In A Sunset At White Sands National Monument

When we were camping at White Sands, we felt like we were in the sunset! It was an amazing experience that made our hike carrying our heavy packs through sand from the car to the campsite so very worth it…considering we did get lost briefly on the way there. We found out pretty quickly that it is quite difficult to find the campsites because they are situated in between the dunes where the land is more stable but out of sight. Now after we set up camp, the sun started to set in a way that made it look like a neapolitan of soft pastel colors. Needless to say, we grabbed our camera/tripod and ascended up the sand dunes that surrounded our campsite…and before snapping photos, we just stood there in awe. We’ve never experienced anything like it…the white sands coupled with the colorful sky all around us. It’s hard to describe, but it was just simply stunning! Now as the sun set, the air started to crisp up…and I was quite happy to be wearing my warm hiking outfit which included a merino wool sweater by one of my favorite activewear brands, SmartWool. Their wool is seriously smart because it’s breathable, odor resistant, and the best part you can just throw it in the washer and dryer. I hate having to handwash or dryclean clothes…so this definitely makes me happy! Also I wore a simple tank from Target underneath the sweater, my trusty workout pants by Nike, hiking boots by Asolo, and last but not least my new favorite pompom beanie from Urban Outfitters. I didn’t expect to fall in love with this hat, but I certainly did because it ended up being the warmest hat I’ve ever worn which was perfect for White Sands especially because I wore it all night even when I was sleeping in the tent. So once the sun was completely gone, we headed back to camp to make dinner, and then the cold really came in with great force. It was bitter cold, and we knew that we had a long night ahead of us. Stay tuned for more from our camping trip…we’ll be sharing our night photos of all the gorgeous stars in the sky!