Honnold has climbed, mostly without a rope, throughout much of the world on some of the globe’s toughest mountains. Despite living on what he describes as “the income of a moderately successful dentist,” he still prefers to live in his van, even when it’s parked in the driveway of his Las Vegas home. And after knocking off El Cap on June 3, 2017, at 9:28 a.m., how did he celebrate? By hanging for more than an hour on his Beastmaster Hangboard, a strip of hardwood with microscope indentions that he uses to build arm, finger and torso strength. Why the hangboard? Well, because he does this every other day as part of his training, and his epic climb just happened to occur on a training day.

So again, how could Honnold’s story even remotely feel familiar? 

Then I thought about “the smile.” When Honnold successfully executed the hardest part of his El Cap climb — an especially tenuous move called the Boulder Problem — he turned to one of the camera’s documenting the climb for the film “Free Solo” and flashed a huge grin. That grin, says Synnott and others who know Honnold, is rare. “You see that smile,” says Synnott, “you stand in the presence of that, it washes over you.”

Then it hit me. I haven’t necessarily seen that smile before, but I have seen that look, the “one that washes over you.”

The look

On our backpack trip into the Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock Wilderness a couple weeks back we were making our way down a particularly challenging stretch of the Slickrock Creek Trail. We were losing elevation at a dizzying rate — in one stretch, about 1,400 feet in less than a mile. The trail was overgrown, and it was criss-crossed by more than 30 downed trees — Joyce Kilmer-sized sentinels of ample girth. At one point, after a particularly challenging crossing, I looked up the trail expecting to looks of concern, at best, anger at the least. I didn’t see any Honnoldesque grins, but I what I did see surprised me. I saw people, many of whom were either retired or of retirement age, very focused on the task at hand. Not one person looked worried or defeated. All were in the moment. They knew a wilderness area would present challenges unlike what they’d seen hiking in a state park. That was why they were here: they were aware of the challenge, and they were embracing it.

Same thing a year earlier on our annual dive into Linville Gorge. A late start and a wrong turn left us a mile and a half from camp in waning light in the midst of a classic, homegrown Linville thunderstorm. We righted ourselves, then, a half hour later, wronged ourselves again. We ended up pulling into a makeshift camp at 11 p.m., low on water, wet, and five hours past feeding time. Yet the next morning, there was nary a word about the previous evening. Rather, everyone was eager for the day ahead. 

I feel this presence on local day hikes. Someone who’s never hiked 5 miles before, who’s never hiked in 85-degree heat, shows up because she wants to push her limits. The hike may not be easy, it may not be entirely enjoyable. But they do it and you can feel their sense of accomplishment.

Facing the ‘impossible’

Some argue that Alex Honnold lacks a sense of fear, that his brain is wired in such a way that he doesn’t experience fear. Honnold pooh-poohs the notion (and an MRI scan of his brain reported in Synnott’s book appears to back him up), saying he feels fear all right, he’s just better at managing it than most (which he does in part by being extremely prepared). If you want something bad enough, he says, you figure out how to make it happen.

That’s what resonated with me, with Honnold’s story. The people who do our trips aren’t, for the most part, athletes who’ve dedicated their lives to training for the impossible. Most have jobs and have to deal with the day-to-day of survival. But, like Honnold, they’re driven by that spark to feel, even for just an afternoon or a weekend, truly alive. To feel good about themselves in a way that binge watching the latest Netflix series or buying a Tesla can’t touch. 

To do for themselves what might seem, like the audacious free solo of a 3,000-foot rock face, the impossible.

* * *

‘Free Solo’ screening

To read more about our conversation with Mark Synnott about his book, “The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan and the Climbing Life,” as well as a screening of the film “Free Solo” at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh on Aug. 9, go here.

Join us for your next ‘impossible’ feat

Itching to find your Alex Honnold smile before the end of summer? We’ve got a great opportunity to test the hiker in you on a four-day hiking trip scheduled for Aug. 15-18 at the Standing Indian Recreation Area in the Nantahala National Forest of far western North Carolina. The trip includes two 11-mile hikes that both include stretches of the Appalachian Trail, waterfall hikes, camping and more. Learn more and sign up to join us here.

The post There’s a little Alex Honnold in you appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Sometimes we listen to the tales of others for inspiration, sometimes for same flat-out vicarious living.

Thursday evening, you’ll get both at Peak Panel: a Night of Stories at the Great Outdoor Provision Co. in Raleigh’s Cameron Village. Four North Carolina climbers will share their individual stories of conquering four of the world’s most captivating peaks: Everest, Denali, Rainier and Patagonia.

On the panel are:

Chip Popoviciu – On May 22, 2008, at 4:40 a.m., Ciprian Popoviciu od Raleigh summited Mount Everest, the highest point on the planet at 29,029 feet. Chip got the idea to climb Everest growing up in Transylvania (the Eastern European country not the North Carolina county) — so when he grew up, he did it. Chip was kind enough to share his story with us prior to a previous appearance with Great Outdoor, in May 2009. You can read that interview here.

John Wade – John Wade was always into something: boxing, karate, mixed martial arts. Then he met his eventual wife, Anne, who was into cycling and running. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have something we could do together?” they thought. So they set out to climb 14,411-foot Mount Rainier, the highest point in the continental U.S. Read more about their story, here.

Matthew Miller – Matthew came onto Great Outdoor Provision’s radar last year as he planned his training for Alaska’s 20,310-foot Denali and shared that adventure with mountaineering folks in the effort to promote a greater awareness of the sport among the outdoor community in North Carolina.

Reese Wells – In 2015, the Winston-Salem resident rode his bike 9,000 miles, from Key West, Fla., to Deadhorse, Ala’t ska, in a ride called Keys to Freeze. He decided to follow that adventure up with Greater Patagonia, a 1,500-mile adventure in the Patagonian wilderness. Learn more about Reese and his adventures, here.

* * *

Details

What: Peak Panel: a Night of Stories, featuring North Carolina explorers Chip Popoviciu, John Wade, Matthew Miller and Reese Wells.

When: Thursday, Feb. 16, 9 p.m.

Where: Great Outdoor Provision Co., 2017 Cameron St. (Cameron Village Shopping Center), Raleigh

Past your bedtime? Catch the show on Facebook Live, at Facebook.com/TrustyGOPC

More info here.

The post An evening of Peak Experiences appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

But the idea has lingered. It’s come to the fore of late with talk of creating a Trails Center on about 600 acres owned by the RDU Airport Authority between Lake Crabtree County Park and Umstead. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it is a mecca for local mountain bikers and runners. There’s about 35 miles of legal trail in the vicinity, perhaps twice that if you throw in the … unauthorized paths. A year ago, RDU commissioned a study suggesting this land — including some of the legal trail at Lake Crabtree — might be put to more economic use by housing offices, apartments, retail. The local outdoors community has responded with a proposal to instead create a Trails Center that, in the words of Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson, could establish the Triangle as the Boulder of the East.

Boulder of the East: that’s selling short the area’s true potential.

Trails — and more

So far, the focus of this center has been on trail aimed at bikers, runners, hikers.

But the potential here is so much more. Take that canoe trip I didn’t take. Crabtree spends about an hour meandering through Umstead, a nearly pristine run through protected forest that includes old growth beech groves and bluffs of rhododendron and mountain laurel. After leaving the park to the east, at the Ebenezer Church Road boundary, the creek continues about 17 miles before feeding into the Neuse River. As many know because for 14.6 miles the creek is escorted by Raleigh greenway, it’s a diverse stretch: there’s some of the natural beauty found in Umstead, you can stop and shop at a mall (Crabtree Valley), you can lookie-loove the backyards of some of Inside the Beltline’s grand homes. There’s even a portage, at Lassiter Falls. Because of downfall strainers dropped over the years, Crabtree is only paddled as a lark, for quirky bragging rights.

And how about that greenway. On the Lake Crabtree end, trail connects with the Cary greenway system: Black Creek Greenway meets the White Oak Greenway in Bond Park, White Oak is just two short stretches shy of connecting with the American Tobacco Trail and a ride into downtown Durham. Heading east out of the park, there’s a short stretch of yet-to-be-built greenway before the Crabtree Creek Greenway picks up and begins its nearly 15-mile run to the Neuse. There, it meets with 32 miles of greenway running from the base of Falls dam to Clayton. A short distance downstream, you can ride up the 15-mile Walnut Creek Greenway and ride through N.C. State’s Centennial Campus to Lake Johnson.

In all, there’s some 200 miles of nearly connected trail, nearly all of which is paved (and what isn’t, in Umstead, is a crushed gravel surface friendly to most bikes).

Last summer I was at Umstead, waiting for a hiking group to show. A guy in running gear pulled up, hopped out, asked if I knew the trails. “I need to catch a plane in two hours,” he explained. “I’m looking for a 5-mile run.”

Ride, run, hike, paddle, climb …

It wasn’t the first time I’d fielded such a question from a visiting business type. For a runner traveling for work, you couldn’t ask for a better amenity than Umstead. Made me wonder how a traveling mountain biker might respond should there be a quick and easy bike rental option near the airport.

The triumvirate of Umstead, Lake Crabtree and RDU makes for an ideal recreation hub exceeding that of even the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Think about it: A Triangle Adventure Center that would:

• Rent canoes and kayaks, and provide shuttle service, for trips down Crabtree Creek, either to the edge of Umstead, to various spots in Raleigh, or to the Neuse. (Or on to New Bern.)
• Rent mountain bikes, do repairs, and offer guide service and skills training with access to 25 miles of single-track trail.
• Serve as a bike touring center for cyclists skittish in traffic but eager to ride long — of 100 miles or more.
• Serve as a hiking center to those interested in exploring the 20 miles (currently) of hiking trail in Umstead.
• Serve as a nexus for runners, perhaps offering training packages to distance runners eager to take advantage of Umstead’s natural surface trail.
• Attract folks who are into bouldering. (We’re not supposed to know this, but there’s a great outcrop on RDU land just up Crabtree Creek from Umstead.)
• And what the heck, let’s throw in a climbing wall, maybe convince our friends at the Triangle Rock Club to build their first outdoor climbing facility.

Recreation ready

Much of the recreational infrastructure is in place. Perhaps the biggest challenge would be making Crabtree Creek navigable: those strainers create habitat over time, and care would need to be taken not to disrupt the ecological balance.

The Triangle Adventure Center would be a great asset for local residents. Its proximity to RDU — its existence within RDU — would make it one of the top airport amenities in the world (and if you don’t think that means something, just ask any RDU board member). It would draw serious athletes for focused training as well as families looking for an adventure vacation with the amenities (shopping, food, culture, an actual bed to sleep in) of an urban area.

Rather than settle for being the Boulder of the East, let’s think big.

Let’s make Boulder the Triangle of the West.

The post The RDU Solution: Let’s think big appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Tuesday, North Carolina voters go to the polls to vote on, among other things, a sweeping $2 billion bond package. About $75 million of  Connect NC would go to North Carolina’s State Parks.

Today on the Great Outdoor Provision Co. blog we give an overview of that funding and talk to former State Parks Director Lewis Ledford for his take on how the funding would continue a job started in 1993 by a watershed $35 million State Parks bond package. You can find that story here.

Here’s a look at the 45 State Parks projects that would receive money through Connect NC.

Triangle

• Eno River State Park – Visitor Center: $2,830,500
• Falls Lake State Recreation Area – Beaverdam Community Building: $789,750
• Jordan Lake State Recreation Area – Campground/Electric Hook-ups: $3,000,000
• Lower Haw River State Natural Area – Bynum Day Use Development: $203,250
• Raven Rock State Park – Campground Expansion: $1,125,000
• William B. Umstead State Park – Community/Education Building: $1,725,000

Triad

• Hanging Rock State Park – Vade Mecum (Camp Sertoma) Improvements: $2,100,000
• Haw River State Park – Land Acquisition: $1,500,000
• Mayo River State Park – Land Acquisition: $750,000
• Pilot Mountain State Park – Visitor Center: $4,481,850

Charlotte

• Crowders Mountain State Park – Expanded Parking and Improved Access: $750,000
• Lake Norman State Park – Family & Group Camp Improvements: $2,307,000
• Morrow Mountain State Park – New Rental Cabins: $1,537,500

Piedmont

• 

  Carvers Creek State Park – Long Valley Farm Day Use Dev/Farm Seat Renovations: $5,700,750

• Deep River State Trail – Public Access Development: $1,281,000
• Kerr Lake State Recreation Area – Multiple Renovations: $3,750,000
• Medoc Mountain State Park – Education/Community Building: $1,383,750
• Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve – Land Acquisition: $428,250

Coast

• Carolina Beach State Park – Campground Improvements: $855,000
• Fort Fisher State Recreation Area – Bathhouse/Visitor Center Renovation: $1,125,000
• Fort Macon State Park- Cannon Project: $135,000
• Goose Creek State Park – Family Tent & Trailer Campground & Cabins: $1,477,500
• Hammocks Beach State Park – Boat Ramp Development: $1,125,000
• Jockey’s Ridge State Park – Visitor Center & Exhibit Hall: $751,500
• Pettigrew State Park – Visitor Center/Museum: $2,830,500

Coastal plain

• 

  Cliffs of the Neuse State Park – Campground Improvements: $692,400

• Dismal Swamp State Park – Land Acquisition: $$990,750
• Jones Lake State Park – Campground Improvements: $651,750
• Lake Waccamaw State Park – Tent & Trailer Campground: $1,506,000
• Lumber River State Park – Wire Pasture Public Access: $2,628,750
• Merchants Millpond State Park – Campground Improvements: $870,750
• Singletary Lake State Park – Visitor Contact Station: $575,250

Mountains

• Beech Creek Bog State Natural Area – Land Acquisition: $600,000
• Chimney Rock State Park – Rumbling Bald/World’s End Day Use Areas: $1,500,000
• Elk Knob State Park – Land Acquisition: $900,000
• Gorges State Park – Grassy Ridge Campground: $2,505,750
• Grandfather Mountain State Park – Profile Trail Public Access (Phase II): $1,501,500
• Lake James State Park – Visitor Center: $3,021,000
• Mount Jefferson State Natural Area – Land Acquisition: $1,500,000
• Mount Mitchell State Park – Summit Improvements: $600,000
• New River State Park – Land Acquisition: $675,000
• Yellow Mountain State Natural Area – Land Acquisition: $2,250,000
• Stone Mountain State Park – Visitor Center Improvements: $1,338,000
• South Mountains State Park – Clear Creek Campground: $2,250,000

Statewide

• Mountains-to-Sea State Trail, Fonta Flora Trail – Land Acquisition: $4,500,000

  Find more information on these projects here.

The post Connect NC would strengthen, expand State Parks appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

If you like your movement to have meaning, you’re in luck this weekend. In the Wilmington area alone, there’s the 17th Annual Son Run 5K (benefitting The Carousel Center, A Safe Place and Methodist Home for Children), Color Run 5K (childhood obesity), Cape Fear Buddy Walk (Down Syndrome), Wellness Walk (healthy living), Live.Love.Throw! Cornhole Tourney (New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Pink Ribbon Project) and the Wilmington Area CROP Hunger Walk.

Whew! That’s a lot of options.

Logistics: Learn more about these events starting at WhatsOnWilmington.com.

Weekend forecast: Highs in the low 70s, chance of rain both days.

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Looking ahead: 19th Annual Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival, Outer Banks region, Oct. 20-25. More than 100 birding, paddling, photography, art and natural history trips, tours and programs. Details here.

Piedmont

Are you ever torn between two adventures. Say, for instance, the forecast says you should get out in the woods and enjoy the emerging fall color on the trail. Yet you also hanker for something more physically challenging. Rock climbing, perhaps?

Slake both thirsts in one outing this Sunday, with GetHiking! Triangle and the Triangle Rock Club. First, at 4 p.m., GetHiking! Triangle leads a 4-mile hike on a portion of the Sycamore Trail at Umstead State Park in Raleigh. Then, the group heads 10 minutes down the road where the Triangle Rock Club hosts a couple hours of indoor climbing on its 13,000-plus square feet of wall (plus another 7,000 square feet of bouldering surface).

No experience? No problem. Plenty of helpful types will be on hand to help you enjoy both experiences.

Logistics: Sunday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m., starting with GetHiking! Triangle at Umstead, followed by climbing at 6 p.m. at the TRC North Raleigh.

Sunday forecast: Sunny and a high of 70.

* * *

Looking ahead: Basic Land Navigation, Oct. 25, Umstead State Park, Raleigh. More info here.

Mountains

Run. Bike. Run.

Sounds like an elementary primer for the adventure set. In fact, it’s the 2015 Dig the Du: WNC’s ‘Dirty Duathlon.” Benefitting OpenDoors of Asheville, the event consists of a 2.5-mile run, a 12-mile mountain bike ride, then another 2.5 miles of running. The course, at Sky Valley Farms in Hendersonville, is described as “not only a good introduction to off-road, multi-sport events but … also a great venue for seasoned athletes.”

Logistics: Sunday, Oct. 11, 8 a.m., Sky Valley Farms, Hendersonville. More info and to register, go here.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 70.

* * *

Looking ahead: “Reel Rock 10 Film Tour,” Oct. 15, 7 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place, Asheville. Details here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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