It's late in the day and the carb levels are low. Off and on I'd felt a little dizzy. Must be dehydration but also food will soon be needed. The ups and downs of the trail had taken their toll but the obvious rewards of lake views and sun going down through the bare trees, casting long fingered shadows across the trail, were more than worth it. Luckily, the breeze was slight and for a mid-winter day temps had topped out at about 45...a veritable heatwave. The terrain had made hiking warm and I had shed layers of clothes and bottoms of zip-off pants. Therefore, I was sporting my lovely hiking look of black long undies peaking out from under worn olive green shorts. Today, I was not wearing gaiters.
I knew where I was headed. It was a flat spot on top of a knob...the middle finger so to speak of 3 extensions jutting out into the valley but protected from view of the trail by an imposing row of raspberry bushes. I was expecting a full moon and with the lowering temps, the little crust of snow still hanging on would make everything sparkle like diamonds ...I was anxious for the night.
Pushing through the bushes to my camping spot, I set up the tent in record time, pulled out the stove and started the water boiling. What would it be tonight? Thai Ramen, I thought would be an appropriate ending to a day full of excitement and moonlight. The lowly Ramen noodle when dolled up with red chili flakes, soy sauce, tuna and a bunch of other super secret ingredients is not like anything you've ever eaten before. Of course, nothing tastes the same when you are cooking it over a small backpacking stove. It tastes ten times better in the wilderness. And so this day, after a 10 mile backpack, the Ramen feast, topped off with some dehydrated Chocolate Raspberry wonderfulness, did not disappoint.
As I finished the meal and cleaned up, the moon rose up from behind the ridge and cast its light on me and my campsite. I stared in awe, thinking that if I went to the edge and jumped hard enough that I would surely land on the moon's surface it seemed so plump and close. Tired and happy and moon-blessed, I unzipped the tent and sat at the edge of the doorway. I took my boots off and slipped out of my sweaty hiking clothes. It only took a few minutes to organize my potty bag, flashlight and find my pillow. Quickly, I opened the bag and snuggled into the fluffiness of my sleeping bag. My tent was bright and the tree limbs, back lit by the moon, moved back and forth in the slight evening breeze making soothing patterns on the ceiling of the tent. It was all good and with a contented sigh, I drifted off to sleep. 
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