Category Archives: Hiking

A Classic Hike in the Smokies

What constitutes a “classic” hike? asks the author of “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina” (2007, Mountaineers) and creator of the GetHiking! North Carolina’s Classic Hikes series.

Content from A Classic Hike in the Smokies

Since I answer the question differently every time it’s asked, the notion of a classic hike, obviously, is difficult to pin down. In essence, I define it as a hike that you could do 100 times, and every time will yield a unique experience. Some of that has to do with the trail itself. A lot has to do with the season. A lot, too, with the weather. read more

This weekend: Reasons to start hiking and go star gazing

Latimer House
Latimer House

From mellow hikes at the coast and in the mountains to a statewide star party, your prospects for adventure are looking up in North Carolina.

Coast

This is the perfect event if you’ve been thinking: I really should get moving more, and now that the weather’s awesome I don’t have a good excuse not to be active. Still … read more

90 Second Escape: Rain

Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb. read more

This weekend: A unique trail, a trail run, a run downhill

The hike at Fort Fisher State Park Saturday is only a mile and a half, but it’s a well-appointed mile-and-a-half; there’s a rare introduction to the misunderstood pursuit of trail running along the Eno River Saturday afternoon; and on both Saturday and Sunday, those crazy videos of skateboarders bombing down twisty mountain roads comes to life at Mount Jefferson. read more

90 Second Escape: Early Morning on the trail

Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb. read more