You built up a good head of fitness steam over the spring and summer and it seems a waste not to capitalize on it just because summer is now officially over. Well, here’s one more chance for your day in the sun: The 32nd Annual Wilmington YMCA Triathlon in Wrightsville Beach. It’s the biggest race in the North Carolina Triathlon Series, drawing 1,300 participants. The event starts at 7 a.m. with a 1,500 meter swim with the current from the Blockade Runner, followed by a 12-mile bike ride and a 5K — all very flat. $65 (add another $10 if you aren’t a member of USA Triathlon).read more
My slogan as a guidebook writer: I get lost so you don’t have to.
Yet in the case of London Bald, there’s no guarantee that even my most meticulous directions, derived from wandering 20 miles in less than 24 hours with GPS and maps in hand, will spare you from a similar bushwhacking fate in the rugged Nantahala National Forest. For London Bald, like the 26-mile Appletree Camp trail network it’s a part of, is in a National Forest, and when you step foot on a National Forest trail, anything can happen.read more
About 12:30 I stepped outside for a quick run and —
Wow! I thought I was back in Colorado, from where I had returned the evening before with the itch to hike. There, the overnight lows were already dipping into the upper 40s, the daytime highs in the 70s. Coupled with the state’s trademark dry weather it was perfect hiking weather — much like what I felt when I stepped outside today around 12:30 for a run: High in the low 80s, light breeze, dry air … .read more
Originally, during my quick visit to Colorado, my plan was to climb two of Colorado’s 52 14ers, 14,264-foot Mt. Evans and its little brother, 14,060-foot Mt. Bierstadt. A 10-mile loop connects the two from a trailhead at Guanella Pass. With a minimal total elevation gain of 3,900 feet (albeit all above 11,000 feet) it seemed a doable accomplishment for a flat lander in reasonable shape. Besides, I was looking for new conquests, new goals. Last Sunday I ran my first half marathon, in July I’d done my first mountain century ride. Adding a couple of 14,000-foot peaks to my summer resume would put me in the gold star category.read more