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 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.
A timely (hopefully) return of our cross-country ski guide
Whenever we get wind of snow in accumulations of five inches or more in the mountains and Piedmont, we trot out our handy cross-country ski guide. For those of you who have skis, you’ll find some of the best spots to cross-country ski in the mountains. And for those of you who don’t, it will help you find out where to get some. Here’s hoping the prediction of up to 12 inches comes true.
This weekend: A cold stroke of outdoor fun
It’s the 5th Annual Cold Stroke Classic in Wrightsville Beach on Saturday, an aptly-named stand up paddlleboarding race for the third weekend in January. Meanwhile, in the Piedmont you can whistle while you work, on the trails at Morrow Mountain State Park, or retreat to Montreat for a climb up mile-high Graybeard Mountain with the Carolina Mountain Club.
Going for cold after being teased by warmth
Teased into resuming your outdoor workouts by our recent three-day run of temperatures in the 70s? Even though the temperature isn’t supposed to get much above 45 today, that doesn’t mean you have to revert to your troglodyte was of suffering through another session on your basement trainer, or sweating to the oldies with little Richard. You may have to keep your shorts and T-shirts in the closet, but observe a few easy rules of cold weather outdoor engagement and the outdoors can be your playground on all but the coldest of days. Which is a good place to start.
90 Second Escape: Spring into Winter
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 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.