Say you’re driving through the Triad, you have some time on your hands and you think, “Hmm, I wonder if there’s a state park around here where I could do some rock climbing?” Used to be you’d have to be content to keep driving, keep wondering. Now, there’s an app for that.
The N.C. Parks Department this morning unveiled its Pocket Ranger app for iPhones and Droids that answers such immediate and pressing questions of the outdoor recreationist. Using our hypothetical situation, you could simply open your Pocket Ranger app, tap on “Park Activities,” finger down to “Rock Climbing” and tap on that, and discover that — holy cow! There’s not one but two state parks nearby (Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain) where one can rock climb.
Category Archives: Hiking
Wake up and hike
I bolted upright, wide awake, at 4:45, 15 minutes before the alarm was scheduled to do its ugly business. In 10 minutes I was dressed, had my daypack packed, poured a mug of coffee and was ready to go. I wasn’t my usual morning self.
But then, on this morning I wasn’t going about my usual morning routine.
Grace’s Granola: the grail of trail treats
The conversation during our three days together backpacking the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area this past Easter weekend always seemed to come back to nutrition. Grace, Lois and Alan had carted in enough fresh produce to start a farmer’s market at our Rhododendron Gap campsite. Conservatively, I’d guess they had 45 pounds of food between them. I was relying heavily on prepackaged, come-to-life-with-boiling-water dehydrated food, from instant oatmeal in the morning to cook-in-bag meals at night. Foodwise, I couldn’t have been carrying 5 pounds, if that.
Canoe a swamp, hike two states and Boone-Roubaix
It’s one of those weekends in North Carolina where you wish you could triplicate yourself … .
Coast
When anyone asks me for a good beginner canoe trip with great scenery, I never hesitate with the answer: Merchants Millpond State Park. For starters, it’s one of the few places in the state where you can rent a canoe year-round. Then, it’s only $5 an hour (that’s for the first hour; it drops to $3 an hour for the second and subsequent hours). But the main reason to paddle Merchants Millpond is the scenery. Paddling here is on a 190-year-old, 760-acre millpond peppered with bald cypress and tupelo gum trees draped in Spanish moss. The pond’s dark, acidic waters support floating mats of duckweed and water fern. It’s the quintessential swamp paddle minus the alligators (it’s been years since one has been seen).
This weekend: Run, run/walk/ride, hike
There’s no lack of options this weekend for working off some excess energy.
Coast
Two races Saturday in two beach towns where you’ll want to linger afterward.
5K Race for the Planet at Fort Fisher. “This flat, mostly asphalt course is scenic with views of the ocean, maritime forest, and historic Fort Fisher Civil War site,” according to race organizers. Run the race at 8 a.m. (registration begins at 7) then hang out and tour the aquarium and hike out to the Fort Fisher Hermit’s old digs. $25 to race. Music and refreshments follow. 910.458.7468 for more information, or go here.