Category Archives: Paddling

90 Second Escape: Harper Creek/North Harper Creek WSA

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. read more

This weekend: Paddle, hike, ski

True, there is a chance of rain forecast across the state, especially on Saturday. But what’s a forecast? A prediction? An educated guess? Some folks at the local TV station throwing darts? Make plans and keep checking back to see what the latest educated guess is. read more

This weekend: Fall for the autumnal outdoors

Tranter's Creek, near the put-in.
Tranter’s Creek, near the put-in.

What is there not to love about this time of year? Weekend temperatures across the state will range from the mid-70s at the coast to the low 60s in the mountains, fall is exhibiting varying degrees of color throughout, and the entire state will be under sunny skies. Great for a paddle, a hike, competitive mountain biking and more. read more

Lake James: Emerging nexus of outdoor adventure

Hiking: Looking into Linville Gorge from atop Shortoff Mountain.

Scott Carpenter has a vision that may seem myopic at first. Hear him out, though, and your adventurous self can easily see what he’s talking about.

Carpenter’s vision is this: Lake James, the 6,800-acre lake currently best known as the gateway to other adventurous places (Linville Gorge, Wilson Creek, the Pisgah National Forest) is the next Nantahala Outdoor Center, an all-encompassing outdoor playground that’s day-tripable from North Carolina’s major population centers: Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle.
Carpenter is Deputy County Manager and Planning Director for Burke County, in which Lake James and its associated state park reside. Burke County, like many mountain counties, is dealing with a changing economy that must figure out how to rely less on manufacturing and more on … .
“Tourism,” answers Carpenter.
The ultimate goal, says Carpenter, is to lure an NOC-type outfitter to the region to help exploit the local recreational resources. Chances are, if you see the Lake James exit on I-40 as little more than a sign that you’re almost to where the fun starts, you’re scratching your head: What can I do at Lake James that doesn’t read more

This weekend: September is for State Parks

From paddling the Great Dismal Swamp to a morning hike to a mysterious hole to a mountain-top celebration, there’s a lot to in North Carolina’s State Parks this weekend.

Coast

The notion of paddling in a swamp is at once intriguing and slightly terrifying: People go into swamps and never come out, don’t they? read more