Moonrise Over Chittenden

I had the opportunity to see the most glorious view I have ever beheld today. The sun went down early behind the mountain, but as I hiked around, I could still see its highlights upon the valley below. The sky then lit up in a divine rainbow. Above me was a vast clear which faded into hazy rows of yellow, orange, pink, and purple stripes. The last line of deep purple rested softly upon the green and purple mountaintops. Funny that I should see such a noble sunset in the east, but I will not complain.

I marveled at the beauty of the way the colors of the sunset reflected in the opposite sky. I stood still for the longest time gazing at this scene. And then, to my surprise, it became even more beautiful. I then saw the moon begin to rise up from his hiding place behind the ridge. Against the rainbow sky, the moon shone the brightest white. It appeared to be climbing up the peak for it had begun to rise at the base and was then marching up the crest line.

Upon reaching the top of the peak, this weary hiker, the moon, stood perched there for a long time. He must have been enjoying the view of the valley as much as I was, if not more. After a long silent pause, he then proceeded to scale the stripes of color as if he were climbing a ladder. With each rung he reached, the colors deepened: purple to pink to orange to yellow he went.

Once the moon reached the yellow, a curious thing happened. The rainbow faded to a deep blue-grey. All the colors disappeared except for the yellow. It lingered on and slowly closed in around the moon, staining the pure white to a fresh cream color. The rest of the sky darkened to a blue so dark that I could only tell it was blue along the horizon where it met the black silhouette of the mountains.

The moon in all his glory shone above as one by one the stars began to appear. Unless someone would so kindly flip the switch and turn off this great light bulb suspended in the sky, I'm afraid Mr. Moon and his yellow halo will be far too bright. I fear so much light will leave me without sleep tonight.

Posted: November 8, 2002