The photo on this blog post is one I took while hiking the dunes. Long before the park became a National park (was just a state park) they didn't have the "3 Dune Challenge." They had the three big and steep dunes, but they didn't call it a challenge. We locals just thought of it as "Trail 8." And it's a tough one! When I first started hiking that trail, I thought I was going to die. I had this vision of DNR arriving to my aid on their 4-wheel vehicles. By the end of that sumer after going about two or three days a week, I had them mastered. I can even say that I never had to stop and rest, just breezed on through!
The hubster and I were talking about getting our season pass and making it a regular activity once again. It has been about 15 years since I've climbed those dunes and I just know that I'll be back to near death again the first time. Between age and added weight, it will be rough but I'm bound and determined to make it happen. That is my goal for 2023.
If you want to see what I'm talking about, I've dropped a few links below so you can check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XZK2mWxljI
https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7013463/trail-8-3-dunes-challenge
https://www.indianadunes.com/explore-the-dunes/indiana-dunes-state-park/3-dune-challenge/
What will you challenge yourself to do?