After a long day of hiking, I wanted nothing more than to cook up a hot meal and settle down for a night of well-deserved rest. I was going to do that until I saw the night sky above. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but eventually the night sky became bright with stars, and the faint line of the Milky Way traced a line across the sky. Faint satellites moved against the collage of stars that frequently played hosts to the scintillating flashes of meteors.

At that moment, I felt blessed to be living in a region where I could head out to experience the darkness of the night sky as it truly was.

Alpine Lakes Wilderness
WA USA