The Little Dune and Beyond

Little Dune

On our frequent hikes through the Indiana Dunes, we encounter landmarks along the way, and it's interesting to see these landmarks change with the seasons and over the years. One of the landmarks is located at the bend of the trail, close to Lake Michigan. It's a small living dune, only about 25 feet tall, but it stands out against all the other larger, grassy dunes around it.

As tempting as it has been to climb, a living dune that small would most certainly be ruined by people walking on it, so we keep off of it. Here, the bare sand is covered with fresh snow, hiding the fact that it's a living dune. A living dune is one that is still being moved by the winds. The sand is pushed from one side to the other, so in effect it moves slowly inland.

Up Through The Woods

Turning away from the little dune, we headed on the next part of our hike, the adjacent trail leading to another of our landmarks, the lonely tree.

Once again, the trail headed up the rolling dunes through some woods where the trees provide a shady resting place for hikers.  In fact, these trees are low enough to sit in and enjoy the view of the dune valley.

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