As this challenging year draws to a close, let’s appreciate and connect to what provides inspiration and solace–such as the beauty and wonder of nature close to home.

Join us on Monday, December 21, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, for our 5th annual Winter Solstice Mindfulness Walk. We will quietly celebrate the winter solstice on a meditative woods walk at Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge in Hadley.

Solstice means “sun stands still,” so this evening–the longest night of the year–we will pause to enjoy the stillness of this seasonal turning point, the stillness of the natural world, and our own inner stillness.

We will gather in the parking area for a brief introduction, then share a socially distanced, silent walk along the Fort River Trail. This 1.1-mile universally accessible loop meanders through 260 acres of diverse habitat and includes eight elevated boardwalks and seven scenic viewing decks with benches.

Group size is limited to 20 participants, masks will be required, and social-distancing from others outside your household will be practiced. This event is co-sponsored by the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge.

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” – poet and naturalist John Burroughs