I was a cheap date. Half of a $6 gas station pizza and a $5 State Park pass. I was eager to spend this time with my dad... & also try out my brand spankin' new snowshoes & boots. It was even degrees - neither positive nor negative - windless and quiet, as we approached the guard shack. The attendant took the money and gave us a map of the candlelight loop. We strapped on our shoes as others finished the loop, beaming at the beauty of the moonlit trail. We started out, following the luminaries down the trail groomed for cross-country skiing.
The air was crisp and still. We clopped. We chatted and wondered at things as we had done on the 9 hour journey to this tundra. I love that about my dad... he taught me to wonder well, and to ask questions. The trail was 1.25 miles, lit intermittently by candles. God's yard light show with pure luminescence through the trees and along our path. At times, we'd stop and admire the moon and list to the wind fly betwixt the trees. We rounded back toward the car. We were breathless and radiating heat as we finished our little adventure.
These moments with my dear daddy will always be tucked in my heart. I know it will not always be like this... but I am so grateful for the time we do have now. It is a happy little part of my cave of now.
