New Hampshire

WHERE: New Hampshire

WHEN: A weekend in December

WHY: To celebrate Marinac's 50th birthday

IDEAS AFOOT: "We were driving home from a particularly great hike last summer and the moon was coming out. I thought, wouldn't it be great to do a full-moon hike? We love hiking and snowshoeing, and it's one of the physical activities my autistic boys can participate in," Mary Kae Marinac said. "Then I thought about my 50th birthday and looked it up and discovered there was a full moon that day, Dec. 12. I literally cried. It was a gift from the heavens. I knew a snowshoe trek was meant to be."

MORE PARTYGOERS: "I spread the word, not expecting much interest," she said. "I was amazed that my mother said she would come, though she kept mentioning how a cruise would have been nicer." In time, siblings from Cleveland and Atlanta signed on, along with a friend from South Carolina, and others closer by. "In the end we had 20 people, ages 8 to 75." Marinac settled on Lincoln Woods Trails in Lincoln, off the Kancamagus Highway. "The trails were basically flat along an 1870s logging road, and there was a huge parking lot where we could meet, and restrooms."

GETTING INTO HOT WATER: An après-snowshoe party and overnight stay were planned at Indian Head Resort in Lincoln. "It has a year-round heated outdoor pool, and the kids love it." As it turned out, the resort had electricity when many places did not, as Marinac's birthday coincided with the ice storm. "We lost power at our house, as did most partygoers. I thought people might not come, but some said, "Oh, my god, I get to take a hot shower."

MOONLIT MAGIC: The group convened at the hotel and caravanned from there. "I prepared a care package for each guest. Jeff painted little Shaker boxes and inside were headlamps, snacks, and a local tourist map. When we got to the trail it was like a party atmosphere, everyone with headlights on, teaching people to put snowshoes on, with the younger people helping the older ones." They walked a little over 3 miles, and everyone loved it, Marinac said. "Just before we started, around 6 p.m., the moon broke through the clouds. On top of the full moon, it was a time when it was closer to Earth, so it was bigger and brighter. I have this image of looking at the full moon from the suspension bridge across the Pemigewasset River as it swayed, filled with all the people I love."

DIANE DANIEL