This week, we start something new. Our 90 Second Escapes, which have occupied this space, will move to Wednesday, hump day. Instead, on Mondays, we’ll try to get your workweek off to an upbeat start by celebrating an aspect of active, adventurous living. 

We were midway through a 10-mile hike along Falls Lake Sunday afternoon when Holly said, “I like this trail. It’s got a lot of diversity.”

I smiled. That was what I liked about this stretch, too: why, in fact, I chose it for the last hike in our fall corporate series. Our graduation hike, I call it, a hike intended to give the hikers a sense of accomplishment at having eclipsed the double-digit mile mark (we started with 3 miles back in October). And a hike with a particular aesthetic appeal intended to keep ‘em coming back for more. “Crack hike” may be more apt.

The diversity that appealed to Holly was ecological: the 75-foot bluffs anchored with stately beech bearing elephantine trunks; the bottomland woods where the understory still bore the muddy, chest-high watermark of Hurricane Matthew; the farm fields and meadows on the 5-mile horseshoe between Red Mill Road and Red Mill Road; the encounters with Falls Lake’s more intimate, secluded sections; the typically boggy areas that, in this dry fall, were not. Along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail’s 60-mile run along the South Shore of Falls Lake, this is easily it’s most entertaining stretch.

A more subtle form of diversity was unveiling itself as well.

Immediately upon dropping into the woods from Old Oxford Highway east of Penny’s Bend, the forest became almost blinding, aglow in the brilliant yellows of beech and oak at their peak.

“Late November,” someone said, “and still, the color.”

On we walked, crossing long-abandoned farm roads that easily trip-up hikers who aren’t blaze vigilant. We gained 50 feet of elevation, we lost 50 feet of elevation. As we neared our first Red Mill Road crossing, the terrain flattened, for good. When we crossed the road, it was winter.

There remained some yellow, but largely we were navigating a forest of 50 shades of gray, those shades courtesy the brighter sunlight that comes with winter. The bite of the hawk, with fewer leaves to shield us, caused zippers to climb an inch or two higher, rolled up fleece to roll back down the arms, collars to come to attention. We could peer deeper into the woods, the sky appeared even bluer, the crunch of leaves underfoot even crisper.

On we hiked, our place not slowed a step, our enthusiasm dimmed not the least by this seasonal passage. We were hiking into winter, and looking forward to it.

* * *

What is it that causes so many to retire boots, packs and poles when cold weather hits? Beats me, because winter hiking can be the most rewarding hiking of the year. Winter light alone is cause to explore: the Sun is closest to Earth during the Northern Hemisphere winter, and casting more brilliant light, while the low angle at which we receive it practically lights the world from the ground up. The naked forest gives wildlife fewer opportunities to hide, while a properly dressed hiker can stay toasty even on a 25-degree day. So what’s keeping you?

During December, we’ll help you come to appreciate the joys of winter hiking by looking at gear, at places to hike, at strategies for staying warm. Keep your dial tuned.

In the meantime, the Thanksgiving holiday should provide one last opportunity to savor segue from fall to winter. Check out one — or more — of these hikes:

• GetHiking! Our Charlotte group plans a challenging 7.1-mile hike at Grandfather Mountain on Sunday, heading up the mountain’s southeast flank to the ridge. Details here.
• Hike NC! Our hiking collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina offers three hikes this weekend. In Raleigh on Sunday, we’ve got a true beginner/family hike planned at the Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Park (3 miles of mellow, rolling terrain); on Saturday, we have hikes at Pilot Mountain (2.5 miles on the Horne Creek Trail) and one of our most challenging hikes of the session on the Tanawha Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway (9 miles of challenging terrain). Learn more here.
• North Carolina State Parks. On Thanksgiving Day alone, hikes will be lead at Raven Rock, Morrow Mountain, Weymouth Woods and Grandfather Mountain state parks. Additional hikes are scheduled throughout the remainder of the four-day weekend. More info here.