Stars Above Snowshoe Hike

Date: March 3, 2015
Contact: Gregory Schwarz, [phone]

Celebrate the beginning of spring on a Stargazing Snowshoe Hike! The event is Saturday, March 21, at 8:00 pm (cloud date, Sunday March 22) and is free of charge. The hike will take place at Blow-Me-Down Farm, part of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site along the Connecticut River. Meet at the Saint-Gaudens Visitor Center which will open at 7:30 pm. Tour departs from the Visitor Center to Blow-Me-Down Farm at 8:00 pm.

The Spring Equinox means a New Moon and dark sky –perfect for beholding the constellations of the late winter/early spring night sky. Hear a brief history of the cosmos and learn how to use a sky chart - all on a leisurely snowshoe hike around Blow-Me-Down Farm. The hike will be guided by Dr. Kevin Hainline, black hole researcher in Dartmouth's Department of Physics and Astronomy. Hot cocoa and cookies will be provided after the hike, as well an opportunity to talk with astronomers from Dartmouth. Listen to stories of the celestial bodies and go home with the tools to stargaze in your own backyard!

Please dress warmly. A headlamp or flashlight with a red filter is recommended, as white light disrupts night vision. Shoulder blankets and night-time binoculars are encouraged. Snowshoes and some red filtered lights are available from Saint-Gaudens NHS;please reserve in advance. If conditions are not favorable for snowshoeing, the event will proceed as a regular hike. Please RSVP by 3:00 pm, Friday, March 20, and provide name, number in party and contact information in the event of date change to: [e-mail] or call 603-375-2175 x113. Scheduling changes and cancelations will be posted on the park website, www.nps.gov/saga, and our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SaintGaudensNPS.

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is located off NH Route 12A just north of the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge. For information on seasonal offerings, contact Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, 139 Saint-Gaudens Road, Cornish, NH, 03745, telephone [phone], or visit the park web site at:www.nps.gov/saga, and join us on Facebookat www.facebook.com/SaintGaudensNPS.