Make a mini raft (then ride the real thing), beat the heat with a nighttime search for Saturn, race on mountain trails. That’s what tops our list of thrills this weekend in North Carolina.
Coast
All spring, my stepson and his buddies spent their weekends building a raft — a raft they planned to ride for 35 miles on the Cape Fear River. Having paddled the Cape Fear I was a tad skeptical, what with the seemingly non-raft-friendly Class I-II drops along the way. But these guys being bright and well versed in the engineering arts, I kept my thoughts to myself: They’ll be fine. And after their three-day trip this past weekend, they were.read more
I was pretty sure one of two things would happen when I got to this point, and both were good. Now, as I neared my objective the preferred scenario appeared to be unfolding. Preferred, even if it meant my overall objective would be foiled. For now.
Memorial Day offers no shortage of ways to celebrate the free, active life in North Carolina. In Asheville, the Mountain Sports Festival kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday, while the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte starts the day running on Sunday and never slows up.read more
Paddle a popular coastal river or a prominent Piedmont lake, or take to the trail post haste in the Pisgah.
Coast
Pretty sure we’ve recommended this before and that’s fine: it’s a trip we can’t recommend enough. It’s Saturday’s paddle on the coastal Scuppernong River portion of Pettigrew State Park. Pettigrew is noted for its record old-growth trees, which you’ll find along the Scuppernong as well. Here, you’ll find ancient Atlantic white cedars (known locally as junipers) that reach diameters of three feet and heights of 100 feet. The area is also a wildlife oasis, assuring lots to see on this paddle.read more
What better way to celebrate your mom than with the mom to all, Mother Nature.
Coast
Renoir’s “Woman in Boat” is one of those classic impressionist paintings that you get lost in for a while before snapping to and thinking, “I should get Mom out in a boat. She’d like that.” OK, maybe that’s not necessarily what you think at the time. But now that the seed has been planted, it’s a good idea, no?read more
