Hallowe'en at Afton State Park

John and I booked a much needed, one-night escape to Afton State Park on Hallowe'en night. Since I returned to school, my schedule is such that it is near impossible to take any proper time off during the week because I have class every day. It is very wearying for me, so John suggested we at least take one night to get away for Hallowe'en and take Monday off to sleep in, even if I still have to schlepp into class for an hour. We had a really lovely time. The trees still had a little color to enjoy, and I rather like to see all the skeletons of the trees that reveal so many birds nests and perching critters. This was probably the first trip to the wilderness where I have not had a sense of silent fear lurking inside, and I felt absolutely relaxed and at peace. I brought many offerings for the wild things, including peanuts, sunflower seeds, "bird cupcakes" that my mom made for me to set out, apples and pomegranates, and a libation of homemade yarrow mead. It is an ancient practice, the sharing of food and drink with the spirits of land and the deceased, and this time of year, the dying of the year, is one of the most potent times to feel a connection to this great mystery.

There were many campers that night, and some seemed to be having a little Hallowe'en fun in the tents across from our cabin. As John and I snuck into the white woods of the birch so I could pour out my mead, we saw a thoroughly creepy and funny sight: someone dressed in a ghostly shroud seemed to float through the trees! We laughed as we watched them drift back and forth in the dusky light, and remarked at how freaky-fun it would be to do a little Hallowe'en celebration with costumes and all in the woods. Another creepy thing happened, though John was not awake to witness it. I could not get any sleep barely at all, so I had been just laying in bed, listening to Game of Thrones and being annoyed at my insomnia. At one point, I opened my eyes to see the cabin was completely lit up with the most incredible, silvery light from the moon coming directly through the window. I got up to see if I could spy any nocturnal critters loping about the area, and I could see what appeared to be an LED lantern light over in the campground where we saw the ghost. It seemed to glow very bright, then swing a bit, then dim very dim or go out completely, then go bright again. Then it seemed to shoot cross the field all the way over to where one of the yurts stood, then shot back. Then I saw another light at the yurt that did the same thing, glowed very bright, then dimmed, disappeared, then shot over to the tent area. I watched this for a good while before I tried to get John to wake up to see what he thought of this mysterious light. He would not wake. So I sat, watching the ghost-light, reminding me of the mysterious lights of Marfa, Texas. I chuckled to myself thinking of the movie short from Pixar's Cars, where Tow Mater experiences the "ghost lights" :) Too creepy!