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The Sunset & 'Blue Moon' New Year's Eve Hike at Griffith Park
Tom LaBonge poses for a photo on a Autumn Equinox Hike in 2008 | Photo via LaBonge's Flickr
Councilman Tom LaBonge hikes Griffith Park daily, inviting the community to come out in large numbers with him at each change of season. But instead of a Winter Solstice hike, he leads an annual New Year's Eve hike. The two hour hike begins at 4 p.m. in the north end of the Griffith Observatory parking. The gentle incline hike to Mount Hollywood at 1,625 feet above sea level will reveal some nice views of city with lighting provided by the last sunset and full moon of 2009.
LaBonge is touting this as a "Blue Moon" experience. That's because the second full moon in a month period is commonly known as a blue moon. However, this might not be the case, as local tech goddess Amanda Coolong, crowned as one of the top sexy geeks of 2010, notes on Twitter. "There are usually 3 full moons in a season. On the rare occasion there are 4, the 3rd is the Blue Moon," she explained, pointing to a Farmer's Almanac post on the etymology that concludes "the current use of 'Blue Moon' to mean the second full Moon in a month can be traced to a 55-year-old mistake in Sky & Telescope magazine."
Four full moons in a season, two full moons in a month? Both are rare, so, in any case, enjoy that and the hike!
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