Sure, kudzu and bamboo may grab the headlines when it comes to unwanted landscape visitors. But to those of us who spend considerable time in the woods of the South, it’s microstegium, a trashy weed, that we most detest. It’s yet another reason we look forward to the return of cold weather.

It’s also my true sign that summer has ended, fall has begun. For when it comes to managing the leafy pest, there’s only one thing known to kill it — or at least send it into remission:

The first frost.

Some people see Labor Day weekend as the official passing of the baton from Summer to Fall. Others go by the calendar and observe the autumnal equinox (this year on Sept. 22). Maybe you go by the first leaf that changes color, or perhaps the first appearance of a pumpkin spice mocha. Popular sentimental markers all. So, to me, is the death of stiltgrass. But it’s more of a scientific sentiment.

Years ago, during my days at The News & Observer in Raleigh, I wrote a lengthy piece about invasive plants and the challenge of managing them. The need for management? you ask. The problem with invasives is that they come from elsewhere (in the case of microstegium, China, in 1919 as packing material) and sometimes find no opposition to their advance. Such has been the case with microstegium, which can spread like wildfire, obiliterating native species. The lovely running cedar, for instance. It’s especially problematic in low-lying wet areas where the foot-high weedy grass is especially problematic. It’s not only an eyesore, but, as my ankles have discovered over the years, a habitat for ticks. Nasty stuff that I’ve come to associate over the years with heat, sweat and itchy ankles. No wonder I especially look forward to the first frost. And no wonder I was especially ecstatic last week when the temperature dipped to 32 in my neck of the woods.

I’ll continue to enjoy the fall colors over the next couple weeks. But in addition to looking up to survey the trees, you can bet I’ll be looking down, with a smile, at the sight of withered brown grass.

The post Another sign of fall appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

There’s a lot of pressure on a hiker this time of year. Arguably, it’s the best time of year to be on the trail. Cool temperatures, clear skies, dry air, color — fall has it all. Including a lot of pressure to make the right trail choices. Here’s why.

There are 52 weeks in a year. Roughly 7 of those are in the coveted fall hiking season, a window that essentially begins this weekend and runs short of Thanksgiving. True, there are still a few weeks of decent weather after Thanksgiving, but once the holidays get rolling it can be hard to carve out trail time. It’s a time of year that requires strategic thinking to make every hike count. When it comes to smart fall hike selection, I have, over the years, based my trail selections on 7 criteria, one for each week of the fall hiking season. Note: they do not appear in chronological order. 

First color. Most folks love fall for the color, color we’re impatient to wait for. That’s why we start the fall GetHiking! season at Horton Grove (pictured), a 708-acre Triangle Land Conservancy property in Durham that’s rich with hardwoods, is high in elevation (for the Triangle), and is on the northern rim of the metro area. All that adds up to some of the earliest color close to home (if you live in the Triangle).

A given. Odds are you have a favorite hike that becomes even more so in fall, a hike that’s a given, regardless of time of yerar. Make this a priority hike.

Hike local. A trail near home deserves a spot on your list. It will come in handy on that busy fall weekend when you may think you don’t have enough time for a hike. Ten minutes from home? Who doesn’t have time for that?

Short hike. Same logic as above. Surely you can carve out an hour.

Long hike. Fall was made for the long hike. Cooler temperatures and kodachromatic scenery demand that you take advantage of every minute of sunlight. Commit a day, planning to leave home before dawn, get on the trail shortly after sunrise, get off the trail shortly before sunset, get home after dark. Nothing refreshes the soul like a day committed to hiking. 

Water. A hike along water increases your chances of catching good color. — and catching it twice if you get a good reflection.

Mountains. It’s not a complete fall hiking season if you don’t work in a mountain hike. The good news? Even if you’re in the piedmont a mountain hike can be less than two hours away: the accessible Blue Ridge Escarpment has some of the best hiking around, from Shenandoah National Park, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and Rock Castle Gorge in Virginia, to Stone Mountain State Park, Doughton Park, and the 88-mile run of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Grandfather Mountain to the Devil’s Garden Overlook in North Carolina.

A newbie-friendly hike. Got a friend or family member you’ve been trying to get into hiking? There’s no better time than fall to get them hooked. Make sure it’s a shorter hike, one with minimal elevation gain, and lots of colorful hardwoods.

There’s your hiking plan for the next 7 weeks. No quit reading and get hiking.

The post Your Fall Hiking Plan appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

It’s what we hikers have been waiting for since April. 

And yet, I’m a tad melancholic.

To be sure, I’m at the forefront of those who can’t wait for fleece hiking, to at least start a hike wearing a light long sleeve and exhaling a puff or two of visible breath. Saturday at Lake Higgins in Greensboro I spotted my first legitimate hint of fall color, and this week’s cool temps will likely accelerate the show. I’m looking forward to hills to build body heat. I’m looking forward to seeing through a thinning understory for insights deeper into the woods. I’m looking forward to that lone cricket frog chirping the  transition to winter. 

I also know I will miss the heat.

And no, there’s no guarantee we won’t have another hot day or two. But history suggests we won’t. Last October, for instance, the temperature barely topped 80 twice where I am. The average daytime high was below 70, the overnight low 45, and the temperature dipped as low as 30. Another hot day? Not likely.

I’ve thought about this seasonal schizophrenia the past few years, this reluctance to part entirely with summer. Sweat, flying-biting-bugs, and dehydration aside, it’s still difficult to part with the season that during our formative years equated to freedom. Freedom to swap the classroom for the joys of summer: exploring the woods at the end of your block, the rope swing that ends in a cooling plunge, lying in a bed of grass and watching the clouds swim by. Not the summer most of us experience as adults, but maybe a summer we, on the cusp of 60-degree days, wish we had? 

This isn’t to dwell on lost opportunities. Rather to try and explain why we might have  the slightest wistfulness over the end of summer.

A short-lived wistfulness, I’m guessing. Have you seen the weekend forecast?

The post Goodbye, Summer appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Normally, we celebrate this occurrence with getting to sleep an extra hour. But it’s true import? Instead of the sun rising at 7:42 a.m., it will be up at 6:42 a.m. Meaning … ? 

Meaning that if you’re a clock-puncher, you’ll now have time to get in a little quality trail time before work! 

Why hike first thing? 

In addition to the obvious “Why not?”, here’s why:

• You get to see sunrise. It’s like sunset, only in reverse.
• You get to hear the day come to life. Even on a cold morning, there’s a good deal of woodland chatter as the natural world wakes up.
• Start cool, end less cool. There’s something about knowing you’ll likely get warmer as the hike progresses that makes heading out at dawn less daunting.
• It gets your motor revved for the day. You know how some mornings it can be 10:30, 11 by the time you’re fully engaged? A brisk hike in brisk weather will get your juices flowing pronto (and you can tell your boss that!).
• It sets an upbeat tone for your day. 

Tips for an early hike

A few quick things to keep in mind on an early hike.

• Check not only sunrise, but also the start of twilight. As we mentioned earlier, sunrise today was at 7:03 p.m., but twilight — first light — began at 6:36 a.m. Use sunrise as your ultimate guide for being on the trail, but keep in mind it will start getting light about 25 minutes before that. Unless … 
• It’s cloudy. Thus, you’ll want to do the same thing you do for an evening hike: take a headlamp.
• Check the hours of the trail you’ll be hiking. Nearly all municipal and county parks have hours, ditto state parks and national parks, as well as land trust preserves. Some of them have nebulous “dawn-to-dusk” hours, most employ actual hours. Some have gates, some do not. National forests and game lands are about the only public lands that generally don’t have posted hours. Technically, you are trespassing if you are on a trail beyond its posted hours.
• Be content with a shorter hike. Odds are if you’re hitting the trail early it’s because you need to be somewhere in the morning — like work or school. Be realistic about your morning hike.
• Know your pace. Part of being realistic about how far you can hike is knowing how fast you hike. Let’s put that 8th grade algebra to the test: If it takes you 25 minutes to hike a mile and you need to be to be off the trail by 8 so you can get to work by 9, starting at sunrise, how far can you hike if you start at 6:50 a.m. (Answer: 3.)
• Eat breakfast first! It’s likely been at least 8 hours since you last ate. Even if you’re not a breakfast person, you need some fuel on board for the hike.

One last thought for those of you who still mope about not having sunlight after work. The winter solstice this year occurs on Dec. 21 (at 10:03 a.m. EST). That’s the day we have the least amount of sunlight (9 hours, 42 minutes, 59 seconds). However, through a quirk of astrosomethingorother, the sun will actually start setting later beginning Dec. 7 (at 5:04:54 p.m. as opposed to 5:04:52 the day before). By Dec. 21 it will be setting 3 minutes and 57 seconds later, and come the last day of the year, sunset won’t be until 5:15:12 p.m. 

You’ll be hiking after work again before you know it.

The post Fall back — and hike in the AM appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Below are 10 tricks I’ve discovered over the years that make fall hiking all the better. They’re based on common sense, they’re easy to remember, and they’re short. The latter being the most important: It’s fall, who want’s to sit around reading when they could be on the trail!

Leaves on the trail can make it hard to follow said trail, Part I. One way to tell if you’ve left the trail: you’ll sink into the softer, untrodden forest floor. If you suddenly notice you’re sinking more than you had, you’re likely off-trail. Stomp around a seek firm footing.

Leaves on the trail can make it hard to follow said trail, Part II. Be especially vigilant about checking for blazes. If you don’t see a blaze ahead, turn around and see if you can find one from the direction you came. If so, the direction it’s facing should tell you where the trail is coming from. If you don’t see a blaze, keep heading in the direction you came from until you do.

Be aware of sunset. As we’ve discussed recently, sunset is occurring earlier and earlier on an accelerated schedule. Example: Last Friday the sun went down at 6:51; today, it sets at 6:41. Especially for those late-day hikes it’s time to start planning accordingly.

Be aware of the temperature. Again this is especially important for those late-day hikes. It could be 67 when you set out on a hike at 4 p.m. but could drop 10 degrees by the time the sun sets. Add the chilling psychological impact of a darkening forest and you’ll be darn glad you packed a light fleece.

Check the forecast. You should always check the forecast before heading out, but with cooler temperatures it’s especially important. Encountering a mid-afternoon rain in summer when it’s 90 is one thing; it’s something else entirely when it’s 60 — or cooler. Hypothermia can occur at surprisingly high temperatures, under the right — or wrong — conditions.

Ease in. Odds are you haven’t done much serious hiking since the more temperature-friendly days of spring. And nothing sounds more inviting when the forecast high is 65 than to spend as much time as possible on the trail. But remember, it’s been months since you took a long hike; don’t expect to head out and do a 10-miler from the get-go. For one, you likely don’t have as much daylight as you think (see above). And even if you’re capable of doing that long hike, it will take you considerably longer than it did in the spring. Ease i

Hydrate. With cooler temperatures it’s easy to forget to take a hit off that hydration bladder now and then. You may not be losing as much liquid through sweat, but you are drying out. Drink!

Seek the trails less traveled. It’s fall, when everyone becomes a hiker. Need evidence? Check the website of your favorite state park and see if there isn’t an advisory that you may need to wait in line to simply enter the park. Fortunately, that’s only at the main entrances; check out the lesser-known entrances — the ones without a visitor center or restrooms, or even paved parking — on the park’s website and start your hike from one of those.

Sock up! Come fall, it occurs to us to get out the fleece, the long hiking pants, the hat the gloves. But it doesn’t always occur to us to get out our thicker, cool-weather hiking socks. You may not need them immediately, but as fall progresses and the weather cools, you’ll want a thicker, warmer sock. If you forget, worry not. Your feet will let you know.

Don’t forget the sunscreen. Though the days are getting shorter, our neck of the hemisphere is actually getting closer to the sun. That coupled with the thinning canopy means we’re getting more sunshine. Slather up!

* * *

Learn more

Interested in learning more? A few helpful sources we’ve found.

• Eat: 5 Food Tips for Hiking and Camping from EatRight.org cover the basics. Click here. WildBackpacker offers a more in-depth look into nutrition, here.
• Hydration: If you’re curious about why hydrating is so important, WebMD answers most of your questions in The Quest for Hydration
• Diminishing daylight: Find sunrise and sunset times near you, here.
• Avoid fall’s hot spots. To check on lesser-used access in North Carolina State Parks, go here, for Virginia State Parks, go here.
• Check the forecast. You probably have your favorite site for checking the forecast (we prefer WeatherUnderground.com). For mountain forecasts, we like mountain-forecast.com, which gives the forecast by elevation.

The post 10 Ways to Make Fall Hiking Even Better appeared first on GetGoing NC!.