White Sands National Park Hiking Adventure

THIS is what you need

The waving dunes of white stretch out before your feet is an experience that can barely be captured into words. The stark beauty and sharp relief of the dunes will take your breath away. Breathe deep. Step into their world. Come back a changed person.

Stop with the diets and new workouts

That’s not your problem. Modern life is polluting your mind, wrecking your body and stealing your life. You need an intervention, a return to your human roots, an immersion in nature.

YOU need White Sands, sunshine, an other-worldly natural experience and community.

White Sands National Park is different. You’ve got to experience it. And in the end, you’ll get what you’re after - a healthier outlook and a fitter body. Nature immersion with challenge, fun and connection with people like yourself to improve your health and fitness. That’s the way to go.

The Paradoxical Approach

By expending lots of energy, pushing your limits and challenging your body, you’ll get adventure, fun, friendship, a connection to nature, eye-popping views, deep breaths, relaxation, improved health and better fitness.

You get the challenge of a wilderness setting in a safe, guided trip.

You get natures energy that only comes to those that dare to push their limits.

What you’ll do

Alkali Flat Trail – This 5 mile round trip trail is the longest and hardest hike in White Sands National Park. This trail takes you up and over the crystal white dunes to the edge of Alkali Flat, which is the dry lakebed of Lake Otero. During the last ice age, this lake filled the Tularosa Basin and covered 1,600 square miles.

Have a picnic

There are 62 shaded picnic tables with grills in three different spots in the park. We’ll grill burgers for dinner and then enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Stay for sunset

The true magic happens at sunrise and sunset when the soft golden light makes the gypsum crystal glow and it’s so quiet and still you feel like the only person around.

The Full Itinerary

Day 1, March 4, 2022 (Friday)

We’re going on a Friday to maximize the Wilderness feeling in White Sands (fewer people)

Leave 6 am from Albuquerque, Paseo del Norte and I25 (in Target parking lot)

Drive to Carrizozo - 150 miles, approx. 2 hrs 15 min

• Honey Girls Cafe 8-5 Friday

• outdoor seating right now

• arrive 8:15-8:30

• leave 9:30

Drive to White Sands 75 miles from Carrizozo - 1.5 hours

Visitor center - arrive 11am

Alkali Flats - 3 - 4 hrs, noon to 4

grill burgers - 4 to 5:30

view sunset 6 pm

Drive to LC - 60 miles, 1 hr, arrive 6:30 to 7 pm

Stay Days Inn Mesilla

or possible to rent a BnB. Let me know if interested. Kinda short notice for this option.

Entertainment in Mesilla

Day 2, March 5

Breakfast

• Fast Venice Beach Bagels

• Slow The Shed

Hike Soledad Canyon - approx 2 hours - 11 to 1

Lunch

• Lalo’s Sonora Style Dogs - around 2 pm

The stationary food truck in central Las Cruces sells 10 varieties of Sonoran hot dogs ($2–$4)—a grilled, bacon-wrapped style popular in Arizona and its namesake Mexican state. Sena then layers on a playful medley of freshly cooked beans, onions (raw or grilled), tomatoes, green chile salsa, mustard, and mayo.

110 N. Solano Dr., Las Cruces; 575-993-0536.

Return Drive around 3 pm

Treats @ San Antonio around 5 pm

Home approx. around 6:30 pm

Why Should You Go?

Your genes are wired to exist in a natural setting. Nature immersion drives positive and real physical and emotional changes in your body like improved health, fitness and ultimately happiness. Humans are naturally social creatures so the friendship and community aspect of a group of like- minded people elevates your experience.

• You get a preplanned outing with the logistics taken care of. You don’t have to think or worry about it. A cool, challenging nature immersion trip is ready to execute. Just add yourself and a great attitude.

• You’ll build stronger friendships with a tribe of like-minded people.

  💡 People like us do things like this.

• Modern life is hard to navigate successfully. You need support of people like yourself to follow through with healthy changes that can alter your life.

• You’ll experience nature the way only a few ever do with full immersion, challenge, fun and community to create a memorable experience. Nature will heal you. You’ll come back stronger, both mentally and physically.

• Exercise in a natural environment has proven benefits for stress reduction, relaxation and happiness.

• You’ll eat good food, enjoy a healthy, fun social activity and unplug from the grid. Slowing down and hanging out with others is a highly enjoyable & effective way to improve your health and fitness. It beats a sterile gym workout and crappy diet any day of the week.

• You’ll see something unique and learn about it. Life is about constant learning, growth and experiences. Learning about history, geology and anthropology cements your connection to a place.

• You’ll experience a wilderness setting that magnifies the benefits of exercise. You’ll appreciate life and desire to see more. This turns the flywheel, keeps you engaged in the journey and plants the seed for your next adventure. It is the natural and sustainable way to improve health and fitness

Why Go Now?

This is the perfect time of year for exploring White Sands National Park. The temperatures are far cooler than during summer months and even more important, it’s prior to the notorious Spring winds that can wreak havoc in the desert.

If you don’t go now, you’ll have to wait until October or so for the perfect weather conditions to return.

Why Do It At All?

The traditional approach to health and fitness is to eat less and exercise more. It’s flawed thinking. It doesn’t work. It’s not sustainable.

All diets are offered as a prescription, almost like a pill. Eat this but don’t eat that. Yes it’s possible they can work but in general, they don’t scale into the general population very well. Everyone is different from genetics to lifestyle to preconditions and personal challenges. The prescriptive diet is a long shot at best.

Indoor, gym based exercise routines are, for the most part, contrived movements, not always functional nor useful in real life. I’m not knocking exercise in any way. I’m a lifter and a hiker. I love both.

But the human body was built to move - walking, running, jumping, carrying, throwing, bending, squatting, etc. The two drivers of aging are loss of strength and loss of mobility. If you want longevity, you need to maintain your ability to move your body through it’s intended range of motion.

Nature excursions use your body in a way it is designed to move. Add carrying some weight (backpack), uneven terrain, varying weather and temperature and your body and brain react to perform optimally.

You were designed for this. Give your body, brain and soul what it desires.