Sample a triathlon in Cary or sample hiking on Grandfather Mountain. Or, at the coast you can workout for a cookout. Good options all for the last weekend before Labor Day weekend.
Coast
Always a smart move, scheduling a cookout with a workout, which is the gist of Saturday’s Rise and Grind Workout and Cookout Saturday morning at Hugh MacRae Park in Wilmington.
Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.
A patch and knowing you’re helping to save more special places to explore.
That’s what you get by completing the LandTrust for Central North Carolina’s just launched Hike & Paddle Challenge.
Here’s how it works. If you aren’t already a member of the LandTrust for Central NC, you’ll need to join, by going here. Memberships can be had for as little as $25 a year, says associate director Crystal Cockman. And that goes to supporting the LandTrust’s efforts to spare the especially special places in Anson, Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Iredell, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan and Stanly counties. Next, you sign up at the Hike & Paddle Challenge, which is here. Then, you’re ready to take either the paddling challenge, the hiking challenge or both.
Basically, get out and do something this weekend. No options is not an option.
Coast
Since moving to the state 22 years ago, we’ve been especially intrigued by the opportunities for adventure in Eastern North Carolina. Unfortunately, our curiosity has not been matched by action.
As we enter August, those among us who eschew putting foot to trail in hot weather start getting a little anxious. It was OK back in mid-June; there were other, largely water-based pursuits to keep us occupied: paddling the canoe, kayak or standup paddleboard, surfing, just lolling in the surf.
Now, even though it’s still hot, we’re missing the trail. Must we wait until the end of September to renew our love of hiking?
No. You do have options. You need trails that either work with their surroundings or you need to know when exactly to hike.
A while back, we assembled a list of 10 mountain hikes especially suitable for summer. Those hikes are: