Because of the mid-week holiday we’re relaxing the definition of “weekend.” It starts … today!
Coast
You go to the beach regularly, maybe even live there for a week every summer. Yet how much do you know about your fellow residents, especially the year-round residents? The sea turtles, for instance, or the sea gulls? Tag along on Audubon North Carolina’s Free Friday Field Trip at Mason Inlet, a “fascinating sanctuary where you can get close-up looks at nesting birds and chicks,” according to ANC. “Coastal birds are scrappy survivors that combat extreme temperatures, unpredictable weather, and predators to successfully raise their young.” Who wouldn’t want to spend time with scrappy survivors?read more
I have various rules of thumb for when it’s too hot to do certain things. Over 80? Too hot to hike (sweat + overnight cobweb construction + lots of body hair makes me feel like a wad of cotton candy after a mile or so). I draw the line slightly higher, at 85, for running, mainly because of the skimpy apparel involved. I’ll paddle into the low 90s, but not on open, unshaded water. I can handle 90 degrees on a mountain bike; the calculation becomes more involved on a road bike. I’ll ride up to 95 on road, maybe higher if I don’t have to stop; few things are more demoralizing than coming to a stoplight after generating an 18-mile-per-hour breeze, then losing that breeze altogether. (Sweaty fact: 109 F is 42.777 C.)read more
The forecast calls for record heat, in the Piedmont at least, this weekend. So … stock up on that dry ice they’re selling now at the Teeter.
Coast
Is there a more appropriate way to celebrate our nation’s 236th birthday than by running 3.1 miles? Probably. But it’s certainly a good way to celebrate our independence, which is no doubt what the people of Southport thought when they decided to include the Freedom Run as part of their North Carolina 4th of July Festival. And deciding to hold it five days before the Fourth of July was no doubt inspired by the desire to be able to walk again come Independence Day.read more
Trail? As Elizabeth discovered, you miss out on the interesting stuff if you stick to the trail.
A couple weekends ago I set out to find two of the hardest group hikes around.
I struck gold.
On Saturday, I tapped into one of “wild & crazy” Steve G. Martin’s infamous off-trail hikes at Stone Mountain State Park. Since discovering Stone Mountain 5 years ago, Martin has been been trying to uncover every one of the 14,100-acre park’s many secrets, very few of which lie along the park’s 16.5 miles of blazed trail. Among other things, Martin has found 350 stills, “Area 15” (a fenced area that may or may not be the entrance to a secret underground military base) and numerous old homesteads previously unknown to park authorities. He has lead about 200 hikes, mostly through the Triad Hiking & Outdoors Group, mostly off-trail, most with multiple disclaimers such as “there’s a 50-50 chance we won’t make it back.”read more
The view from atop Jockey's Ridge (elevation 85 feet the day this was taken).
The first summerlike weather of the year has descended, but don’t let that keep you cooped up this weekend. Beat the heat with a coastal retreat, by doing the vampire thing and coming out at night, or hitting the high — particularly high — country.read more
