The waterfalls, the mountaintop views, the wildflowers blooming in spring, the trees changing color in fall — all things I love about hiking and backpacking. But what I think I love most — and have missed the most in the past year — is gathering around a campfire at day’s end and simply talking. Talking about who’s having what for dinner, about past trips together, about the simple things … about then Seinfeldian nature of life. The Vicious Circle had their Algonquin Roundtable, campers have their campfire.
A return to normal in 2021?
Sunday, we hiked a popular section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake. Popular, because there’s an actual parking lot at the trailhead — with an address. At 1 p.m., at the start of our hike, the lot was packed, with cars spilling over onto the road.
GetOut! Guided Hikes from the Mountains to the Sea
Some of our favorite North Carolina State Park hikes are this weekend, a weekend that will be on the cool side throughout the state. We start with two coastal favorites:
Carnivorous Plant Hike, Saturday, 10 a.m., Carolina Beach State Park, Carolina Beach. The perfect hike for someone you’d like to get more involved in the outdoors. The trail, the Flytrap Trail, is short, just a half mile. It’s flat and easy to navigate (it’s wheelchair accessible), and it features a natural wonder, the carnivorous plants — including the Venus flytrap — that are unique to the region. A ranger leads the way and shares the stories of these curious plants. Masks are required, space is limited: reserve a spot by calling 910.458.8206. More info here.
Wednesday Wisdom: A great summer hiker (and the socks to wear with them)
Wednesday Wisdom? That may be a stretch (though it is alliterative). Every Wednesday we share our thoughts in rotating subject areas: gear, social media, hiking/backpacking/camping resources, and tips from the field. These items are culled from our weekly GetHiking! enewsletter, which also includes news and information on hikes and backpack trips in our GetHiking! and GetBackpacking! universes. Subscribe to our weekly enewsletter here.
Were Record FKTs in 2020 a warm-up for 2021?
If you thought 2020 put the kibosh on all forms of competition, then you aren’t familiar with FKTs.
Fastest Known Times — that is, the fastest known time that it’s taken someone to cover a stretch of trail. You may be familiar with the concept in terms of a major trail. The AT, for instance, which has seen intense competition over the years to see a new FKT record. The current record, for the 2,189-mile AT, btw, is 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes, set in 2018 by Karel Sabbe, a Belgian dentist. Or possibly North Carolina’s 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which saw a new record set last summer, when Tara Dower ran it in 29 days, 8 hours and 48 minutes.