Reality intrudes at the juncture with another trail. Maps consulted and distances calculated, we plunge down from the ridge top into the valley. Lengthening shadows urge us onward to our destination. We find a perfect site next to a rushing stream amid the soaring hemlocks. Domes and A-frame tents soon spring forth upon the needled floor.
Twilight slides down the western sky followed by black night's enfolding mantle.
Pinpoints of light punctuate the void as the milky way arches across the heavens. Orange flames lick seasoned boughs as glowing embers mesmerize us with their hypnotic dance. Faces, hands, and knees are toasty while backsides freeze. Now we stand sentinel facing into the darkness, backs to the warmth. A streak of light rends the sky, an exclamation to a special day.