The gentleman in the meticulously trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and Tilley Duck Hat paddling the $3,000 fiberglass kayak sounded surprised when I replied that, no, I hadn’t seen any osprey or bald eagles. Hadn’t seen or wouldn’t recognize? he seemed to imply.
This weekend: Penetrate a preserve, paddle & picnic on a lake, hike the AT
This weekend’s offerings are proof that adventure in North Carolina knows no seasons.
Coast
Every once in a while, the Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge opens its roads allowing the public in to better explore this 8,219-acre refuge in Currituck County. To explore its low-lying freshwater and brackish marshes, it’s upland and lowland eastern pine hardwood forests. And this time of year, to be treated to a variety of migrating waterfowl (including snow geese and Canada geese) in addition to year-round residents such as the bald eagle and osprey.
Find your new favorite hike
Last week, we revealed a miracle holiday health salve guaranteed to get you through the holidays unscathed — walking. A daily walk, we noted, could alleviate a mountain of seasonal stress and keep you from gaining weight to boot. Of course, we acknowledged, it is the holidays; the demands of the season might make it tough to get out every day. Realistically, we asked, how many days a week could you commit to walk: six? Four or five? One … hopefully? Yesterday, we shared the results of that survey. We also shared what you told us were your favorite walks.
Five places you like to walk (six, if you include your own neighborhood)
A week ago, we issued a challenge: Walk once a day through the end of the month and you might just survive this holiday season. Less stress, improved mood, you won’t emerge from the holidays 15 pounds heavier— pretty good deal for walking just 30 minutes a day.
90 Second Escape: Paddling Bush Creek at Jordan Lake
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.