Here’s our annual note for when the temperature seems too cold to hike.
I start most days with an early 3-mile hike. The walk often spells the difference between a good day and a really good day. The walk is important any day of the week, but it’s especially critical on Mondays. This past Monday when I checked the weather, it was 17 degrees out.
Of the many moments of revelation at the first annual Great Trails State Conference earlier this month in Winston-Salem, one came from Beth Heile during the closing ceremonies. Beth, pictured above (photo by Friends of Valdese Rec),is one of those folks who seems to be at least three people; among other things she’s a driver behind so many trail projects near her Burke County home and throughout the state. For our purposes we’ll simply refer to her as the founder and president of the Friends of the Valdese Rec, which supports a variety of trail projects in the community just east of Morganton.
This weekend, seasonal temperatures finally arrive, and it appears they will will stick around at least through midweek. As the days heat up, you might be tempted to cool it on your hiking habit. But, actually, you can hike all summer long — the secret lies in the when and where. Here are a few tips from a piece we run the beginning of most summers to keep you on the trail .
We’ve made the transfer from cool and budding to warm and lush. The weather is great for hiking, but there are some associated annoyances we face along the way, specifically ticks and mosquitoes, and poison ivy.
Here’s a quick look at prevention and treatment for both.
I’ve been leading hikes and backpack trips for more than a decade, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that most of my hikers were older than I’d expected. We’d have a few people in their 20s, then a big gap, then a whole lot of people in their 50s. And 60s. And 70s. It eventually dawned on me why: people in their 20s have fewer commitments and more time to play. Same with people who are done raising kids and are reaching retirement age.
