wilderness survival skills, wild plant identification, star gazing and more.  The price of $95-$140.00 is based on a sliding scale donation.  Meals and gear are not included, however we will provide hot drinks (coffee, tea, etc.) for the group each morning and night.  More details to come soon!  Contact Jamie DeLuccio to register.  Space is limited to only 12 people, so save your spot today!