This post first appeared Nov. 23, 2022. It runs again now because of its timeliness, as we approach the end of one year, the beginning of another.
It was the podcast you hope for setting out for a long walk: a tale of adventure and intrigue from a distant time that makes you think, Man, I wish I’d been there. That sense of longing fades to wistfulness when you realize you could have been there. Or some place very much like it.
Sunday morning we undergo that annual ritual of falling back. Meaning, when the clock strikes 2 a.m., we wind the hour hand back an hour, to 1 a.m. So when what had been 7:42 a.m. rolls around, it will actually be 6:42 a.m.
Normally, we celebrate this occurrence with getting to sleep an extra hour. But it’s true import? Instead of the sun rising at 7:42 a.m., it will be up at 6:42 a.m. Meaning … ?
Every year around this time we rerun the following post about night hiking, with a few tweaks. Granted, we don’t switch back to Standard Time for another week (Sunday, Nov. 2 this year), but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. That said, we make our annual case for a night hike, and offer some tips on how to make it happen.
Hiking Thursday on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake I suddenly realized I couldn’t see the trail. The colorful fall leaves that had lured me were now messing with me by covering the trail and obliterating the path ahead. Years ago, I might have panicked. But years of fall hiking have taught me a trick or two — or 10.
At the beginning of September we extolled the virtues of a passeggiata— an after-dinner stroll around the neighborhood. Good for digestion, good for winding down after a stressful day, good for getting to know your immediate surroundings. Besides, with daylight becoming more scarce it was a sensible option for getting out.
