The Heart of Winter

Last Saturday Jon, Eli, and I headed out for our second Luminary Loppet. Theo had (got! in his mind) to stay with grandparents because he hasn't been able to shake a fever. This event is held in conjunction with the Minneapolis Loppet- a whole weekend of fabulous ski events in the heart of Minneapolis. I hear that all of the events are amazing, but there is no way anything can top the Luminary. The organizers set up ice candle luminaries all the way around Lake of the Isles. Then, as the sun sets, they set thousands of skiers out on the trail. The path takes you by bonfires, snow and ice sculptures, trees aglow with hundreds of candle lanterns, fire dancers/jugglers, and smiling volunteers offering you coffee, cocoa, cookies. You shuffle around with every other cross country skier in the metro area, plus a bevvie of snowshoers and hikers, but the crowds are never an issue. It seemed like we knew every fifth person, and smiles were plastered on every face. For an hour and a half we puttered around the lake, thoroughly enjoying this time in the heart of winter.