“You could take a picture of all this, but you’d lose the pictures. You look at it with your eyes instead, and it’s in your head forever. There’s not that many people can understand that.”
The sentiment was expressed by a hobo named Pete to apprentice hobo/author Ted Conover in Conover’s 1984 book, “Rolling Nowhere.” Pete made the observation as the boxcar livingroom they shared rolled through the northern planes of Montana. Who needs a camera? philosopher Pete wanted to know. If you take in a scene, truly take it in, the image will last long beyond those Polaroids, those slides, even those digital images (which, yes, are ephemeral) that you shoot with abandon: five shots in a row — one is bound to capture the right light. But … what was the right light?read more
GetHiking! is designed to get you out on the trail, discovering North Carolina’s diverse natural areas on foot. We provide tips on the gear you need to get started, and we offer various programs taking you into the woods.
Hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake.read more
Picture yourself here, on the edge of the Shining Rock Wilderness of the Pisgah National Forest, by summer.
Spring is the season of rebirth. Wildflowers have been popping up for more than a month now, the trees are a day or two from being in full leaf. With temperatures in the 70s and skies more blue than not, it’s no wonder that a young man (and woman’s) thoughts turn to one thing:read more
Huggins Island (photo courtesy N.C. Coastal Federation)
The raindrops falling on many of our Tarheel heads (speaking of which, “Go Heels!”) as the work week draws to a close should dry up by the weekend. This week’s weekend recommendations come from the comprehensive events calendar kept by our friends at the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. See the calendar section below for more info on the NCOEEPA.read more
A hike — and brief rest stop atop John Rock — was on the agenda of an Oboz clinic in the Pisgah National Forest four years ago.
In attempting to explain his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump told ABC News last year, “I haven’t spent time with him. I didn’t meet him, I haven’t had dinner with him. I didn’t go hiking with him.”
Of the latter, we wonder: If not, why not?read more
