Hiking/Scrambling/Snowboarding: Hwy 28....Our Roswell

I don't have any photos, bummer, I know. This happened right before I purchased my DSL.

I had one of my other cameras along, but it showed absolutely zilch when I looked at the shots later. So I will just describe as best as I can. I think I have done so earlier, but could not find the thread.....

I, along with a couple of other adults, took some scouts up to Lemhi Pass and Salmon for an outing designed to educate these boys about Lewis and Clark & Sacajawea. I knew a place up Spring Canyon (near the old Hahn Townsite) to camp for the night. I had my laptop and even played a bit of a DVD on Lewis & Clark to all in attendance, pretty cool.

Most of the group went to bed in tents, I, along with my 3 boys threw our sleeping bags down on the ground under the stars. wOw! The stars were brilliant! You can sure see way more when you are in the right place. We talked about the usual stuff, nothing of importance really. My youngest was on my left and he said "Dad, what is the bright star over there?" He pointed to the edge of a ridge coming down to our left. A bright "star" was shining just above the trees. I said that I thought it must be Venus. It was pretty bright, but not unusually so. I went back to talking to the other two boys, paying it little mind.

Next thing Trent said to me, "Dad, where did it go?" I looked and sure enough, it was gone.....well that was strange. I thought it might be hidden behind some clouds, but no... stars were still visible in that specific direction. 'Well, that is strange....." I murmured to myself. I couldn't explain that readily, but I though there must be SOME explanation.

I went back to talking to the other two (they were on my right). Trent then exclaimed loudly "There it is again!!"

When I turned to look, I could see a bright light behind the trees on the ridge. It was moving. At first I thought it was a set of car lights from an outfit coming off the mountain. There are some roads that travel to the top and over into the Little Lost River valley at this point in the Lems. Very rough roads and not likely anything other than a Jeep or four wheeler would even try to negotiate these terrible old mining roads. And the roads were further up the canyon, behind us.

The light then moved above the trees into the clear sky....now I was starting to become alarmed. What could possibly do that? What? Good question. Helicopter came to mind. But good hell man, this thing stayed up there for hours, moving a little, but not much. It was colorful, seemingly changing colors, but subtlety. The rest of the sky moved over the course of the night, but this thing stayed in about the same spot for most of the long night. Very odd. Damn odd. I have no explanation for this incident. Several of the boys came out of their tents and sat next to us and watched for a couple of hours. None of the other two leaders would get up, too bad, they missed quite the spectacle.

Saw it again two weeks later when I drove from Salmon back to Ririe......eerie as hell.