Taking two steps up, then sliding one step back is how you climb the tallest sand dune in North America. Over 700 feet from bottom to top, you are blasted by the howling, gritty wind that built it. To get an idea of it’s scale, the dunes you see below right are about the same size as Death Valley’s Mesquite Dunes.

On this winter’s day it took over an hour to reach the top ridge with just a few minutes to spare before the sun set.

This image won Best in Class, Landscape Category, at CIPPA.

All Photographs © 2015 John Grusd Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.