Monahans Sandhills

For the past two years on fall break, Monahans Sandhills was a required stop for our caravan heading out west. This terrain is unlike any other in Texas. As you climb the first mound, you are welcomed by an ocean of sand. All that’s visible is orange rolling hills and a singular oil well off to the side. Without a goal in mind, we set our destination towards the closest highland.

                After a minute of walking our breaths became deeper and our hands grasped our hips. Yes, we’re out of shape but not to this extent. The sand below was less compact than the sand you’d find on an ocean shore. Maybe the arid climate had something to do with it, but the grains glided easily beneath our feet. The reduction in friction required more effort to push off. With intermittent jogging, we eventually reached the top of the ridge.

                Just like other tourists, we couldn’t resist the urge to try sliding down the sand. First we rode on cardboard. Then we tried summersaulting and barrel-rolling, which lodged sand in every crevasse of my body. And finally, we got the smart idea to have a long jump contest off the edge down to about 15 feet of sand. In the beginning round, we landed feet first. The grading scale of distance was quickly replaced by the size and quality of the imprint left behind by one’s rear. While it may seem like fun and games, we were competitive and there was certainly an art to land squarely. With each jumper came a debate about why his marking was the best. Still to this day, we aren’t sure who won, but it’s safe to say, after picking sand out of our ears for two weeks, we all lost.

                In the midst of the competition, I walked around the opposite edge, looking at Monahans’ entirety. Peering out into the abyss was liberating. Much like looking into an open plain, the earth showcases a snippet of its vastness where an intimate relationship is rekindled with the viewer. All problems are diminished to nothing. Except one continued to plague my mind. A landscape as such is only beautiful when its formation comes Mother Nature’s will. It took millions of years for these dunes to be constructed, how long will it take once global warming becomes irreversible? Sand dunes are a rare occurrence on earth which is a blessing and a curse. They don’t harbor as much biodiversity as other ecosystems, but their scarcity, by human standards, leads us to conclude allure. Unless its evolution demanding change, we do not need more Monahans Sandhills. Yet, we’ll soon begin creating more as we propel ourselves towards the two degree Celsius threshold.