A variation of this post originally ran Aug. 6, 2014, titled “SUMMER HIKING: BEAT THE HEAT.” Two years later, we played with it again and reran it on July 20, 2016, as “HIKING: WHERE TO BEAT THE HEAT.” It appeared under that heading again on July 6, 2021. On Aug. 11, 2023, it ran again, paired down from 10 hikes to 5, but with more detail on each hike. It runs again today, on the 11th anniversary of its initial appearance, with one caveat.
A Trail Etiquette Primer
The following originally appears as Chapter 13 in our “Let’s GetHiking: A Guide for the Aspiring Hiker.” We rerun it today because, frankly, you just can’t get enough trail etiquette.
Recently, I was on a multi-use trail (a trail open for more than just hiking: mountain biking and horseback riding, for instance) at a nearby state park when I came upon a phalanx of hikers spanning the width of the trail and spilling onto its shoulders. The trail was quite generous, a converted fire road capable of handling loads of trail users without conflict—provided those trail users were considerate of other trail users. I doubt these hikers were being intentionally inconsiderate: they were simply unaware.
A Weekend to celebrate the Dan River State Trail
North Carolina has 15 State Trails, all of which deserve celebrating. Next weekend, the Dan River State Trail will get what it deserves.
For the second year in a row, the Dan River Basin Association, the nonprofit that oversees the trail, and the Rockingham County Tourism Development Association will host the second annual celebration of this paddle trail, which runs for 90 miles through Surry, Stokes and Rockingham counties. (The entire Dan runs for 214 miles, beginning high in Patrick County, Virginia, dipping into North Carolina, and ending back in Virginia, in Kerr Reservoir on the Roanoke River.)
How to survive a summer hike (and smell delightful as well)
I used to love hiking in summer heat. The past couple years, though, not so much. Coming into this summer I got me to wondering why.
As we’ve settled in to summer’s steady drumbeat of 90/90 — temperature/humidity — days, I’ve been trying to sort out what I don’t like about summer hiking, as well as what keeps me on the trail. The latter first.
JPD uses trekking poles (and so should you)
I’ve been using trekking poles religiously for 20 years. Trouble is, I should have been using them for at least 30 years. Oh well. In any event, I’m a big advocate, as is the state’s most renowned hiker, Jennifer Pharr Davis of Asheville. Today, we rerun a post that first appeared July 11, 2017, on why she uses poles, and why you should, too.