Luna Moth

from Gifts of the Superior Hiking Trail by Mikkel Beckmen (Ramshackle Press 2023)

Illustration by Siri Marie Beckmen

​Mikkel Beckmen did a solo thru hike of the Superior Hiking Trail in 2021. The 310 mile trail skirts Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. On his 24 days of hiking he brought no music, electronics, or even books. Just a journal to record thoughts each day. The book has 24 chapters, one for each day of hiking the trail. It is an ode to self-discovery, the natural world, and one person's question, "Who am I in relation to wilderness and to the land?"

Each day while walking on my south bound backpacking journey I experienced profound encounters with a variety of creatures, trees and other humans. I was usually awake by 5:30 am and on the trail by 6:30. Most of my interactions happened in the early hours of my day. 

I thought about these interactions as I walked. Each one revealed something - a gift or a secret about how to get by in my wilderness environment, and ultimately how to be in the world. My second day, way up in moose country, I came across a beautiful Luna Moth. 

The Luna Moth is found in the northern parts of North America (Turtle Island).  

The Luna Moth is rarely seen, even though it is one of the largest moths on earth. This is not because it is rare, but because the Luna Moth only lives seven days in their moth state. They have no digestive system  and live briefly off the left-over energy they had as caterpillars. They are designed to move efficiently, and use energy sparingly.

I expended a lot of physical and mental energy each day; more than I was getting through the 10-15 pounds of food I carried in my pack. To make the whole journey, I realized I needed to be as efficient as possible. I needed to rely on stored energy and efficient movements over mountains, gorges and forests, and as I set up and broke down my encampments and prepared meals. I became adept at setting up my tent and cooking with the least amount of motion possible. Nine hours of sleep and being still on breaks helped as well.

It takes energy to move our butts from one place to the next. That we have chosen to burn dinosaur bones (fossil fuels) for the majority of our movement from one place to the next, has, in just over a century, brought us to the brink of extinction. I thought about the ways in which I might be more efficient in my energy use at home. How I move about, cook and use electricity.

The future is created by the choices we make in our everyday lives. The current situation is the sum of yesterday’s choices. The Luna Moth is designed to move with grace and efficiency for a reason. 

How will you move today?