Redwoods, the night, and you: Join a tradition that is full of serenity and glow

THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE FOREST? It feels a bit more velvety as the sun takes its daily bow. The rustles of the various branches are rustle-ier, the wind has a deeper song, and the trills of the daytime birds make way for sonorous hoots emitted by the unseen but ever-present owls. But finding ethereal opportunities to call upon the wondrous woods for starlit events aren't all that plentiful, save for special summer hikes and the popular Dark Sky Festivals, those cosmic gatherings that pop up in select national parks every so often. But a special late-fall festivity, presented by the Redwood Parks Conservancy, gives lovers of the big trees a chance to stroll beneath their majesty during a chill December twilight, all to experience the beauty and serenity of the season. As for the path that participants follow? It is lined with a low glow created by hundreds of luminaria, adding to the reverent mood of the moment.

THE 34TH ANNUAL CANDLELIGHT WALK... returns to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park over the first weekend of December, and while the Saturday evening stroll is sold out, there are, as of this typing, some tickets available for Sunday, Dec. 3. "Local storytellers and musicians will fill out the night with stories and songs of winter, the holidays and the redwoods," promises the conservancy, and hot cider and cookies are the after-walk treats (just head for the visitor center). California State Parks and the National Park Service are the conservancy's partners in presenting the peaceful perambulation, which has become a tradition for those people seeking a more reflective and nature-oriented expression of the busiest time of the year.