A guided paddle goes out under the Harvest Moon on Saturday night
The full moon nearest the equinox rises over the river eight minutes before the boats push off. Two hours on the water with an Ijams Park naturalist, kayak and headlamp included.
- When
- Sat Sep 26 · 7:30–9:30 PM
- Where
- Ijams River Landing · 3507 Island Home Pike
- Cost
- $45 · kayak, life vest and headlamp included
- The moon
- Full at 12:49 PM Saturday · rises 7:18 PM · sunset 7:26 PM
- Bring
- Water and a layer — Saturday night drops to about 51
- Don't bring
- Your own kayak; your own paddle, vest or headlamp is fine
- Waiver
- One adventure release per calendar year
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the fall equinox, and this year it lands on Saturday — full at 12:49 in the afternoon, up over the east bank at 7:18 in the evening, eight minutes before sunset. Ijams Park has built a paddle around it: two hours on the Tennessee River from the River Landing on Island Home Pike, leaving at 7:30, with naturalists pointing out what lives along the bank after dark and what is overhead.
What the timing gives you
Launching at 7:30 puts the group on the water in the last of the daylight, with the moon already up and the sky still bright enough to see the shore. By the turnaround it is full dark with a full moon, which is the whole point. The forecast is on the paddle's side: Saturday is sunny and 77, partly cloudy overnight, and the low is about 51, so the second hour is cool. Wear a layer you can paddle in.
The practical part
Forty-five dollars covers the kayak, the life vest and a headlamp. You may bring your own vest, paddle or headlamp, but the park asks that you not bring your own boat. Everyone signs the adventure release once a year if they haven't already. These paddles fill; register ahead rather than driving down.
