For much of this week, North Carolina has been swathed in a blanket of green. An annoyance to some, a detriment to outdoor pursuits for others. We don’t care about the annoyed; we’re here to address our outdoor brothers and sisters who are afflicted with sensitive nasal passages. No doubt you were tempted by the first run of 80-degree-plus temperatures to get out and play. And no doubt you would up a runny, itchy, puffy mess as a result.
A boat demo, a bird hike, an adventure race, a waterfall hike — and they’re all on the same day.
Coast
In Wilmington’s Smith Creek Park on Saturday they’ll be celebrating the warm weekend by land and by sea (by “lake” technically) at the Bird Hike & Kayak Demonstration, a joint effort of New Hanover County Parks & Gardens, Cape Fear Audubon Society, Wild Bird & Garden and Hook, Line & Paddle. In a stroke of good planning, Cape Fear Audubon will lead the bird hike, from 8-9:30 a.m., while Hook, Line & Paddle will handle the kayak demo, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A good opportunity to learn a few new birds and to test out a boat or two.
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.
On a crisp afternoon in November 2009 I was hiking along Pretty Hollow Creek in the Great Smokies when I heard voices up ahead. I looked up to see three backpackers, two on the far side of the creek, a third, wearing a jester’s hat, tiptoeing her way over the creek atop a downed hemlock. The two who had successfully made the passage were offering their … encouragement to the one in transit. Then, one yelled about the last two words I was expecting to hear.
“How are we doing?” the guy asked with a bemused look. I was momentarily distracted by the vintage WWII Jeep the guy and his girlfriend were in, and before I could answer, he added, “You weren’t hiking along the river, were you? Because there’s no trail along the river.”