"Arrive in daylight" ~ Mary Jane's advice ~ critical to hike .25 mile ish trail thru redwoods in light aplenty & sure footedness, esp if one's packing belongings back & forth 4 X's for a couple day stay.
Afternoon light slices amplified the glow of the trees' mossy coats. Just when we might've grown weary of this packing it, we rounded a corner, trudged up a plank bridge with care and ... there! Fairy lights twinkled a welcome from across the ravine to the TreeHouse. This took my breath away. This was not the last time.
Marty warned the power could go out ~ indeed it's cold! Once we fired up the gas heater, our cozy stay began ~ cooking meals, watching several DVD movies (0 Wifi = this woods), art making, potential hot tubbing ~103 felt oddly lukewarm in this frigid cold Santa Cruz winter ~ breathless!
Dawn's awakening, a magical snow's dusting! Later, a mighty thunderstorm broke the night! In the morning, more snow than ever before! Power still on! still breathless