Our Annual Moon Viewing

Posted Sun, February 8, 2009 - 12:44 PM
orienteering, navigation, stateparks

Last night some friends and I had our annual moon viewing and cookout at Afton State Park. For five years running (I wasn't at the first one, though), we've picked a moonlit night in late winter, picked a state park with walk-in fire rings or campsites, and gathered to enjoy the weather, the scenery, and each other's company. Two years ago we even got it to coincide with a lunar eclipse.

This year Mike, Julia, Ian and I were all there at 6 PM, and Mike had set up a little orienteering challenge for the early arrivals. We each got three controls and a pre-marked map, and had to set up the controls on the way into the campsite. I ended up with the most difficult three. Partway into the route, something happened to the switch on my headlamp - it would reliably turn off about a half second after I'd turn it on. So I had to make do with half second glimpses of the map (with a red LED, no less.) But I managed to place them in the right locations, even though I was last to arrive at the campsite.

Right as we were lugging lumber from the cut wood pile over to the fire ring, Dan and Rebecca showed up. At the same time, the sky started to clear from northwest to southeast and revealed a bright full moon high in the sky. The wind died down as well, so got a good fire going and all sat around for about five hours, with plenty of food and beverages to go around. Julia got a bunch of teasing about the new job she's applying for. Dan and Rebecca left a little early, and the rest of us stayed until after midnight. When the fire finally died down, we swapped maps and picked up the controls we had put out earlier.

So far the weather's cooperated every time - here's hoping for five more successful years.