My morning began at 4:00am before the sun broke the horizen. We left Sesriem Camp and drove in the darkness with the cold breeze blowing through the open windows of the bus to where the landscape changed to mountains of sand. Upon arriving at "Dune 47" (to which we renamed Bernie Dune), I took off my shoes and ran to and up the 280m dune. My feet sank in the sand but I pushed myself to reach the summit before sunrise. Ears popping and sand blowing, I took a seat to enjoy the surrounding scenery. The vast plains of dryness continued from both sides of the dune, except here, the rocky slopes were turned into a burnt orange sand. After watching the sun rise, I ran down the dune ridge (which was much easier than climbing up on my hands and knees). I felt like a small child on a day at the beach- yet everything enlarged- but the same joy was with me.
Breakfast was waiting for us at the bus to fulfill the hunger we generated through stenuous climbing. I found it interesting that the scientists named the dunes by numbers from 1-52 to and from the coast. They are formed linearly by winds from the ocean.
Today would continue to be my favorite. The afternoon was spent viewing wildlife and plants, learning how they adapt to the arid climate, and running up and down the dunes in Sosuslvei. I tasted the succulent ostrich plant and the !nara fruit- both of which are used for hydration. I did not, however, taste the dune beetle that stores water underneath its swollen shell. Some animals that live here can live their entire life without consuming one drop of water. We also took a ride in a 4x4 through a riverbed that only gets water once every 20 years. One area that used to be a water source had cecased to hold water for 900 years. It appeared to be a mirage in the distance but close up, the ground cracked under the scorching sun with lifeless petrified trees (see picture below).
