It was only 15 degrees outside and by the time I had traveled south of the City of Buffalo, a light snow was falling which made the roads slippery and slowed down traffic. For a moment I wondered if this was a good idea, but I shook that thought out of my head. Of course it was. I didn’t have a good explanation of why this was a good idea. I just followed by instinct. Which led me to Chestnut Ridge Park.

There wasn’t a ton of snow at the park, but enough to strap on the snowshoes and head out into the woods. There were six of us who met for the weekly nighttime snowshoe hike hosted by the local chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club. While I had gone on some hikes led by the group before, this was my first snowshoe outing with them. And my first time snowshoeing at night. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I dressed in multiple layers and even layered my gloves and my hats.

Turns out, I was just fine. After 15 minutes even my fingers had warmed up. There was no wind. The woods were still. The snow squall had passed and the clouds started to break up, allowing the moonlight to illuminate our path. The trees were frosted with fresh snow. I thought about taking a picture with my phone, but it wouldn’t do the scene justice. Sometimes, you just need drink in the visual, soak in the memory, replay it in your mind’s eye instead of attempting to capture it for your Facebook profile.

Our hike was probably only about two miles and while it was great exercise, I wasn’t in it for the workout. Truth be told, I’m in my workouts for moments like these — to have the ability to engage in my world, to play, to have adventures, to discover new places both real and imagined.

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
— John Muir