The 9 Ingredients Necessary for a Perfect Moonlight Walk in a Canyon

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Last Saturday night, Mark and I went on a moonlight walk up Mill Creek Canyon, our favorite canyon, just a half-hour drive from our home. By day, it is special. By night, it is magic.

It's true, the chill in the air as you put on the bulky warm clothing you didn't want to wear in the car is foreboding, but as you get moving, see the shadows of the trees in the woods on either side of you, and start to notice how undeniably quiet it is, the cold is forgotten. Easing into a steady pace, just the two of you, you inhale the clean, crisp, pure air, breathing deeply as you climb. Your heart beats faster, you feel suddenly more alive than you've felt in days as the moon overhead follows you, lighting the way. There are not many stars due to the moon's brightness which has made this experience possible, but the old favorites are there: Orion, the Big Dipper, the Pleiades.

All around you there is light and shadow, nothing more, nothing less. The silhouettes of the trees are seen easily in their canvas of white. If you look at the snow closely, you see diamonds. Walking steadily upward, you fall into a distinct rhythm, necessarily disrupted by frequent pauses to look upward at the moon, to close your eyes and listen to the pulse of the ever-moving creek, or to acknowledge the memorable event that you are sharing together with a kiss.

You stop at the same spots: the clearing where we stopped to sing Silent Night with the kids on a moonlight walk before Christmas one year, the hiding place where the group ahead of us ambushed us with snowballs, and the opening in the canyon where the creek gets big and the moon gets bigger and the gift you've been given starts to seriously sink in.

It is, however, a rare occasion, for there are many factors that have to come all together at once in order for it to even be possible. Here are the 9 ingredients for a perfect moonlight walk in a canyon. May you share one with someone you love sometime soon.

1. Moon Phase: For a perfect moonlight walk, the moon should be 3/4 to completely full.
   
2. Season: Winter is best to maximize moonglow. When the moon's light reflects on the frozen landscape below, all is illuminated, including the owl that stealthily flies from one limb to the next, as silent as the dead; the gnarly trunk that looks like it could be a bear; and the heavy roundness of the snow-lined creek bank, which waits for spring, undisturbed.  Not to mention the twinkling-diamonds-in-the-snow factor. Never discount that.
   

3. Moonrise: The moon needs to rise early enough so that it can clear the ridgeline of the canyon you are in before it is too far from bedtime. By the same token, it needs to rise late enough so that you can enjoy it at all. Not much moonglow takes place when the apex occurs at 11:00 AM

4. Day of the week: Let's be real. This is more likely to happen if it occurs on a weekend.

5. Weather: The skies must be clear at the time of the moonlight walk, otherwise, you won't be seeing much, if anything at all. That being said, clear skies mean cold temps. So either dress accordingly, or don't go at all.

6. A boda bag full of cinnamon schnapps--or the peppermint variety, whichever you prefer. Whatever you do prefer, it needs to feel warm all the way down.

7. A blazing fire at the end: This isn't necessary, but if we're talking a perfect moonlight walk, then it's great to warm your buns before getting in the cold car for the drive home. Not to mention just pure fun. Be sure your wood is dried out, though. We had one heckuva time warming our buns one cold Christmas night when we couldn't get the wood to light. Thinking back on it, I'm pretty sure we just drank more schnapps.

8. Good company: A no-brainer, I'm sure.

9. The will to overcome entropy must be strong: Face it. The temptation to stay on the couch on a cold winter's night under a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa that was heated quickly in the microwave while relaxing in front of the riveting movie that arrived in the mail that afternoon from Netflix is powerful.  And when you think about the fact that all these factors have come together to make the moonlight walk even possible--there is some amount of guilt involved if you can't manage to tear yourself away from your cocoon. But I guarantee you, if you can muster up the courage to rise to the occasion, throw on your long johns and find your mittens, brave the cold and rip yourself from the comfort of your weekend routine, you will, indeed, have one of the richest experiences of your life.

Comments

[chrisitne]

What a beautiful story. It makes me want to drive down to SLC and take a hike. I'm going to be there this weekend but I don't think I would be able to talk my family into it.

[Lisa Johnson]

Sigh.... makes me really miss the canyons Cath. :) thanks for sharing!

[Barbara Spencer]

Makes the term "Take a hike" offer an entire different meaning.

[Alice Golden]

This makes me think of a few things...namely, mountain lions, bears, wolfs, coyotes....glad you made it home safe & sound :)

[Thespoena McLaughlin]

All I can say is sign me up for the next one. WOW! How beautiful. We've got a magic spot in our yard where grapevines grow up the trees and on the perfect foggy morning when the sun comes up and shines through the trees and fog just right, that place is transformed into a magical forest. It's held my attention on those days for most of my life. Thanks for posting this awe inspiring pic.

[Term Paper]

Hi, thanks for the tips. That was a great help to me...