Wednesday, December 21 (12-5 pm)
Leader: Stephanie Mason
Members $35; nonmembers $49

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is arriving.  Whether you call this astronomical event the shortest day of the year—or the longest night of the year—it’s a good occasion to push away from your computer and join fellow nature lovers on a hike in a beautiful place. Our outing starts at the Widewater area along the C&O Canal Towpath and will move upriver to Great Falls. Here we’ll traverse the bridges out to the Great Falls Overlook—and after enjoying the drama and din of the Falls, we’ll retrace our steps back to Widewater. As daylight fades on our walk back downriver, we’ll look and listen for wildlife activity—mostly birds—as they settle in for the longest night of the year. Expect a round trip of nearly 4 miles on the natural surface Towpath at a pace faster than our usual Naturalists’ Shuffle. REGISTER