By the Light of the Moon...

July 15, 2011

“No sight is more provocative of awe than is the night sky.” ~Llewelyn Powys

Hike: Monuments in the Moonlight, National Mall , Washington DC

Distance: Approx. 4 miles

Time: Approx. 3.5 hrs (takes into account time for taking pictures and soaking in the sights)

When you live so close to the United State’s Capital city you sometimes forget all that it has to offer. You can take for granted all the tourist attractions and you don’t always take the time to go and explore what there is to see and do. I’ve walked the National Mall many times with friends and family during various excursions downtown, but I’ve never experienced the National Mall at night and certainly not under the glow of a full moon. The Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group organizes a moonlit walk around the Mall whenever the full moon falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Seeing the monuments and memorials at night gives you a completely different perspective. They seem even more majestic in the light of a full moon.

One nice thing about this hike is that it is metro accessible, which is how I chose to get to the meet up location. I took red line from Bethesda to Farragut North and walked a few blocks to Cosi where I met up with a few fellow hikers. We had a nice light dinner with fun conversation before heading toward the Washington Monument, which is close to where we were meeting the rest of the group. There were well over one hundred people in attendance at this hike and it was a great way to meet fellow hikers and make new friends. I chose to go at the “social” pace and had a fantastic group of hikers walking with me. The leisurely pace really gives you time to chat and soak up the beauty of the monuments and memorials as well as snap a few pictures.

We visited the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial and Washington Monument. I think my favorite was probably the Korean War Memorial. I love the statues of the soldiers and the faces etched into the wall. They were really a sight to see at night. I learned that I really need to invest in a better digital camera because it was difficult to capture the true beauty of the hike without getting blurry images from the extended shutter speed needed for the dim lighting conditions. I did manage to get a few good shots though. I look forward to seeing the pictures Alie has to post because she went with the “photography” pace, which gave time to set up tripods and shoot longer series of photos.

Overall the hike was truly enjoyable. I met many great people who I hope to see on future hikes with the group. I’ve signed up for a second “Monuments in the Moonlight” hike in August because my mom wants to experience the National Mall at night too! Tomorrow I’ve got a five miler with the group. I’ll be sure to blog about that one as well! Hiking is becoming quite the addiction! Happy trails!