MOONLIGHT

The normally pitch black forest is bathed in bright moonlight. I am not sure what power the moon has over me, what unseen force draws me out into the night when the moon is full and bathes the earth in white light. For me the soothing night sounds coupled with the ability to see in what would normally be total darkness brings about some primal and nocturnal instinct. Maybe we humans have always been drawn into the night by instinct, but our natural fear of the darkness and unknown and unseen dangers keeps us from entering into the wild places at night. Bright moonlight offers up the opportunity to wander through a world not usually seen or explored by humans. To ghost through the wild on a moonlit knight and encounter the nocturnal creatures who lurk only in the darkness is truly a wonder. Owls call to one another in the trees, raccoons search along the creek for crayfish, and small creatures like mice, rats and voles scurry through the underbrush. On the ridge above me a bear rolls stones looking for grubs and ants high in protein for a hungry bear. Along a high meadow elk feed unmolested on the late fall grasses. Somewhere in the late night a far off wolf howls a mournful song to the bright orb at the crest of a towering mountain peak. I step out onto a high ledge along a windswept ridge and am instantly bathed in bright moonlight. As I raise my arms to the sky and thank the creator for this magical night and all the natural wonder it holds, a screech owl calls across the canyon. Pale starlight twinkles in the bright night sky and the night wind touches my cheek, I can not help but wonder if any of my fellow humans are out somewhere in the night feeling the wilderness around them and enjoying this virtually unexplored part of our world. Camp is a long way off and the moon will set before I return to my secret meadow and the comfort of my bedroll. As I descend the mountain a bull elk bugles deep in the timber to my left, at the same time huge clouds pass over the moon leaving me momentarily in total blackness. I do not fear the night or the darkness, but the inability to see in the blackness does remind me of how vulnerable we humans are in the night. As quickly as the darkness came it is replaced by white moonlight as the clouds pass. I make tracks down the mountain through dense timber and for a moment enjoy my time among the creatures of the wilderness and my newfound ability to see the night in all it’s splendor and beauty. From elk camp September18 2008

The full moon does have an effect on us all, if you have the time I would suggest stepping out into the night and enjoying a moment among the wild creatures as the moon bathes your body, the night sounds will soothe your soul ……HAWK