A gorgeous weekend — clear skies and temperatures around 80 are forecast across the state — and three stellar festivals — 2014 Carolina Cup (standup paddleboarding), French Broad Classique (canoeing and kayaking), and TuckFest (everything) — make this the weekend to be out and having fun in North Carolina.
I wrote the following for both the Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer; it appeared in both papers on Tuesday, April 23. It appears here in updated form, with links. A story on Big Muddy participants Dave Case and his son, Owen, appeared in this space yesterday.
In today’s North Carolina Observers (Charlotte and Raleigh) I have a story about the Big Muddy Challenge, an obstacle race for families started last year by Adam Spisak of Raleigh. Spisak started the race after looking around for an obstacle race he could someday do with his newborn daughter — and finding there were none. You can read that story here.
Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.
Two days ago, the weekend forecast for across the land (“the land” being North Carolina) called for mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 70s. Perfect weather for just about every outdoor pursuit.
Today, the word “miserable” is in the forecast for Saturday. (WRAL.com: “ … We should have a miserable day with wind and rain playing a prominent role in the forecast. .. .”
It’s a meteorologist’s prerogative, I reckon.
New forecast in hand, we have two thoughts.
One, a little rain — and a little wind and below-normal temperatures — shouldn’t keep you from enjoying the outdoors in some fashion. I’ve long been a fan of hiking in the rain, an intimate experience with a shot of adrenaline if you hike along a normally placid creek infused with an inch or two of rain. You simply have to go prepared. You can do that in one of two ways. If you’re an avid hiker, it’s worth your while to spring for good rain gear. (A jacket we’re particularly covetous of is the Patagonia Super Cell.) Or, for as little as 99 cents you can buy a surprisingly effective poncho.
For more on the topic, check out this post from 2012.
Two, if it simply is too miserable for your sensibilities, this weekend could be a good opportunity to check out your neighborhood climbing gym; a list of which you will find here. Never been climbing but intrigued? Here’s a post on the intro to climbing class offered by the Triangle Rock Club.
So, “miserable”?
The forecasting, maybe. But not the prospects for weekend fun.