Nepalese browntop, bamboo grass, Mary’s grass, Chinese packing grass, Japanese stiltgrass. It goes by many names, but the people who engage it in an ongoing battle to be rid of it refer to by it’s Latin name: microstegium. It is among the most egregious of the invasive plants, a ground cover who’s mere mention elicits a low growl reminiscent of that offered by the Addams Family’s Lurch.
Category Archives: Hiking
Recapturing the Night Hike
I’m not sure when my captivation with night hiking began. Though I’ve been doing it as a practice since 2000, I’m guessing my initial smittance began years before, likely on a late afternoon hike that evolved, inadvertently, into a hike in the dark. Whatever, it was a part of my regular hiking regimen for a good 25 years.
Your Fall Hiking Plan
Sunday, I’m leading a hike at Horton Grove Nature Preserve north of Durham. To my hikers, the location may seem like a random choice. It’s not.
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.
Goodbye, Summer
Today, fittingly, may be the last hot day of the year. As I write, it’s Monday, Sept. 21 — the last day of summer (that’s the fitting part) — and the temperature is 85. It’s forecast to hit 92 by day’s end. Tomorrow, however, the temperature will barely break 80 and it may not top 70 for the rest of the week. Overnight lows may dip into the upper 40s:
Get your Fall Hikes in with GetHiking!
Back when hiking was pretty much my full-time job I hiked daily, racking up 30 to 40 miles a week. My philosophy, to borrow from Dani Rojas, was “Hiking is life.” When I scheduled hiking programs I did so under the assumption that hiking was everyone’s life. Who wouldn’t want to hike as many days of the week as possible?