Continuing our new summer tradition (started in '09), we spent a full-moon night at another Forest Service lookout in the neighborhood in late July. This year we went to Gem Peak, about 25 miles from home (as the crow flies), northwest of our place. Like so many others, the lookout is no longer manned but is available for nightly rentals by the public.
We made our reservations on-line with the Forest Service back in February (you have to make them at least 180 days out), reserving a mid-week night with a full moon in July. We packed our bags, a cooler, and one dog (we took Lizzie and left Angus with a housesitter) and headed up the mountain.
The weather upon arrival was mixed. Within an hour of getting unpacked in our home three stories up, the storm hit. The clouds swirled around us up there on the mountaintop, blowing mist in and out. We got some thunder and lightning and a bit of rain. Then it cleared up enough to see the full moon rise over the Clark Fork River far below.
We slept well, and awoke with glaring sun in our eyes (sunrise comes early on a mountaintop). After breakfast, we headed back to civilization, stopping along the way to pick some huckleberries.
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