I made it to Old Ski Bowl at 11pm, the end of Everitt Memorial Highway that climbs Mt Shasta. It was much more devoid of campers compared to last year as I was the lone car on the side of the road. No company for tonight but I’ll take it. Again, I had to process that I was here almost exactly one year ago, chasing the moon light. 

The moon was still glaring but I could see the galactic dust of the Milky Way. I knew my window of opportunity was going to be moonset to the crack of dawn, about 1am to 4:50am. I decided to try and nap just to pass some time and avoid the pesky mosquitoes, but also so I wouldn’t feel languid on the drive back home. 

My alarm sounded at 12:45am. I noticed the moon about to set and the Milky Way core getting brighter; I jumped out of my car in excitement and started setting up the camera. I stood in the dark and cold for the next several hours, treated to a spectacular display of the celestial sky: the moon, the planets and stars. The waxing moon turned deep orange as it set over the horizon, reminiscent of a sunset due to wildfire smoke. I witnessed airglow and several meteors, one with a fiery tail that left me breathless. It felt serene to gaze up at the stars above and the flickering lights from human activity below.

Looking down on the world makes me realize how small and insignificant humanity’s problems have become in comparison. Even I find myself sucked into the affairs of society and caught up in degenerate matters from time to time; I’m still human. Why should we spend so much of our limited attention involving ourselves in things that do not matter in the grand scheme of the universe? After all, I’m only on this planet for several decades at most compared to the celestial bodies that are billions of years old. 

I’m reminded by the infinite amount of stars that there is always something greater than us.  

600 miles
3 hours of sleep
I belong here.