Moonlight on the Manistee

Last month when the moon was just past full and the moonset was after sunrise I did something that I have not done before. I took a morning hike by moonlight!! I hit the trail at approximately 6:30 a.m., which in early March it is still quite dark. On snowshoes I hiked about a mile to the overlook on the Manistee River. What a great experience it was. I was thinking of the Van Morrison song "Moondance" as I hiked through the snow lit by the moonlight. As I arrived the scene was of the moon reflected in the Manistee River from the overlooking bluffs. As the only access here in the winter is via snowshoes, skis or snowmobile, and being very early in the day when most are still sleeping, I had it all to myself. It was quiet and peaceful and really not all that cold. I took many photos as the sun rose to the east and the moon set to the west. I would like to say that I got great images from the trip, but this was more of an experiment and adventure. However, the adventure was the best part. I hiked out to bright sunlight glistening on the winter snow, feeling energized and excited by the morning adventure. Hungry too from the good workout.