The moon was so full and bright tonight that there was really no choice but to venture out. We bundled up in layers, donned scarves and hats, and walked out into the night.

                                Shining through the trees

In the winter, the moon reflecting on the snow can make it seem almost as bright as day, but tonight was even more magical. The moon was so bright that it hurt our eyes to look at it too long, and it lit the forest with a silvery glow.

                               
                                                                           Sweetwater Vale lit by the moon

Below our feet, the freshly fallen snow shone with bright points of light, so that it seemed we were looking down at a starfield.

           All the stars have fallen down . . .
 

Out past Sweetwater, in the wide open fields, we came upon a fox’s tracks, and followed her along the forest’s edge. Her delicate paw-prints were sometimes light enough to resist breaking through the thin crust, and here and there we came upon broad ‘swishes’ where her tail had brushed over the snow. At one point her tracks paused, and we could almost see her frozen and poised, her ears sharp as they heard a scraping beneath the snow. Then we saw the large hole in the snow where she had pounced and dug for the little rodent. As we walked, we watched over the distant hills, hoping for a glimpse of the bushy-tailed canine.

Almost home . . .

Coming home, we marveled at the perfect silence that had fallen over the wood. There wasn’t a bit of sound until we came upon our stream, where the trickling tinkled like tiny bells.

It was cold tonight, and it takes a little effort to get all dressed up and ready to hike in the moonlit night. But what magic awaits when we step outside of our houses and venture into the wilder places!