Monthly Full Moon Hike - Green Ribbon Trail

MONTHLY FULL MOON HIKE - Green Ribbon Trail (8.5 to 9.0 Miles +/- | 300 Feet Elevation) Join us for our monthly full-moon hike! There's a certain magic about hiking at night, especially with a full moon to help light the way! We will kick off the 2025 series by exploring the Green Ribbon Trail along the Wissahickon Creek just north of the city of Philadelphia. The GRT is a wonderful trail that, while not always in the best condition, is not heavily used - especially at night. A fair trade off, in my humble opinion, of some muddy/wet trails with peace and quiet! We will move at a good pace, especially since this hike will be so darn flat, though obviously we will stop to enjoy views and also take a quick ten minute break about halfway through in an open field to, I hope, catch some really good photos of the full moon! For new members, the point of these hikes are to try out best, it gets easier the more you do it!, to hike WITHOUT using headlamps - especially this time of year before the foliage starts to fill in. Of course, bring your headlamp (ones with a 1,500+ lumen NON-WHITE color preferred please) and use it when needed (no phone lights, no flashlights) but this is a great series to try and teach your eyes to hike at night with a minimum need for light. Please note this hike also involves several creek crossings and the use of a old shaky (but safe) medal ladder. Creek crossings can be in ankle deep water - depending on conditions. The trail makes use of "stone pavers" for crossing, but they're generally only a few inches to a foot above the creek so they get buried (but are still usable/safe) quickly with heavy rains. The GRT trails are almost always muddy in certain sections - even if it hasn't rained in a week or two, so keep in mind this could be a muck fest for certain stretches. We'll adjust our pace accordingly, though of course this is such a flat hike that we should not have a problem completing the total mileage in the time allotted. Seriously, there's like one hill, the ladder, and a few bridges to climb up - that's it for elevation. Once we finish the hike we can tailgate for a bit - I'll bring some beers, wine, snacks, etc NOTES | CONDITIONS This hike involves using trails that are muddy almost all the time, but it's safe and it won't be like that the entire time. This is meant for people in decent/average shape able to cover the distance, tackle the elevation, and do so in the time allotted. This is a "woodsy" or "outdoorsy" hike with tree roots, rocky trails, overgrown tree limbs, etc. Not as bad as the Wissahickon or West Fairmount Park. But you need to pay attention to your steps and your footing in certain parts. The hike will involve a few street crossings where there are no stop signs or traffic lights, and two short 1-2 minute stretches on busy roads with no sidewalks/minimum shoulders on the road. BASIC INFO DAY & DATE: Wednesday March 12th START TIME: 7:00PM (AND WE START ON TIME!) STARTING LOCATION: Carey Stadium at Germantown Academy ADDRESS: 310 Morris Rd, Fort Washington, PA 19034 LENGTH: 8.75 Miles +/- (87.5 is target) ELEVATION: 300 Feet +/- (300 is target) SPEED: 3.0 Mph average END TIME: Target is 10pm to be done hiking GEAR: Hiking boots/shoes (sneakers may be getting on this) Water Snacks Appropriate clothing - hats, rain jackets, etc. as needed A change of clothes for after (at your discretion) Headlamps. We try not to use them unless absolutely necessary. The point is to hike using the light of the moon once the sun has set. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying a headlamp with a NON-WHITE color (red, blue, green are best) with at least 1,5000 lumens on the non-white color. This helps keep your night vision and also prevents you from blinding others when you must use it. Reach out to me if you're unsure what to buy, I can offer suggestions. I also advise people bring hiking bags to keep you hands free and prep for hikes with rock scrambling Food/Drinks for tailgating afterwards Beer or other drink for before the hike. PARKING Parking is free on the school's campus I'll post a comment with my outfit and upload a map with pin to the event photos once I arrive DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES IN or anything visible in your car BATHROOMS & BREAKS Bathrooms MAY be available at the start (not sure the end). If not, there are plenty of nearby woods. Bathrooms probably not available at our midway point either, but again that will be heavily wooded. No other bathrooms or bathroom breaks along the hike. We'll take a few short breaks here and there to let folks catch up, grab some water, adjust gear, etc. and we'll take a 10 minute break i a big open field to get photos of the moon/sky. AFTERWARDS The plan is to hike, with a few short (1-2 minute) breaks here and there and one 10 minute break, so we'll be hiking most of the three hours. Once the hike is over we can tailgate in the parking lot by our cars if the weather cooperates. I'll bring some snacks, drinks, etc. Feel free to bring some snacks/drinks as well. CANCELLATIONS I do not cancel hikes for inclement weather. It must be guaranteed thunderstorms (in open terrain), enough snow/ice to make getting to/from a hike dangerous, etc. If I ever do need to cancel or postpone a hike I try to do so as early as possible. You may cancel at anytime up to and including the start time of the hike. Cancellations without contacting me after the start of an event counts as a no-show. More than 3 no-shows gets you removed from the group. If something happens, I get it, reach out and just tell me after. I've been there - hungover, busy, etc. Just be polite, and brief, if you forget to cancel. More Info below.