May Day! May Day!

You could take that two ways. But let’s go with the fact that it is May Day, the first of May, which means that both March and April of 2020 are in the rearview mirror. Yay.

So what does it mean, it being May in the age of coronavirus?

In North Carolina it means that starting May 8, certain elements of parks can begin to reopen. Not playgrounds (that could happen at month’s end) and likely not restrooms, rec centers and visitor centers. But we’re hopeful that some of the N.C. State Parks that are closed may begin reopening trails. A phased reopening plan was scheduled to be announced this week; we’ve yet to hear from N.C. State Parks about that plan. In the meantime, as we mentioned in Thursday’s post, there are 11 State Parks that still have their trails open (12, if you live in Dare County). Check ‘em out here.

And, as you’ve learned if you’ve been following us for the past couple of months, we’ve become big advocates of exploring your own neighborhood. You can check out our coverage so far on how to discover your neighborhood along with a few suggested places to visit at our Explore Your Neighborhood: A Guide page here.

It looks like a great weekend to be out in the ‘hood, especially Sunday, when sunny skies and temperatures near 80 are expected to prevail. 

For those of you nostalgic for a trip to the mountains, to a place truly wild and remote, check out this video from our GetBackpacking! trip last summer to the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area. Four days of adventure condensed to 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Calgon, take me away. 

This weekend, pamper yourself by losing yourself in adventure.