From the N.C. State Parks and Recreation Facebook page on Sunday:

• Occoneechee State Natural Area full as of 11 a.m.
• Eno River State Park’s Cole Mill and Fews Ford accesses closed as of 1 p.m.
• Raven Rock State Park is full as of 10:00 a.m.
• Hanging Rock State Park is full as of 10:40 a.m. Main restrooms are closed due to sewer failure; restrooms are open at the lake parking lot. There were 1,000 more visitors at Hanging Rock yesterday than ever recorded before.
• Pilot Mountain State Park is full as of 10:40 a.m.

A thousand more visitors at Hanging Rock State Park “than ever recorded before.” That is a stunning statement if you’ve ever been at Hanging Rock on a gorgeous spring or fall afternoon. A thousand! Where on earth would an extra thousand fit?

With fewer entertainment options available, more people are continuing to discover trails. And the trails they’re discovering tend to be the more obvious ones. In State Parks, for instance.

On May 8, we wrote about how to avoid the crowds. Friday, we’ll elaborate on the topic in the hopes that: a) we can avoid the overcrowding that threatens to close trails, and b) you, the dedicated hiker, can find solace on the trail.

In the meantime, we revisit another way you can make that happen: by hiking in the rain. You’ll find some tips on wet-weather exploring in a post from April 13, and you’ll find incentive in this brief video shot this afternoon. The good news: the rain continues at least for the the next three days! 

Get out and enjoy some liquid solitude.