The crew from Denver embarks on their hike at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park with a Juniper 55 Ghost 50 Morrison 2 and Deluxe Cooler Cube
The crew from Denver embarks on their hike at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Last month we sent our friend Josh from the National Ski Patrol, on his mission to Colorado’s Sand Dunes with a kit of essential Mountainsmith gear to aid him in his mission.  It sounds like he and his friends had a blast, and reminded us of a too-often forgotten camping treat, maragaritas.  In his words… 

Josh Jacobson carries the Mountainsmith Ghost 50 at Colorado's Great Sand Dunes.
Josh’s pack of choice, the Ghost 50, carries all of the essentials. In this case, that includes a pitcher of margaritas for a proper Cinco de Mayo celebration.

On May 4th 2013, 12 friends from Denver headed south on a journey to southern Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park.  Armed with Mountainsmith packs, coolers, tents, and sleeping bags we started our journey up the face of the first dune, frankly not having a clue what we would be getting into.  During the initial hike in I was equipped with the Ghost 50 loaded down with 60+ pounds of food, premade margarita’s (Cindo de Mayo after all), and essential gear.  The load was not an issue as the pack was easy to adjust and fit perfectly.  A female friend was also heavily loaded in her Juniper 55, but experienced zero discomfort, and led the group to the elusive deep hole where we would be clear from the wind.

Tents set up on the Great Sand Dunes National Monument with many Mountainsmith Morrison 2s
Tents at a glance on the dunes, with the apparent tent of choice being the Mountainsmith Morrison 2.

More than half of the group trusted their Morrison tents, which were setup with little issue compared to other comrades with more cumbersome set-ups.  The wind was gnarly, but the otherworldly views made this a moot point.  When the wind became too invasive, ducking into the Morrison’s to enjoy some libations took place. The ample room within the Morrison allowed us to comfortably evade the wind.

Josh Jacobson inside a mountainsmith morrison 2 tent drinking a beer out of an I heart fanny packs coozy
Josh seeks shelter from the windstorm, and takes the opportunity to enjoy a cold one in his Mountainsmith coozy.

Thanks to the great team at Mountainsmith for making amazing gear at great prices.  We hiked comfortably in our Ghost 50’s, Juniper 55, slept comfortably in our Morrison tents and Mountainsmith sleeping bags, and enjoyed cool beverages thanks to the Deluxe Cooler Cube.

combing the desert and running up the great sand dunes with the morrison 2 in the foreground
“Combing the desert! Find anything yet?!” Sorry, we had to make a Spaceballs reference, they were hiking on Star Wars Day(May the 4th) after all.
hiker carries the Mountainsmith deluxe cooler cube in Colorado's Sand Dunes
When you plan your trip to the Sand Dunes, remember to bring the Deluxe Cooler Cube from Mountainsmith!
One of the ladies in the crew carried the Juniper 55 backpack, engineered specifically for women.
One of the ladies in the crew carried the Juniper 55 backpack, engineered specifically for women.
Old Mountainsmith backpack at Colorado's Sand Dunes
An oldie but a goodie, Mountainsmith backpacks are “Forged For Life”

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