Full Moon Out Tonight

Rachel Anders

August 14, 2018

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For those of you who don’t know, I’m from Utah. I love Utah. It is an underrated state full of outdoor adventure and strange religious practices and “fry sauce” (look it up). There is no F-word except for freak and flipping, and babies come out of the womb already wearing a pair of Chacos.

Well, we have a neighbor to the north called Idaho, which is like Utah’s ugly sister. It is the butt end of countless jokes (“I da ho, You da ho, he she we da hoes”) and actually doesn’t have as many potatoes as you’d hope. Naturally, Utahns find many excuses to visit Idaho and poke fun of it, making comments like “at least we don’t live here!”. Which is exactly what I did last week with two friends.

In actuality, there are parts of Idaho that are some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. We found one such place in the town of Stanley, Idaho, population 63, where a friend of ours worked as a river guide. It is a town on the edge of the Sawtooth mountains with few tourists and good vibes only. This is the brief story of how Stanley took any pride I once had.

On our last night in town, my friends and I decided to go to the hot spring, a natural jacuzzi that reeked of sulfur and was surrounded by a fence. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and no one around, so we skinny-dipped. Eventually we all had to pee, and common decency demanded that we each leave the hot spring and go in the bushes right outside.

My friend Grace went first, then Amber. Once Amber returned, I hopped out, and that’s when the trouble began. As soon as I rounded the corner of the fence, a man and woman walking their dog came the other way. The timing was so impeccable that I pretty much walked straight into the man’s chest, a situation already awkward enough without the fact that I was completely naked.

I immediately began backpedaling, apologizing, and tripped over their dog, landing with a thud straight on my butt. I still have bruises. The dog got all excited and started barking and jumping as the owners pulled it away. They apologized and fled around the corner as quickly as they had come. Meanwhile I sat on the ground, nude, bruised, and pretty startled.

Of course, Grace and Amber nearly drowned in that hot spring from laughter. I don’t think I’m ever going to live this one down. The entire 5 hour drive back home was an endless barrage of jokes about the full moon and being “Naked and Afraid”. I’m not embarrassed so much as humored by the whole situation, which is why I’m sharing this little story with you all. Because if there’s anything my entire life has taught me, it’s to not take yourself too seriously, especially in flipping Idaho.