Planning for the weekend is good. Foremost, it gives you something to pull you through those long mid-week meetings at the Widgetworks.
Sometimes, though, you can only have a rough plan. When the forecast calls for anywhere from 3 to 6 to 8 to 12 inches of snow. Or maybe rain. Or maybe something in between. In such cases, the best you can do is prepare for the somewhat more likely possibilities.
With the weather in mind, we don’t give you specific ideas of what to do and where to go this week. Rather, we throw out some options and a thought or two on how you can prepare, and let you go from there.
Tag Archives: North Carolina State Parks
2015: Hike in the New Year
We all resolve to be healthier and more active at the start of the new year. What we don’t always realize is that a healthier lifestyle is a day-by-day undertaking.
That said, get your first day of your active new year off to a good start with a hike. Hiking is one of the more traditional ways to start the blood flowing on January 1. (Jumping into an icy lake is another; we’ve tried that and don’t recommend it if you intend to keep the blood flowing.) Fortunately, there are lots of hike options on New Year’s Day, thanks to the First Day Hikes initiative launched a few years back by the nation’s state parks.
This weekend: Plunge into 2015 (then dry off and take a hike)
Start the year with a traditional polar plunge at the coast, then head to higher, drier and warmer ground for a hike.
Coast
We would be remiss if, in this New Year’s edition of Weekend Plans, we didn’t include at least one polar plunge, that peculiar tradition born in the north where we strip down to our skivvies and immerse ourselves in water that hasn’t frozen over — though in some northern climes the tradition requires drilling a hole through the frozen-over lake surface, then jumping in. An impressive level of lunacy.
This weekend: Venture fourth
This July 4, celebrate our independence in the freedom of the great outdoors.
Note: Most coastal state parks are planning to close Thursday and Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Arthur. Their reopening is dependent upon Arthur’s wrath. Check the North Carolina State Parks website before heading to any park that may be affected by the storm.
Most N.C. State Parks closed; message delivered
If you’ve got a snow day and were wondering, most of North Carolina’s state parks are closed today. A moot point, since you probably can’t get out of your driveway, let alone off your street.
Go to nearly every site for each of the parks. at ncparks.gov and, for the most part, you’ll be greeted by a message such as this one for Umstead State Park: