Labor Day weekend — the last hurrah of summer. Make sure you make the most of it.
Coast | Coastal Plain
Any event of athletic endurance should end with a flourish. Few end with the flourish of the Go Jump in the Lake 5K, 10K and 15 K in Boiling Springs.
You have no excuse not to learn about snakes the next couple of months, thanks to Lake Waccamaw State Park. Meanwhile, on Sunday morning there’s a good chance to spot eagles at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, for enthusiasts of wicked whitewater, there’s a release this weekend on the Cheoah River.
There’s a team run (5K or 10K, your choice) at the coast, a colorful run in the Piedmont and a run to register for limited space on a Lake James waterfowl tour.
Coast: St. Patrick’s Day Lo Tide Run
The 12th annual Steve Haydu St. Patrick’s Day Lo Tide Run on Saturday offers an intriguing twist for both the 5K and 10K: team competition. Each team must have five or more runners, teams will be scored based on their top five runners. The hardest part of this event could be coming up with a worthy team name; teams so far include Shaggers for a Cure, Love is Bald and Fat and Stinky. Registration lasts until the morning of the race, so you’ve got time.
Take advantage of the wonderful weather statewide this weekend with a summer carnival in Cherokee, a hike at the coast (and earn prizes), or learning about the state’s birds of prey in Charlotte.
Coast: Hike at Merchants Millpond State Park
On Saturday a park ranger at Merchants Millpond State Park in Gatesville will lead a 2-mile hike on the Track Trail-certified Coleman Trail. Take a brochure on the hike, follow its directions, accumulate information, then enter the information on a website following the hike. Get enough entries and earn patches, note pads, backpacks and stickers! Not to mention the opportunity to get some exercise on a beautiful trail. Wear sturdy shoes and plan on the hike taking about 2 hours.
We depart from our traditional format this week, in part because outdoor activities are sparse the weekend before Christmas, in part because it’s time for the Christmas Bird Count, one of the biggest — and the longest running — citizen science efforts around.