You can tell the hot days of summer are upon us when the night events start popping up at our State Parks. Such as:
Stars and Planets, Saturday, 9 p.m., Mayo River State Park, Mayodan. The Greensboro Astronomy Club lets you take a peek through their lenses to see what’s up in the sky above. More info here.
Nature at Night, Saturday, 9 p.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. The first time you here the cacophony on a summer’s night in the South can be disarming. Where is all that noise coming from — and what’s it coming from? There’s serenity and sanity in knowledge, as someone probably said: come out and get informed by a ranger who IDs what’s what and who’s who. Flashlights encouraged, dogs are not. More info here.
Sunday, State Parks explores both low and high on a pair of hikes.
Soundside Nature Trail Hike, 9 a.m., Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head. This 1-mile hike occurs a foot, maybe two, above sea level, and explores the park’s dense maritime shrub thicket. Learn more here.
Wildflower Hike, 2 p.m., Mount Mitchell State Park, Burnsville. Later Sunday and about 6,600 feet higher and probably 20 degrees cooler, check out the wildflower situation on this 1-mile hike on one of the highest trails in the East, the Commissary Trail. Learn more here.
Interested in learning a thing or two? We still have a couple openings for Sunday’s GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods class at Eno River State Park. We spend a short time explaining how a compass and a topo map work, then head down trail and off to put those newfound skills to the test. Learn more about that program and sign up here.
As for the weather, the forecasts has recommendations for both Saturday and Sunday. If you seek cooler temperatures and don’t mind the prospect of rain, Saturday, with a high in the upper 70s and a chance of scattered rain, will be your day. More of a sunshine and heat type, are you? Sunday will be about 10 degrees warmer, but dry and mostly sunny.
And if you are itchin’ to go camping but haven’t got the gear, we do! And, we’re willing to exchange it for a few dollars this weekend. Learn more about our GetCamping! program and reserve a camping kit here.
The weekend ahead is a worthy one! GetOut! and enjoy!
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Big adventure in unlikely places
On this week’s GetHiking! Southeast Podcast we discuss finding big adventures in unlikely places. Check it out here.