“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…,” as the recording by Andy Williams says.
And Waterloo Recreation Area has plenty to wonder about and amaze us with this season, as a small group of unsuspecting hikers and their foolish guide venturing out through the woods to a floating bog after dark this past Friday night, Dec. 12, 2025 found out.
Could this be the making of a new Christmas “scary ghost story” Williams sings about?
These hikers experienced some unexpected and mysterious phenomena on their fated journey. Glowing snow, disappearing heads, floating lights, and the power of darkness that stripped them of their most basic cognitive abilities that they’ve learned in kindergarten. They surely wondered as they wandered.
Alas, they made it back unscathed, as I, their guide, can attest. But perhaps we all left a little more enlightened to the wonders of nature in the darkness of winter.
If you’re feeling disappointed that you missed out on this transcendental experience (as I’m sure you are), have no fear. Weather permitting, I will be leading the same hike Friday, Dec. 26. We will meet at the Eddy Discovery Center lower parking lot at 6:00 p.m.
The hike is 1.5 miles round trip and it’s free. You can experience many of these same strange phenomena and, perhaps, learn of the Waterloo pirate legend. So, cancel those boring holiday plans, bring your family out to enjoy your Waterloo park and learn why it truly is a winter wonderland.
It should be magical for kids of all ages.
