Leaders: Genevieve Wall and Stephanie Mason The first day of winter is arriving. Whether you call this astronomical event the shortest day -- or the longest night -- of the year, it’s a good occasion to pause the hustle-bustle of daily life 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 return walk downriver, we’ll look and listen for wildlife activity – primarily birds – as they settle in for the longest night of the year. Be ready for a round-trip of nearly 4 miles on the natural surface Towpath at a pace faster than our usual naturalist’s shuffle.