A little rain in the forecast for Saturday, a lot of sun in the forecast for Sunday. And temperatures in the 50s and low 60s along the way. Sounds like a great weekend to get out and explore.
Flatty Creek Paddle, Saturday, 9 a.m., Goose Creek State Park, Washington. Flatty Creek is a great example of not having to paddle far to see a lot. Good thing, because Flatty Creek doesn’t run very far. But oh what you’ll see on this waterway that pinches to the point where you can touch the branches of the wax myrtle, red bay and groundsel tree along the banks. A great place to paddle with someone — in this case a park ranger — who can show you which is the wax myrtle, which is the red bay. It’s free, but space is limited and reservations are required, by calling the park office at 252.923.2191. Learn more about Goose Creek State Park here. read more
Ten years ago, we ran a weekly series of posts called “Hikes You Can Do.” They were hikes across the state, seven in all, that weren’t long (though some included longer options), that weren’t necessarily strenuous (but would still get your heartbeat up), and that just about anybody could do. read more
When it comes to winter hiking, we tend to develop a circle-the-wagons mentality: Who knows what might happen with the weather. Better keep my winter hiking close to home.
It’s a valid thought. But it needs tweaking.
True, if you live in the Piedmont, the weather is a bit more predictable than in the mountains. We learn this in summer when there’s no rain in the forecast, and then — boom — darned if a thunderstorm doesn’t roll through mid-afternoon. A drenching rain in the heat is one thing. A cold rain-turned-sleet-and-snow in winter is a much more formidable, and potentially life-threatening, matter. So why take the risk?read more
If you’ve been hiking in the last couple days, you’ve likely walked out the front door on hike morning and had your first Aha! moment of the season.
Aha! as in, “Aha, I need to grab another layer or two!”
As Aha! moments go, it’s one of our favorites. We love hiking late-fall-into-winter: the air is typically dry, the diminished foliage lets you see deeper into the woods, the increasingly angled winter sunlight seems to lite the forest from the ground up.read more
Imagine, if you will, a first weekend of November that begins bright and sunny with a temperature in the 30s, a temperature not likely to get out of the 50s during the afternoon peak. And a weekend that, throughout much of the state, will be festooned with the best fall color of the year. Imagine, if you will, this weekend … .read more
