And then life got in the way. I started working a desk job, which sometimes required early mornings (and wake-ups) and late nights. Too late for a night hike? In theory, no. In practice, yes. An even bigger factor: I moved away from my night-hiking peeps.

What’s so special about hiking when I can only see a few feet in front me? For starters, only being able to see a few feet in front of me. There’s an intimacy to the night hike, of not just being in the woods, but feeling a part of them. Daylight only gives you the chance to realize the forest is the forest and you are a mere visitor. At night, with just the sounds and smells of the woods to go by, there’s less to make you feel separate. The visual is a huge piece of the hiking experience: the vivid green of summer, the colors of fall permeating the forest, the slant of light as winter approaches — all so special. But the experience of night is just different, a realization I’ve come to reappreciate as the days of 2026 grow shorter.

I began to realize how much I’d been missing night hiking in the waning days of August, on a late evening hike on a ridgeline in the Cane Creek Mountains of central North Carolina. The setting sun bathed the spine of the ridge in pinks and yellows and oranges, and gorgeous as it was, it was the looming gloaming that I was especially excited for. And when it came and I had to flip on my headlamp for the last 10 minutes of the hike, I realized I would need more of this in my life come fall.

And I’ve tried. I’d promised a corporate group I’ve been hiking with on Sundays for 15 years that I would institute a night hike the second Tuesday of each month. So far, that promise has been dashed by the same early morning/late night dilemma that sidelined me in the first place, not to mention the fact I’d need to drive an hour and a half on I-40 from my job near Winston-Salem to my prime legal night-hiking grounds along Falls Lake — at rush hour.

Still, somehow, it will happen. It was a key part of my life for a key part of my life, and it needs to be again. At least once a month, starting this month. I’ll report back on my quest.

In the meantime, if my question has ignited your curiosity about night hiking, check out “Grab a Torch, It’s Time for a Night Hike,” an evergreen post that runs every year at this time of year with tips on night hiking. 

Read it and who knows, maybe we’ll soon run into each other on a dark trail.

The post Recapturing the Night Hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Since entering the 9 to 5 world I’ve discovered that wanting to and being able to are two very different things.

Since 2013 I’ve run a weekly Sunday hiking program, divided into the seasons. Each season consisted of 12 weekly hikes. Not a big thing to me, even when I was doing both a Sunday morning and and Sunday afternoon hike. Turns out, though, that not everyone, even the most devout hiker, can commit one Sunday every week to hiking. It took me a surprisingly long time to figure that out.

But I have, and I think I have a solution: a program that gets you out twice a month, once on a Sunday, once on a Tuesday evening (or “night,” as will soon be the case). A guaranteed day hike once a month, a shorter midweek evening hike once a month as well. Less a commitment, more something to look forward to. Here’s how it works:

Sunday hikes

The first Sunday of the month we gather at a different trailhead to hike 5 miles or so. Those trails are:

• October 4  Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Bahama, 5 miles. A GetHiking! favorite, this Triangle Land Conservancy property north of Durham is good in any season, but especially in autumn, where a rich mix of hardwood canopy and understory gets an early start on fall color.

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  November 1 Cane Creek Mountain Natural Area: Peach Orchard Trailhead, Snow Camp, 5 miles. This is the third area of Cane Creek to open in six years. A mix of hardwood hiking, including a nice ridgeline run.

• December 6  Butner Game Lands: Flat River Access, Bahama, 5 miles. Part of the 40,000-acre Butner Game Lands located along the north shore of Falls Lake, we hike the Brickhouse Road parcel, which includes wide open stretches, ponds, and encounters with the Flat River and Falls Lake.  
• December  27 Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, DH-R,S Redwood Road to Red Mill Road, Durham, 6 miles. A mix of forest and meadow, this hike includes a brush or two with Falls Lake, an old railroad trestle, a long-abandoned barn. Our favorite Winter Hike along Falls Lake.

Thanksgiving Friday

• November 27 Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, DH-H, Shinleaf Recreation Area, Wake Forest, 6 miles. Duck in and out of several coves, disappear into upland hardwood forests, catch good views of Falls Lake on this out-and-back hike.

Evenings

• September 8 — Brumley Forest North, Hillsborough. 3 miles. Sunset: 8:35 p.m., twilight ends: 9:03. p.m.. A mix of meadows, ponds and mature forest make ideal features for enjoying sunset.

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  October 13 — Pennys Bend Nature Preserve, Durham. 3.2 miles. Sunset 6:44 p.m., twilight ends: 7:08 p.m. A lollipop loop that goes out along the Eno River, returns, in part, through a Piedmont prairie.

• November 10 —  Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Dayhike Section M, Durham County. 3 miles. Sunset: 5:13 p.m., Twilight ends: 5:39 p.m.. We hike west on the MST through one of the more mature forests the trail encounters along Falls Lake. There’s a small waterfall a mile in.
• December 8 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, Dayhike Section T, 3 miles. Durham. Sunset: 5:13 p.m., Twilight ends: 5:38 p.m.. A hike we recently rediscovered after a long absence, we begin at Red Mill Road and hike west on the MST, mostly through bottomland forest until a climb takes us to our turnaround and a bluff overlooking the Eno River. 

It’s a good mix of trails, a good mix of times to hike, a good way to make sure you get your hiking fix this fall.

Learn more and sign up to join us here.

The post Get your Fall Hikes in with GetHiking! appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The first day of summer? What kid dreads the start of summer? 

Not summer per se. Rather, what that “start” represented. 

The demise.

The demise, curiously, of sunlight. For June 21 (or thereabouts) marks the longest period of daylight of the year: 14 hours and 39 minutes. But from then on we start getting shortchanged, imperceptibly at first, on sunshine. A few seconds a day at first. At the end of June, the sun set at 8:37 p.m.; tonight (Sept. 3), it will be down at 7:42 p.m. By the end of September the sun will set at 7:02 p.m. and come Halloween it will be down at 6:22 p.m. Let’s not even talk about November and the end of Daylight Saving Time.

Suffice it to say we are losing our chance to play after work. And we need to embrace these waning hours of midweek opportunity. Below, some tips to help you do so:

• Get a headlamp. Just because it was still light on your evening hike last week doesn’t mean it will be this week. That rapidly diminishing sunlight coupled with distractions along the way all add up to finishing in the dark if you aren’t paying attention. You can get a decent headlamp for as little as $20. Note that LEDs cast a more hike-friendly light. Be sure to pack both extra batteries and a spare light (a pen light will do) so you can see to change out your batteries should the need arise.

• 

  Pick short hikes. Reduce the odds of getting short-changed on sunlight by choosing shorter trails. Right now, a good length for me personally is 2-3 miles.

• Hike trails you’ve hiked in daylight. Familiarity is a big plus. You’ll be amazed at how things you didn’t think you noticed during the day will pop out as welcome landmarks on an evening hike.
• Beware the gloaming. There’s a curious period between official sunset and the disappearance of twilight, about 15 minutes or so, when seeing can be a challenge. Too much natural light for the headlamp to help, not quite enough to see well on your own. Go slow during this period. Better still, stop, look and listen to this transitional time in the natural world.
• Hike by your feet. In fading sunlight it takes a bit more effort to spot blazes. The best way to tell whether you’ve wandered off the beaten path is if your boots are suddenly sinking into soft, untrodden leaf litter. Backtrack and seek out firm footing.
• Pack a layer. Nights are cooler than days; you’ll be especially cognizant of this as we head into fall. Counter the chill by packing an extra layer — and don’t be afraid To throw it on at the first sign of cool.
• Don’t hike alone. I do a lot of soloing, but not with the prospects of dark looming.
• Take a map and compass. You should already have these in your daypack, but make extra sure you have them in the evening, even on a trail you think you know well.
• Take water and snacks. Just because it’s the cool of the evening doesn’t mean you can’t get dehydrated. Nor does it mean you couldn’t use some extra fuel.
• Take a cell phone, just in case. Besides, most phones have a flashlight function that could save you in a pinch.
• Appreciate the evening sky. We get some great sunsets this time of year, often highlighted by billowing clouds. Take a minute to appreciate the end of another day. 

An end of day made even more special on the trail.

* * *

More info

• GetHiking! Guide to Night Hiking. For more tips on hiking in the evening and at night, check out our GetHiking! Guide to Night Hiking. Find it here. Download by Sept. 10 and enter NightFree at checkout to get the guide at no cost: 

• 

  “Explore Your Neighborhood with A Passeggiata.” Looking for something shorter and closer to home? This post explores the joys of a passeggiata, an after-dinner evening walk. Find it here.

• “Explore Your Neighborhood: A Guide to Discovering the World Around You.” Looking to keep your evening adventures close to home, but still want it on the wild side? Our guide offers tips on how to find these gems plus tips on local exploring. Find it here.

The post The Evening Hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I was behind a low rock outcrop; the minimal understory was letting shafts of sun in here and there. Where it could, vivid orange strips lit the forest floor. I watched for about five minutes, an unusually long time for me to be still on a trail. But I had good reason.

When will I have this experience again? I wondered.

The following evening, it turned out.

I was in Asheboro for a conference and was eager to check out the (somewhat) new 5 miles of trail at the (somewhat) nearby Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area in Alamance County. Though the Peach Orchard Access opened nearly a year ago, I’d been remiss in visiting, unlike when the first two sections of Cane Creek opened.

The first section, the Pine Hill trailhead, had a curious opening in late spring of 2020. The 5-mile addition was especially welcome, coming at a time when the Pandemic was driving record numbers onto trails. Curious, in that social distancing was all the rage; numerous trail networks were closed to avoid the risk of hikers bunching up; Alamance Parks cleverly dealt with the dilemma by instituting a reservation system, setting hikers down the trail at given intervals.

The Oak Hill Trailhead, just up Bass Mountain Road from Pine Hill, opened a couple years later. In both cases I was sampling the tread within the week.

Peach Orchard was to reveal a different personality — at least at first. 

Pine Hill and Oak Hill waste little time introducing you to the “Mountains” element of Cane Creek. Though the compact relict chain, which is mostly confined to Alamance County, tops out below 1,000 feet, there is some good climbing; within a half mile on Pine Hill’s Northern Approach Trail, more quickly on Pine Hill’s Lookout Trail. Pulling into the Peach Orchard parking lot I though I was embarking on a hike on the coastal plains. 

That feeling continued as I began hiking, counterclockwise, on the connected Varnals Creek and Mountain View (“view” as opposed to “experience”) trails. Mature hardwoods with minimal understory, the occasional remains of a past life (a homestead foundation and crumbling chimney, an abandoned Studebaker) and numerous dry creek crossings. A mile and a quarter in a bench before a scrub clearing provides a comfortable view of twin peaks. This civil welcome lasted until the 2.5-mile mark. After stout but short (300 vertical feet in three-quarters of a mile), you achieve the ridge and, if you time it right, awesome sunset hiking.

About that timing. The hours here accommodate a visit in the gloaming, with the gates closing about an hour after sunset. Plan to hit the ridge maybe 10 minutes before official sunset, allowing you to enjoy another 20 minutes of the most civil twilight around.

Linger. Marvel over the bright orange strips that streak across the forest floor. Enjoy the brilliantly lit canopy. And, in late summer, appreciate the breeze that accompanies the shift change from day to night. Another plus: When you do begin your descent you’ll encounter some rocks and roots for a half mile or so, then smooth tread back to your car. Still, don’t forget the headlamp (and a backup).

The next evening, after conference festivities had concluded, I drove 15 minutes to the Tot Hill Trailhead at the northern tip of the Uwharrie National Forest’s Birkhead Mountain Wilderness. I wasn’t expecting a repeat of Cane Creek, but that’s what happened/

A mile to the top, then more of a plateau than a ridge for about a mile. Accommodating hardwoods allowed a similar sunset light show as I’d had at Cane Creek.

We’re all looking forward to fall. But there’s still, meteorologically speaking, about three weeks of summer left. 

Make the most of it.

***

Heading out?

For more information, click the appropriate link:

• Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area
• Birkhead Mountain Wilderness, Uwharrie National Forest

The post Savor Summer’s end on a ridge appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Tonight, the sun sets at 6:34 p.m. A week from tonight it drops below the horizon at 6:26 p.m. And in 10 days, on Nov. 2, the sun will have called it a day at 5:23 p.m. Whereas today you have enough evening sunlight for at least a quick passeggiata, in a week and a half, you won’t.

What to do?

Take a night hike!

Hiking at night offers some special rewards not found during the day. This type of hiking calls for different levels of concentration, as you focus on a close world circumscribed by an orb of light as you scan for footing; this problem-solving aspect of hiking is one of the things that improves not only body but also mind. You can tune in to the sounds of night life, which is not the same as the sounds of daytime critters (more owls than warblers, more raccoons than squirrels). And if you pause and look up, you can see the glories of the night sky (pausing is key; we have tried to hike while looking up at the stars and it ended badly). It’s a special place, the night world, and it is one well worth exploring.

We get that night hiking isn’t for everyone. If you’re hopelessly scared of the dark or have very poor night vision, for instance, you might want to pass. But for the rest of you open to the concept, we have some tips for you.

• A headlamp. This is a must. Flashlights, work, sure, but you really want to keep your hands free. You can get a decent one for as little as $15; note that LEDs cast a more hike-friendly light. Be sure to pack both extra batteries and a spare light (a little pen light will do, so you can see to change out your batteries).
• Pick short hikes to start. Night hiking takes some getting used to. Your world is confined to the glow of your headlamp, and it takes some concentration to focus on such a limited portion of the trail. Surprisingly, it can be a sensory overload, as your other senses tune in to the world beyond the scope of your light. So don’t overstay on your first outing.
• Hike trails you’ve hiked in daylight. Even though it’s dark, familiarity is a huge plus. You’ll be amazed at how things you didn’t think you noticed during the day will pop out as key markers of where you are on the trail.
• Hike by your feet. It takes a bit more effort to scout out the blazes at night rather than in the day. The best way to tell whether you’ve wandered off the beaten path is if your boots are suddenly sinking into soft, untrodden leaf litter. Backtrack and seek out firm footing.
• Bundle up. Nighttime is cooler than day, of course. Counter the chill with one more layer than you think you’ll need; you can always shed a layer later.
• Don’t hike alone. I do a lot of soloing, but not at night.
• Again, take extra batteries. If your light goes out, you’re really in the dark.
• Again, take a backup light. Even a $5 keychain light can be a lifesaver if your main torch goes out. (Ever try to change batteries in the dark?)
• Take a map and compass.* You should already have these in your daypack, but make extra sure you have them at night.
• Take water and snacks. Just because it’s dark doesn’t mean you can’t get dehydrated. And  hiking in the cool air while concentrating on the trail will burn some calories; you’ll be glad to have the extra fuel.
• Appreciate the night sky. Because that’s one reason you’re hiking at night!
• Take a cell phone, just in case. Besides, most phones have a flashlight function that could save you in a pinch.

Note that most trails on public lands are closed from dusk until dawn. That includes state parks and nearly all municipal and county trails. National forests typically don’t have hours, nor do lands managed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Do a little scouting and you shouldn’t have to trespass.

You’ve got more than four months of night hiking opportunity ahead of you. Embrace the dark.

The post Don’t let the sun set on your evening hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.