Fern Dell to Griffith Observatory -- Transit of Venus

On Tuesday, June 5, the planet Venus will cross the sun starting at 3:06 pm and, assuming clear skies, will be visible in transit through sunset at 8:02 pm (actually exiting the sun entirely at 9:50 pm, nearly two hours after it drops below the horizon). The next transit of Venus visible from Los Angeles will not occur until December 11, 2117. Unless you expect to be around in 105 years, you might want to take the opportunity to view this one.

We will meet at the far side of the large parking lot 200 yards beyond Trails Cafe. Enter Griffith Park from Los Feliz Blvd., 100 yards east of Western Avenue, between a bust of Leif Ericsson (leader of the Vikings who reached Newfoundland 1,000 years ago) and a statue of a "rampant" (i.e., standing on his hindlegs) bear. Don't confuse this entrance with the Vermont/Hillhurst entrance, also on Los Feliz Blvd., a mile to the east. Drive uphill about 0.6 mile into the park, past Trails Restaurant on the left and children's playground equipment on the right, to the entrance of a large parking lot on your left. Look for a white Volvo sedan parked on the far side of the parking lot and one or two small black dogs (thought by some to resemble miniature black bears). Parking is free.

The group will depart promptly at 5 p.m. You should plan to reach the parking lot a few minutes early, but if you miss the group there are multiple trails and fireroads leading up to the Observatory. The hike uphill on fireroads to the Observatory takes about 25 minutes. I plan to spend about 30 minutes at the Observatory and return to the parking lot by 6:30 p.m. Those who wish to remain at the Observatory longer can do so. Unless you want to hike in the dark, I suggest you start your descent before sunset at 8:02 pm.

Joining this hike is entirely voluntary and participants assume all associated risks. It is each hiker's responsibility to ensure that s/he is in sufficient fitness and health to participate, with appropriate provisions and equipment. (That includes eclipse/transit glasses needed to look at the sun without blinding yourself. Seriously folks, looking directly at the sun will damage your eyes and can cause permanent blindness. If you don't already have eclipse/transit glasses, they are on sale at the Observatory, but assuming a large crowd shows up for the event they might be sold out.) The Los Angeles Hiking Meetup group and the hike organizer make no warranties about the safety or supervision of these activities.