Typically, we think of benefit rides and fundraising runs as the work of big nonprofits, of a team engaged in pulling off a major event. The MS Society of Eastern North Carolina and the 2,000-plus-rider MS 150, the American Diabetes Association’s likewise behemoth Tour de Cure.
What is there not to love about this time of year? Weekend temperatures across the state will range from the mid-70s at the coast to the low 60s in the mountains, fall is exhibiting varying degrees of color throughout, and the entire state will be under sunny skies. Great for a paddle, a hike, competitive mountain biking and more.
Fall color is spreading across the state. Here are three ways to take advantage.
Coast
Sometimes, all it takes is the alignment of the right stars to kick-start an active lifestyle. Perfect weather — sunny skies, highs in the mid-60s. A challenging, but not overly so, adventure. A supportive environment. Beer.
A “brawl” at the coast, IDing trees in the Piedmont, checking out new trail in the mountains: it’s another active weekend in North Carolina.
Coast
You wouldn’t think that a nature preserve would be a suitable venue for a “brawl.” But when that preserve is the Brunswick Nature Park in Winnabow, with nine miles of singletrack mountain bike trail, then the venue does indeed seem appropriate for Saturday’s Brunswick Brawl endurance race.
Scott Carpenter has a vision that may seem myopic at first. Hear him out, though, and your adventurous self can easily see what he’s talking about.
Carpenter’s vision is this: Lake James, the 6,800-acre lake currently best known as the gateway to other adventurous places (Linville Gorge, Wilson Creek, the Pisgah National Forest) is the next Nantahala Outdoor Center, an all-encompassing outdoor playground that’s day-tripable from North Carolina’s major population centers: Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle.
Carpenter is Deputy County Manager and Planning Director for Burke County, in which Lake James and its associated state park reside. Burke County, like many mountain counties, is dealing with a changing economy that must figure out how to rely less on manufacturing and more on … .
“Tourism,” answers Carpenter.
The ultimate goal, says Carpenter, is to lure an NOC-type outfitter to the region to help exploit the local recreational resources. Chances are, if you see the Lake James exit on I-40 as little more than a sign that you’re almost to where the fun starts, you’re scratching your head: What can I do at Lake James that doesn’t