A New Year Full Moon

            Tonight we have a Super Moon.  It’s the moon that shows itself as the largest and brightest full moon throughout this entire year.  That’s a pretty amazing feat considering this is the first day of the year, and we still have 364 days to go.  It’s also known as the Full Wolf Moon.  I probably tend to favor that name a bit more.  The use of the word “wolf” apparently was due to the howling wolves that would lift their noses in communication just beyond the outskirts of Native American villages; during this time of the year when temperatures were cold and bellies grew taut. 

            Today has indeed been cold.  It’s the kind of day when I would have loved to build a fire in the fireplace, except that without encased glass doors, our already over worked furnace would have been pumping the heat straight up the chimney with the smoke.  The immediate room would have been toasty warm, but the rest of the house would have been left frigid at best.  We had a great fire in the fireplace several nights ago while playing dominos with some friends.  The memories of that fire and evening will have to suffice on a day like today.  
            This morning I also opted not to run the trails of our local forest preserve, as it was negative eleven out, with a negative twenty-eight wind chill.  Instead, I busied myself in mindless tasks to pass the time, and watched several shows in a row about people living up around the Arctic Circle.  It seemed appropriate for the type of day we were having.  I then turned to the Outback Bowl where Michigan and South Carolina were playing each other down in Tampa, Florida.  These days I really don’t like to waste daylight on an entire football game.  I sometimes decide to watch parts of a game, or catch an evening game before going to bed, but I decided to invest in this bowl game since one of the teams was from my home state.  As I later texted some of my family and friends, however, I’m not sure that it was worthy of my time and energy.  So, when the final seconds of the game ticked off the clock, I vowed not to let the game dictate my emotions for the rest of the day, and turned my attention to cleaning up the kitchen and some of my outdoor gear from a recent outing a few days ago.  Then I dressed in extra layers, packed my backpack with a jug of water, my camping mug, an aluminum cooking pot, and a packet of cocoa for hot chocolate.

Rodent Tracks Into The Corn

Mice Leave Marks Of Their Tail

            I hiked down to our nearby creek just as the sun’s final rays were extending up over the horizon.  The moon came up in the Northeast at about that same time; the “Super-Wolf Moon.”  I crossed the creek several times on its frozen pathway, until I came to a favorite section.  It’s a ribbon of woods really, sandwiched with the creek between two farm fields.  But, it’s what I have readily available within walking distance, and so without the mountain ranges, boreal forests or tundra, and several feet of snow, it’s the best that I’ve got.  Cold is still cold no matter where you might be.

The Rising Super-Wolf Moon

View From The Frozen Creek

The Sunset

The Moonrise

            I kicked away the snow and leaves, circled some rocks I specifically keep against the base of a tree, started a fire, and began heating the water in the aluminum pot.  Periodically I put my hands over the fire to get them to work again.  Freezing temperatures do a number on finger joints.  Once the water had heated, I poured it into a mug where I had already added the cocoa, and stirred it with a spoon I had also brought along.  As I sipped it, the shadows grew defined by the light of the moon through the cold, clear sky.  The long shadows of the trees extended out across the white blanket of snow around my fire.  A “blanket of snow” is such a funny description this time of the year and in these temperatures.  As if the snow keeps the ground exceptionally warm.  Still, the shadows on the snow added to the already surreal atmosphere.

Heating The Water For Cocoa

Fire Light Reflected On The Snow

Warming My Hands

            After drinking the last of the cocoa, I flicked the remaining drips into the frozen air, refilled my backpack with the supplies, rehid the rocks, and kicked out the fire.  I decided to jog back home after making my way through the trees and over the frozen creek.  It was dark, but I had the light from the moon to see.  I was hoping the light running would warm my toes.  My boots have a reasonably high percentage of Thinsulate at 800 grams, but they are older, and have broken down some to the point where they don’t always keep my feet as warm as they should.  I got my feet frostbitten in high school as a kid.  I wish I could say it happened doing something heroic, but it was simply from enduring a typical Northern Michigan fall day.   My toes, and various parts of my feet, literally got frozen while performing during a marching band halftime show for our football team.  As the snow fell, we dumped our prearranged songs and broke out Christmas carols to entertain the crowd.  Along with the rest of the band, we played wearing thin, black shoes that matched our awesome looking uniforms.  Unfortunately it wasn’t really winter attire.  The rest is history; albeit a bit painful to recall at times.

            Today I apparently made the simple mistake of cheering for Michigan, when in fact I should have been engaging with my Michigan bloodline and the call of the out-of-doors.  I would say, “That’s my bad,” but as it turned out it became, “My good!”  Thank goodness I regained my senses in time and answered the call to go outside before it was too late.  The only thing I didn’t do was raise my face to the rising moon and welcome it with a lonesome howl.

            See you along The Way…

Happy New Year!