* * Walking in the dark

I love to walk.

It is always great to walk on a sunny day with big puffy white clouds above and birds chirping in the trees. However, not every opportunity allows for such optimum conditions. Last night after dinner, I decided that prevailing conditions were not going to be an impediment to my enjoyment of a few miles of exercise on the Huckleberry Trail.

Now, mind you, it had rained almost continually for 36 hours prior. It was still raining as I left the house, decked out in all of my best rainy weather gear, including a mountain parka, rain pants, leather hiking boots, and a stocking cap. Yes, it was also cold, in the upper 30s. It was so inclement when my wife asked me not to take one of our two dogs with me, knowing that he or she would likely return home sopping wet.

Because there is no sidewalk between my house and the trail access, I must drive my car, even though it is only a half-mile away. Condensation filled the inside windows so thick I could barely see to drive.

I had checked the lunar charts and I knew that a full moon was only a few days away. Even with cloud cover, a moon typically provides enough light to see the trail and I did not carry a flashlight with me.

I was cold as I began and I walked briskly, attempting to warm my body. With my age, my muscles are often stiff when I begin, and the first mile or so is spent getting more limber.

One of the unexpected benefits to walking in the dark is that there is not much to look at. Therefore, the entire experience becomes more contemplative. I am currently writing my fourth book, a novel set in the Galax, Virginia area. Writing a novel requires a lot of imaginative thinking and exercising the body brings increased blood flow to the brain, helping me fire my imagination.

A bicyclist carrying a bright headlight passed me in the dark. Being unable to actually see him, I still said hello to help make sure that he saw me. Otherwise, there was nobody else on the trail.

The rain stopped and within moments, the clouds began to break up. When the moon shone through, it illuminated the trail brightly and dramatically. The movement of the clouds put the incoming beams of light into constant motion. The wind picked up, making it seem even colder, but by this time, I was fully warmed up and the cold was not a problem.

My novel involves the breakdown of the electrical power grid. Therefore, my characters will be spending a lot of time outside and in the dark. It is helpful for me to envision stories to write about if I have experienced similar things myself. For example, at one point an overhanging shrub that I was barely able to see brushed past my head, and it startled me. This is something I can write about happening to one of my characters. The apprehensive sense of not being able to see exactly what is going on when a rustling sound comes from the nearby woods is something I expect my fictional characters will experience.

I reached my normal turnaround point and on this evening, I kept walking for another half-mile before finally convincing myself it was time to turn around.

It is quirky, for sure; most people really don't like to walk alone in the cold, dark, and wet evenings. But this walk of 5 miles or so ended too soon.