Last month, my parents asked me if I had any interest in going on a candlelit hike with them in Kettle Moraine State Park. Of course I said yes, it sounded so intriguing. So this past Saturday, the time came to take the Metra train out to Fox Lake and, from there, drive the 30 minutes north to Kettle Moraine.
I love Wisconsin. Life seems simpler and more genuine there (yeah, I know, we are all watching “Making a Murderer”, but don’t let that ruin the whole state for you, ok?) After the sun set, which happened as we drove, the temperature dropped a good ten degrees. We bundled up in the car before going out to brave the icy weather for the hike. At the start of the trail, there was a small lodge, surrounded by candles that were nestled into cylinders of ice.
The lodge offered some respite from the cold as well as hot chocolate and other goodies. Around back, a bonfire burned, warming people’s fingers and lending some more light to the area. Just beyond the hot chocolate house was the trail head, which was lined with twinkling lights. The trail itself cut through the forest and was lined down the middle with candles in white paper bags. It was fairly dark along the trail, save for the light coming from the interspersed candles. The snow crunched beneath our feet and cross-country skiers whizzed by us, headlamps lighting their way.
One of my favorite things about getting out of the city and closer to nature is how crisp and clean the air is in the country. It smells so delicious, and I breathed as deeply as I could, despite the cold I was (and still am) sporting. About halfway through our walk, we came upon another bonfire, where we stood around to try and warm our freezing fingers. It seemed that all the other hikers and skiers were as happy to be there as we were and there was a nice sense of community, especially around the bonfires.
We moved on down the path and came to a little clearing in the trees where the half-moon shone brightly. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and the candlelight added a whimsical touch. After about an hour’s walk, we reached the end of our hike. It really was a wonderful experience that I would absolutely recommend to anyone. The candlelit hikes go on through the end of February in different State Parks all across Wisconsin. You can find the complete schedule here.
After we left Kettle Moraine, we stopped by Holi Canoli in Elkhorn, WI. Their coal-fired pizza is so damn delicious. We had the Margherita pizza with prosciutto and kalamata olives paired with some Montepulciano wine. It was perfect. So, if you do find yourself catching one of the candlelit hikes in Wisconsin and it happens to be at Kettle Moraine State Park (the next one is on February 6), stop into Holi Canoli too, and you won’t be disappointed.
A big thank you to my parents for taking me along with them on what has become their yearly tradition. They are the original wanderlusters, and without their adventurous spirits I’d never be the travel-crazed woman I am today. So, thanks guys – for everything.
entered the Visitor Center only to grab a map and hit the restrooms before we began our hike. Originally, we wanted to hike up to the Lodge first, to get some lunch and figure out which hikes we wanted to do. What actually happened was we wound up on the Wildcat Canyon overlook trail. The paths were muddy due to days of rain prior to our visit, and my Chuck Taylors proved to be a poor hiking footwear choice. Actually, my whole outfit was ill-suited to nature and now I know better. Please note that jean shorts are not a great choice for four hours of humid hiking through the forest. What can I say? I’m a city girl. Luckily, the scenery was so gorgeous that I soon forgot my wardrobe woes and was able to focus on the views. We reached the outlook and noticed there were people hanging out in the canyon below, basking in the sunlight and playing beneath the waterfall, with no indication of how they appeared there. I made it my personal mission 
for the day to be one of those people. The weather was perfect, and everything was so green and gorgeous. It was nice just to be outside. Eventually, we found a sign pointing us towards the Lodge. The area surrounding the lodge was crowded with hikers and overnighters, staying in either the Lodge Hotel or the cute little cabins in the same general area. The lodge itself was a stately and beautiful large, wooden structure. I instantly wanted to stay the night there. We decided to have lunch in the “Dining Room” instead of the small café in the lobby. The dining room was also very large, with an outdoor deck attached. It had a romantic feel with the dark wood, soft lighting, and large fireplace holding court in the back of the room. The lunch menu included comfort food entrees, salads and sandwiches. We both ordered the Illiniwek Chicken Sandwich. The waitress was not the friendliest person we’d met that day, but the
service was prompt and the food was delicious so we overlooked her surly demeanor. After lunch, I stopped at the front desk to inquire about vacancy and room rates. Unfortunately they were completely booked, but the good news is their prices are completely affordable with their standard rooms starting around $100 and their cabins starting at $125 (depending on the season). We vowed to come back and stay in a cabin in the near future. We hiked up to the park’s namesake, the actual Starved Rock, and the stairs up to the overlook were no joke. The view from the top was breathtaking (minus the huge dam that was visible on one side of the Illinois River). The path at the top of Starved Rock wound in a circle, through trees and wildflowers looking lush from the summer rain. We meandered back down the way we came, past other hikers huffing and puffing up the many, many stairs. From there we hiked up to the Lover’s Leap overlook, which offered an amazing view of Starved Rock and the river 
below. It was finally time to complete my mission of the day and find the way into the canyon that we had seen from the trail above. We found the path and made our way along the river to the canyon. We could hear its current visitor’s voices bouncing off the rock face in what could only be described as shouts of glee. When we finally reached Wildcat Canyon, it took some maneuvering to get over to the waterfall, through the water and mud. Once we were finally in the main clearing, I took my shoes off and stuck my feet in the water. It was cloudy with the sand beneath, but cold and refreshing. The waterfall was gorgeous; it flowed into a small pool teaming with happy little hikers. Though the area was crowded, there was a solidarity among the visitors in the canyon; everyone was admiring the view. It was hard to leave such a beautiful place, but it was about that time to head back to the visitors center. Overall, we hiked about five miles through the forest, up and down stairs, and on gorgeous overlook boardwalks. By the time we made it back to the car, I was exhausted, but already planning our next visit. Even with how much we had already explored, there were still so many other paths, overlooks and canyons to see. I’d imagine that not too much time will pass before I’m back for more.
rebeccawanderlusting 