Zapata Falls
by Cinthia Villarreal
Heading into the third state of our Southwest road trip, we knew exactly how to spend our time, starting with a hike at Zapata Falls! After our short hike at Sun Mountain, we now consider ourselves hiking aficionados.
As we embarked on our short but rewarding hike, Colorado’s natural landscapes rewarded us every step of the way by providing beautiful views of snow, forests, and mountains.
The hike consisted of roughly one mile covered in snow and ice. For our final approach to the waterfall, we made our way along a frozen river, which we traversed gingerly.
Walking deeper into the creek and on top of a few rocks, we were able to witness the power of nature. The delicate, yet forceful-looking waterfall captivated all of us, leaving us with no words. In fact, both Olivia and I audibly gasped at the sight of it.
Being even more adventurous, we decided to carefully climb a step of the river into a magnificent cave where we could see the whole waterfall. Witnessing the power and beauty of nature startled us. The waterfall, once loud and unstoppable, stood still and completely frozen in time.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
After the one-of-a-kind adventure, we headed to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. This was first time Olivia or I had ever visited a national park; to say we were excited would be an understatement.
We had to stop at the Visitor Center to buy souvenirs–and even our own National Parks Passport, which we stamped with a seal provided by the center.
As we walked over to the dunes, we realized that the small-looking hills we saw on our way were misleading. The dunes were hundreds of feet high, and they towered over us.
With some determination, lots of doubts, and a huge amount of persuasion from Professor Yawn, Olivia and I walked one dune after another, getting higher and higher each time.
This was a true test of our endurance since our feet kept digging into the sand…
….with each step we took which would make us take even more steps and consequently tire us even more. But getting to the top also made us feel something like champions!
We made sure to capture the moment.
Despite the unanticipated workout, we were overwhelmed by the magnificent features the dunes possessed, how thin coats of snow would rest them, and the golden, transcendental-like appearance the light of the sun would give it.
As we started the long walk back to the car, the wind picked up to about 40 miles per hour, and, even though we were as cold as we had ever been, we were mesmerized by the way the snow would dance with the breeze on top of the sand, making patterns and moving through waves like it knows exactly what it is doing.
With sand in our shoes and frostbite on our faces, we were able to close out another successful day of firsts for us.
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