Hiking by the light of the New Moon, and sheep!

On Sunday, January 22nd, Trip Leader Sara Walfoort and Assistant Leaders Sherry Buckham and Kirill Kiselyov joined seven other night owls on a New Moon Hike around Round Hill Park in Elizabeth, PA. The sky was devoid of clouds and any visible moon, but a number of twinkling stars and planets accompanied the group on the hike. Sara and Kirill, aided by smartphone technology, pointed out some of the showiest constellations.

The clear sky made for an enjoyable three and a half mile hike, and the wet, snowy weather from the past couple of days made for crunchy, traction-perfect trail conditions. The group developed a “telephone” system to alert each other trail hazards like “tree down” and “ice patch.”

While we did not spot any wildlife in the flesh, we did see sharp tracks left in the snow made by turkeys, deer, and even foxes. Evidently other species took advantage of the clear night for an evening walk as well.

Our trek through the woods then morphed into a tour of Round Hill Park’s demonstration farm, complete with a visit to the animal barracks! The hikers dropped by the Chicken House to say “hello,” and visited some hoofed friends in the stable, including sheep, horses, and a very sleepy pig.

As we made our way back to the starting point, Sara told us the story of the beautiful but vain Cassiopeia, who had been showing her face in the night sky. At the end of the hike, we said goodbye to new friends whom we might only recognize in the dark, and headed home.

Want another chance to walk around a park in the dark?
Join us on Tuesday, February 21st as we trek through Riverview Park under the next new moon. Come to the dark side… with your headlamps and flashlights!