I saw my first moonset this past Monday.  Since I’ve started hiking regularly I’ve noticed the moon more often in the daytime sky.  While I understand that the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth, I still haven’t invested the time to understand when I should be able to see the moon during the day.  So, seeing the moon during the day is still an unexpected treat for me.

As I started making my way up the Register Ridge trail, I saw the moon and took pictures similar to ones I’ve taken in the past.

The moon high above ridge line

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this moon sighting was going to be special.  The path of the moon was downward and it looked like it might get low enough to appear like the moon was resting on the mountain.

The moon starting to set

The moon was starting to set above one of my favorite parts of the Mt. Baldy Trail which I find exhilarating to walk on.  So, I watched the moon set while thinking about what it feels like to walk in the area it was appearing to come down upon.

Mt. Baldy Trail where the moon was appearing to set upon.

Being a half moon, it was interesting to see it just above the ridge line with a sliver of blue between the moon and the ridge.

Just above the ridge

When the moon began to go below the ridge line it looked a lot like a dome.

The moon’s dome like appearance just before dropping below the ridge.