• Wednesday, Feb. 4, REI in Cary, 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 5, REI in Durham, 7 p.m.

And if you’re thinking, “I’m not really much of a hiker, this probably isn’t for me,” then cease that line of thinking. This hike and the 12-week training program is exactly for you: that’s what the training is all about. If you’re curious about what hiking 28.3 miles in a day is like, here are some scenes from the first Ultimate Hike on the Foothills Trail, in 2011.

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Progress never comes fast enough.
That was evident at this morning’s Fourth Annual Triangle Bike and Pedestrian Workshop, where local transportation planners got together to talk about progress made in 2013 and share what’s on the drawing board for this year and beyond. Nothing like getting a look under the tree a year or more in advance.

Still, presents are presents. One of the less tangible gifts was the presence of NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata, who seems keen on the idea of an inclusive NCDOT.
“One of the reasons people move here at such a high rate is the standard of living issue,” he said, noting that greenways, sidewalks and safe roads for bikes — non-motorized transportation, that is — is a big part of that package.
In the progress department, there were the usual front-runners.

Cary
Cary Transportation Planning Engineer Todd Delk kicked off the morning workshop at The Cary, the newly renovated Cary theater on East Chatham Street, with the town’s bike/ped resume:

• 70-plus miles of greenway, more than 50 miles of which is paved
• 400-plus miles of sidewalk
• 25 miles of striped bike lanes or lanes with sharrows
• 89 miles of signed bike routes
• Most roads, and all new roads, have extra-wide outside lanes

All reasons Cary is an easy place to get around on foot or by bike. For the most part. And there was good news on that front as well. One of the town’s more ambitious projects for 2014: a $7 million program to make the Walnut Creek bridge over U.S. 64 pedestrian friendly. If you’re familiar with this bridge, you know that it is currently one of the least-friendly bridges for non-four wheel types on the planet: I live in the hood, and every time I see someone walking it — which is often — I say a little prayer for them. Good for Cary.
Delk said the city also has 43 greenway projects totaling 22.8 miles underway, three of which are especially intriguing:
Connecting the White Oak Creek Greenway from Bond Park to the American Tobacco Trail. Currently, the trail stops a couple miles shy, at Green Level Church Road. But the connection will soon be made. (Apex gets a nod on this project as well, since Cary must build part of the trail on land in Apex’s jurisdiction.)
Actually, there’s another missing link in the White Oak Trail, just east of Davis Drive. The town has been dealing with CSX, the railroad people, for years, and according to Delk, now has a solution. Delk noted the additional significance of the White Oak connections: together with Cary’s Black Creek Greenway, Umstead State Park’s bike ‘n’ bridle trail, and the nearing completion of Raleigh’s Crabtree Creek and Neuse River trails, the East Coast Greenway will be complete through the Triangle.

Durham
Erik Landfried, chairman of the Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council, had these Bull City highlights:

• Currently 22 miles of bike lanes in the city
• 202 bikes were ridden to last year’s inaugural Durham Bulls Bike to the Ballpark event.
• 1.5 percent of Durhamites commute to work by bike
• According to a DBPAC survey, people are more inclined to ride their bike in Durham for fun and recreation than for utilitarian purposes (ride to work, to the store, to school, etc.)

Raleigh
Jennifer Baldwin, the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, borrowed a page from Cary and also took a shock-and-awe approach:
60 miles of onroad bike lanes by 2015 (up from four in 2009)
107 miles of greenway (95 of which are paved)
A soon-to-be completed 27.5-mile Neuse River Trail
A soon-to-be-extended-by-4.1-miles Crabtree Creek Trail (14.3 miles total)
A just-completed 15.6-mile Walnut Creek Trail

Cool thing that just happened: Raleigh has installed two HAWK signals on the recently expanded Falls of Neuse Road. The signals are exclusively for pedestrian crosswalks.

Cool thing that will happen: Raleigh’s first “cycle track” — a segregated, two-way bike lanes that will be installed on Gorman Street between Sullivan Street and Hillsborough.

Wake Forest
Wake Forest made its first appearance at the annual workshop. Among other things, Senior Planner Candace Davis:

• Unveiled Wake Forest’s new “Bike Walk Run” map. (Nice to see running getting some love; the map shows both paved and more foot-friendly natural surface trails.)
• Caught up for not attending in 2012 by noting the WF pedestrian bridge over the Neuse River linking Raleigh’s Neuse River Trail with WF’s Smith Creek Greenway
• Observed that while the 0.3-mile extension of the Dunn Creek Greenway may sound small, it includes a tunnel under treacherous NC 98 and links the greenway with downtown.

The post Update: The Triangle’s evolving bicycle-pedestrian Scene appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I’d just finished a gorgeous day on the groomed trails at the White Grass ski touring center in West Virginia and was returning my rental equipment.
“How was it?” asked the ski rental guy.
“Incredible!” I oozed. “I can’t wait to go again.”
“You know,” he said, “Our rental skis are for sale.” At a price, it turned out, that was more than I could afford but too good to refuse. I’ve used them a dozen times since; I’m hoping to make it a baker’s dozen tomorrow.
As Winter Storm Leon (sheesh) makes its way up the coast, the prospects are good for cross-country conditions, from the Triangle into the coastal plain. As of this morning, parts of the Triangle were expected to get up to six inches of snow — with points east forecast to get 10 inches or more.
On the right kind of trail, six inches is all it takes to make or decent cross-country conditions. Where might one find the right kind of trail?
Glad you asked.

Natural surface trails

Because of the rocks and roots found on most trails in the Triangle, you need a substantial amount of snow — 10 inches minimum — to ski. There are some exceptions, however:

Umstead State Park
Raleigh
The 13 miles of bike and bridle trail here offer the perfect base for six-inch conditions. A finely crushed gravel, the surface is devoid of the rocks and roots common on most trails hereabouts, thus, fewer imperfections to cover up. If you’re not comfortable with downhills, pick up the trail via the neighborhood entrance off Old Reedy Creek Road from Lake Crabtree. There, you’ll find more than two miles of flat trail before the rollers begin.
More info here.

Duke Forest
Durham, Orange and Alamance counties.
The fire roads here aren’t quite as surface-friendly as at Umstead, but they’re close. And there are lots of ‘em: the seven individual tracts making up the forest contain 7,020 acres and are accessed via 45 entrances. Learn more about the forest and where you can find helpful maps, by going here.

Al Buehler Cross Country Trail
Durham.
The 3.1-mile Al Buehler Trail has a foot-friendly natural surface similar to that at Umstead. It’s also got some rollers, making for some nice downhill action and some heart-pumping climbs.
More info here.

American Tobacco Trail
Wake, Chatham and Durham counties
At 22 miles, the ATT offers the prospect of long, contemplative escapes. It’s surface is finely crushed stone and because it follows an abandoned rail line, the trail is great for beginners or folks who haven’t been on skis in a while.
More info here.

Greenways

They’re relatively flat, their surface is smooth and because they snake throughout the region, they are generally accessible without a lot of time spent on icy roads. Here are some of the larger greenway networks in the area, which a quick snapshot and where you can go for more information, including how to find the greenway nearest you. You can also find maps, directions and detailed information about local greenways on GetGoingNC’s Greenway Guide.

Cary. The Cary greenway system has more than 70 miles down, anchored by the Black Creek Greenway running from Bond Park to Lake Crabtree and the White Oak Greenway, running from Bond Park nearly to the American Tobacco Trail. More info here.

Chapel Hill. Seven greenways are sprinkled throughout town, perhaps the most popular is the 1.5-mile Bolin Creek Trail, which runs from the Chapel Hill Community Center west to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
More info here.

Durham. In addition to the northern end of the American Tobacco Trail, Durham has several other greenways suitable for skiing, including the Third Fork Greenway.
More info here.

Raleigh. The capital city’s Capital Area Greenway System now has more than 100 miles of greenway, the spine of which is the 28-mile Neuse River Greenway. Lots of good opportunity for Raleigh residents.
More info here.

Farther east

Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, Four Oaks. Located just east of I-95, Howell Woods is in Leon’s sweetspot, with snowfall totals in the double digits possible. With 15 interconnected trails (the longest of which is just under a mile) navigating a variety of ecosystems, Howell Woods could be the nordic center of North Carolina in a few hours.
More info here.

Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. Also in the storm’s sweetspot is Jones Lake State Park, which features a foot-and-ski-friendly 5-mile loop trail around its namesake lake. Gorgeous by foot, the trail should be especially fetching on skis.
More info here.

Smithfield. The 3.3-mile Buffalo Creek Greenway runs from downtown to the Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center. A good bet, with snowfall totals in Smithfield expected to eclipse the six-inch mark.
More info here.

Alas, if you’re intrigued but don’t have skis and wonder where you can rent them, the closest place — and only place in North Carolina — is the Pineloa Inn and Ski Shop in the mountains.

The post Leon willing, here’s where you can cross-country ski appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Saturday is National Trails Day, a day set aside for us to appreciate the more than 200,000 miles of trail in the U.S. Officially, National Trails Day dates back to 1991, when  the American Hiking Society deemed that one day a year be set aside to honor our trails; the first NTD, however, didn’t occur until June 5, 1993.

Over the years, we’ve increasingly embraced the concept of NTD. Last year, more than 2,000 events were held drawing more than 157,000 participants. Some events are workdays, intended to spruce up existing trails or blaze new ones. Other events celebrate our trails by encouraging us to use them, while still others have more of an educational bent.

The 25 NTD events scheduled in North Carolina for this Saturday reflect that mix.

In the Triangle, for instance, the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail will work to link 60 miles of MST along Falls Lake with bout 10 miles along the Eno River (see No. 2 under Piedmont). Likewise, NTD volunteers will work to build the new Beech Tree Trail at Elk Knob State Park (No. 3, Mountains) and to add to the ambitious 12-mile Trombatore Trail which will link various features in the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge (No. 9, Mountains).

They’ll be doing trail maintenance at Hanging Rock State Park (No. 12, Piedmont) and on the Carolina Thread Trail (Nos. 10, 11, Piedmont); they’ll be dedicating new trail in Cary (No. 3, Piedmont) and in Panthertown Valley (No. 5, Mountains); and they’ll be celebrating in all kinds of ways in Greensboro (No. 4).

We’ve compiled a list of the 25 National Trails Day events reported to the American Hiking Society. (We suspect there are more; if you know of one, let us know about it and we’ll add it to the list.) Scope out our list, then plan to show your favorite trail some love on Saturday.

Mountains

1. One Step at a Time – Trail Work Day
Organizer: Stone Mountain State Park
Location: Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap
When: Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Workday on the Loop and Wolf Rock trails, plus a kid’s activity.
More info: janet.pearson@ncparks.gov, 336.957.8185.

2. Appalachian Trail Hike: Winding Stair Gap to Wayah Gap
Organizer: Nantahala Hiking Club, ATC
Location: Franklin
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
9-mile hike on the AT with the Nantahala Hiking Club.
More info: wavh@dnet.net, 828.369.1983 or here.

3. Beech Tree Trail Building
Organizer: Elk Knob State Park
Location: Elk Knob State Park, Todd
When: Saturday, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Help build the new Beech Tree Trail at Elk Knob.
More info: kelly.safley@ncparks.gov, 828.297.7261.

4. Boone United Trail National Trails Day Event
Organizer: Boone United Trail Champions
Location: Boone
When: Saturday, 12:15 p.m.
Workday on the Boone United Trail, a 2.5-mile trail that’s about a mile finished.
More info: eric.heistand@cru.org, 828.773.6632 or here.

5. Panthertown Valley Exploration Adventure
Organizer: Friends of Panthertown
Location: Cashiers
When: Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
5-mile hike and trail dedication.
More info: friends@panthertown.org, 828.269.4453 or here.

6. A World of Mountains Piled Upon Mountains
Organizer: North Carolina Bartram Trail Society and Nantahala Hiking Club
Location: Wayah Bald west of Franklin
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
4-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail and Bartram Trail
More info: jrkautz@frontier.com, 828.524.6593, or here.

7. KAMPN KLEENUP
Organizer: KAMPN, Inc.
Location: Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 172
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Cleanup of the Cascades Parking area, followed by a hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
More info: KAMPN4autism@gmail.com, 828.264.0054.

8. Rumbling Bald National Trails Day Hike
Organizer: Chimney Rock State Park
Location: Chimney Rock
When: Saturday, 5-6 p.m.
1-mile hike.
More info: tyson.phillips@ncparks.gov, 828.625.1823.

9. Build the new Trombatore Trail with Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, REI Asheville, & Carolina Mountain Club
Organizer: REI Asheville
Location: Gerton
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Work on the new Trombatore Trail, a 12-mile work in progress that will join Bearwallow Mountain, the Florence Nature Preserve, Blue Ridge Pastures, Wildcat Rock, Wildcat Rock, Little Bear Wallow Cliffs and Ferguson Peak in the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge area.
More info: peter@carolinamountain.org, 828.697.5777 or here.

Piedmont

1. Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Falls Lake workday
Organizer: Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
Various maintenance projects on the 60-mile stretch of the MST along Falls Lake.
Location: Falls Lake, north of Raleigh
When: Saturday

Trail maintenance.

More info and to RSVP: jdbrewer104@gmail.com or here. www.ncmst.org

2. Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Eno River
Organizer: Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail
Location: Durham
When: Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Trail construction to join existing trail along Falls Lake with that along the Eno River, to create more than 70 miles of continuous trail.
More info and to RSVP: fred.dietrich@duke.edu or here.

3. Black Creek Greenway Dedication
Organizer: Town of Cary
Location: Cary
When: Saturday, 7-9 a.m.
Activities include a 7-mile trail run to celebrate completion of this 7-mile greenway
More info: paul.kuhn@townofcary.org, 919.469.4061, or here.

4. National Trails Day Festival
Organizer: City of Greensboro
Location: Bur-Mil Park, Greensboro
When: Saturday, 7:30 am – noon
A celebration of all trails, with various hikes, mountain bike rides, clinics, Living Green Expo and more.
More info: GSOTrails@greensboro-nc.gov, or here.

5. South Mountains State Park Hike, Bike & Ride
Organizer: South Mountains State Park
Location: South Mountains State Park, Connelly Springs
When: Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hike, bike or horseback ride one of various designated routes; complete the route (there’s a backcountry check station) and win an award.
More info: Cheryl.Waltz@ncparks.gov, 828.433.4772.

6. Hit the Ground Running
Organizer: Go Run Events, llc
Location: Colonel Francis Beatty Park, Matthews
When: Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-noon
Trail races of 2K, 6K and 11K.
More info: mike@goruntrails.com, 864.907.1742 or here.

7. Gold Hill Rail Trail Hike
Organizer: Historic Gold Hill and Mines Foundation, Inc.
Location: Gold Hill
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
5-mile hike through Gold Hill Mines Historic Park, with history along the way.
More info here.

8. Middle Walnut Creek Greenway Hike
Organizer: Triangle Greenways Council
Location: Raleigh
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon
3-mile hike on paved greenway.
More info: bflournoy@nc.rr.com, 919.828.8322 or here.

9. National Trails Day Hike
Organizer: Little River Regional Park
Location: Rougemont
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon
4-mile interpretive hike along portions of the Ridge, North River Loop and Homestead trails.
More info: littleriverpark@orangecountync.gov, 919.732.5505 or here.

10. Volunteer Trail Workday
Organizer: Carolina Thread Trail
Location: Denver
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon
Workday focusing on the Sally’s YMCA Trail in Denver.
More info: vanessa@carolianthreadtrail.org, 704.376.2556 or here.

11. Volunteer Trail Workday
Organizer: Carolina Thread Trail
Location: Mount Pleasant
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon
Workday to complete the 2.5-mile trail at Buffalo Creek Preserve.
More info: vanessa@carolianthreadtrail.org, 704.376.2556 or here.

12. National Trails Day At Hanging Rock State Park
Organizer: Hanging Rock State Park
Location: Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Trail maintenance on the new River Bluffs Trail or the Indian Creek Trail.
More info: samuel.koch@ncparks.gov, 336.593.8480 or here.

13. Pack & Troop 49 Trail Day
Organizer: Pack & Troop 49 BSA
Location: Reedy Creek Park, Charlotte
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Leave-no-trace presentation by the scouts followed by a trail cleanup.
More info: : songofnovember@gmail.com

14. Pritchard Park Trail Volunteer Day
Organizer: Town of Chapel Hill Department of Parks and Recreation
Location: Pritchard Park, Chapel Hill
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Organizer: While the Chapel Hill Library in Pritchard Park has reopened, the surrounding trail system has not. That’s the goal of this workday.
More info: bwebster@townofchapelhill.org, 919.968.2819 or here.

15. Uwharrie Trail Maintenance & Trail Ride
Organizer: Back Country Horsemen of Uwharrie
Location: Troy
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Trail maintenance and 10-mile horseback ride.
More info: bpwillett@centurylink.net, 910.690.7500 or here.

16. Rise Above the Mud! Boardwalk Building on New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail
Organizer: Durham County Open Space Program
Location: Durham
When: Saturday
Work on the New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail will focus on building 150 to 200 feet of boardwalk.
More info: brmoore@dconc.gov, 919.560.7957

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Tuesday’s forecast calls for a high of 58 under partly cloudy skies. Which wouldn’t be bad for early winter IF TUESDAY WEREN’T CHRISTMAS!
Sorry. Feeling a little flush.
Which is why we’re offering up a little escape today to colder times, to times of snow and winter fun and winter camping and skiing and sledding and building a snowman and getting bonked in the noggen with an ice ball — well, maybe not the latter. Still, who couldn’t use a little winter right about now?
So here it is. Grab a hot toddy and enjoy.

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