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_StickyRicky_ t1_j6nqko3 wrote

Holy cow....it took me hours to climb up those first tiny foothills ....you could so easily get lost in there!

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tyaak t1_j6ntti9 wrote

I backpacked in there, just one overnight. Brought 4L of water for myself and my buddy had 3 (I drink more water than any of my hiking buddies).

It was the hardest hiking terrain I've ever been in. I think we only did like 3 miles overall, but I drank 3L in 4-5hrs of hiking going in. You would take one step forward, your foot would slide back 3/4 of the way. We used the crests so we could see where we were. The wind had to be going at least 40mph in some places.

No wonder the backpacking permits for overnight are so easy to get.

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Shallowell t1_j6o1onb wrote

Ah the wind. Went up there with 3 buddies several years ago. Left with two tents, came back with one tent that was missing half its stakes. Good times

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shadowfaxG OP t1_j6o6dqz wrote

Ha, wow. I guess you have the memory at least. Sounds incredibly hard. I can imagine staking a tent there would be almost impossible.

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shadowfaxG OP t1_j6o6629 wrote

Wow! I never did overnight. I can imagine. It is so difficult. Surprisingly difficult. I came back and then went out again the next day. Maybe one day I’ll backpack it.

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UniverseInfinite t1_j6okqst wrote

As an experienced hiker, I can say with certainty that summiting the tallest dune near the parking lot was the toughest 90 minute slog of my life.

And I did it with ski goggles, face and ear protection. And crucially, socks.

I saw fools doing it with nothing but a t shirt and shorts and I thought they were insane

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exccord t1_j6ouo35 wrote

That climb was horrendous lol. Definitely the hardest thing I had ever done but getting to the very top of the first set of dunes was one of my proudest accomplishments. Just wish I had a sandboard for going down.

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shadowfaxG OP t1_j6o5utz wrote

Yes! It’s wild how difficult they are and especially if you are out too late in the day in the summer. Then they get really hot to add to the difficulty. Ha

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