Point Arena Lighthouse Evening Tours Continue With The Full Hunter's Moon • Tickets Available Now For October 8 Tour
The Point Arena Lighthouse continues its popular Full Moon Night Tours with an (almost) Full Hunter’s Moon Night Tour on Saturday, October 8. Gates open 6:30pm, tour starts around 7:00pm.
The evening will feature a special presentation about the Light Station’s history and technology, sweet and savory snacks accompanied by champagne or sparkling juice, capped off by a guided “Climb to the Top” tour of the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast under the rising full moon – if the weather cooperates, of course! An etched Point Arena Lighthouse souvenir champagne flute is included in the price of admission for each participant, which is $50 per person. The tour is limited to 20 guests, so reservations are recommended in advance of the tour. While the tour is scheduled to coordinate with the full moon, weather conditions may preclude lunar visibility. The tours are conducted regardless of weather conditions, unless the Lighthouse Staff deems them to potentially cause safety issues for the guests. In the event the tour is cancelled, guests will receive a full refund. The Lighthouse is located at 45500 Lighthouse Road in Point Arena.
According to the Old Farmer’s it is believed that this full moon came to be called the full Hunter’s Moon because it signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for the cold winter ahead. Animals are beginning to fatten up ahead of winter, and since the farmers had recently cleaned out their fields under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily see the deer and other animals that had come out to root through the remaining scraps (as well as the foxes and wolves that had come out to prey on them). The earliest use of the term “Hunter’s Moon,” cited in the Oxford English Dictionary, is from 1710. Some sources suggest that other names for the Hunter’s Moon are the Sanguine or Blood Moon, either associated with the blood from hunting or the color of the changing autumn leaves. The names of the moon are most often related to natural signs of the season or to activities that were done at this time of year. Some other Native American names for the October full moon include Drying Rice Moon (Dakota), Falling Leaves Moon (Anishinaabe), Freezing Moon (Ojibwe), Ice Moon (Haida) and Migrating Moon (Cree).
“Most Full Moon Night Tours sell out well in advance, and guests always marvel at the moon rising over the hills east of Manchester or Point Arena just as we arrive at the top of the Lighthouse Tower,” says Mark Hancock, Point Arena Lighthouse Executive Director. “Come enjoy this unique coastal experience!”
The Lighthouse offers Full Moon and (almost) Full Moon Night Tours monthly throughout the year on the Saturday closest to every full moon if it doesn’t fall on a Saturday. All proceeds go toward the support and maintenance of the Lighthouse Tower, Museum and grounds. see their website PointArenaLighthouse.com for details. For more information or to make a reservation call the Lighthouse at 707-882-2809, ext. 1 at least 3 days prior to the tour.
