From our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking, a bit of advice:

• Dress appropriately. Button-up fishing and hiking shirts typically have vents and mesh that do a good job of keeping your torso from building up head. Shorts are good, but there are also inexpensive lightweight nylon pants that protect your legs without keeping in the heat.
• Hydrate. Always important, especially in heat. Increase your desire to drink by packing cold water, either by filling a water bottle three-quarters full the night before, freezing it and topping it off with cold water before the hike, or by loading a bladder with ice, then filling in the nooks and crannies with cold water.
• Hike early. The coolest part of the day. This weekend, the temperatures shortly after sunrise should be in the low 60s.
• Hike late. Temperatures typically peak late afternoon, then drop as the sun does. By 6:30 p.m. you should be down 10 degrees from the day’s high, and you’ll benefit from a continually dropping thermostat.
• Choose a heat-resistant trail. How, you ask? Look for trails with:
  • Higher elevations. The temperature drops roughly 3 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation.
  • Near water. Trails along creeks or around lakes are especially good. If you start to overheat, kick off your boots and wade in.
  • Look for a northern exposure. Trails that spend most of their time on a northern exposure, away from direct sunlight, tend to be cooler.

Not sure you want to do that much research? Worry not. We have some recommendations.

• 

  Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. At 867 feet, Occoneechee has elevation in its favor. It also has a protected, north-facing slope on the Mountain Loop Trail, along the Eno River that’s so protected it hosts rhododendron, mountain laurel, galax and other plants more common to the Southern Appalachians.

• Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area, Snow Camp. Talk about elevation, we’re looking at roughly 1,000 feet here — in the heart of the Piedmont. Plus, the Northern Approach Trail spends a goodly amount of time on the northern flank of the mountain.

• 

  Knight Brown Nature Preserve, Stokesdale. The bulk of the 3-plus-miles of trail is in a well-protected valley carved by Belews Creek. Coupled with a thick canopy, filtering the sun and dropping the temperature below a good 10 degrees, this is one cool hike.

• Raven Rock State Park, Avents Creek Access, Fuquay-Varina. Located on the lesser-used portion of the park north of the Cape Fear River, are a pair of 4-mile loops geared toward equestrians. Hike the West loop counterclockwise and around the 3-mile mark you’ll hit Jumping Fish Falls, with two surprising drops and a couple of refreshing pools.
• Eno River State Park, Buckquarter Creek/Holden Mill figure-8 loop. This hike spends half its time along ridges, catching breezes, the other half along the Eno, which offers several opportunities for wading (especially at Fews Ford). 

Hot this weekend, yes. But not too hot to hike.

The post 90 degrees? Our tips for hot weather hiking appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Tuesday afternoon I was driving back from a meeting in Oxford when I made a detour in Stem. Specifically, to the Tar River Land Conservancy’s Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area. It was 98 degrees, with a Heat Index of 105, no one’s idea of ideal hiking conditions. Yet once I got under the canopy, the heat became less of an issue.

Why? I was reminded of being a kid.

Summer has long meant vacation, but never was the connection as clear as when we were kids. When it started to get hot, the school year ended. Nine months of being cooped up in an institutional building, then, freedom. Heat immediately became our friend. Good timing, especially since our schools weren’t air-conditioned. Besides, why waste such great weather indoors? So we spent the summer, the entire 12 weeks, outside. In the sun and the heat in the pursuit of happiness.

Typically, that happiness was found by heading to the nearest woods, hopefully finding a good water source. I’m not going to “back-in-my-day” you because that gets old fast. And frankly, I’m sure my recollections would be embellished with time. But I know it was great because every time I head out on a steamy summer’s day as an adult, I get that tingly feeling of being a kid with no worries in the world. Granted, I’ve had to make an adjustment or two over the years:

• Clothing. As a kid, I remember wearing shorts. That was pretty much it. As an adult, Long pants to ward off ticks, long sleeves to protect from the sun, and shoes. All of which are small concessions. 
• Sunscreen. Sunscreen as a kid was for the pool, not for adventures. Today, I seek out a high SPF (preferably with hydrating moisturizer) every time I head out the door.
• Hat. One of the goals of summer vacation was to return to school in the fall with hair sun-bleached blond. Today, a hat covers the bald spot to prevent painful dome burn. 
• Bug spray. A popular topic of conversation before a hike today is who has what kind of bug spray. You lose points if your active ingredient is DEET. As a kid, we used to run in the street behind the truck the neighborhood spraying for mosquitoes.
• When we’d venture out. Today, we avoid the heat of the day by hiking before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Back then, we’d head out after waking up after 9, and we had to be home for dinner by 5.
• Having a plan. As a kid, the plan was simply to disappear. As an adult, I look for places near water (to cool off), with north-facing slopes (which are cooler), and with a lush canopy (blocking out the sun makes it feel 10 degrees cooler).
• Hydration. As an adult, I always, always, always head out with at least a liter bottle of cold water for a summer’s hike. As a kid, we’d head out with no water bottle (plastic hadn’t been invented yet), but guzzle a gallon of Kool-Aid when we got home.

Oddly, despite being bathed in sweat on a summer outing, there’s a certain weightlessness that accompanies such a venture. You were never more carefree than you were as a kid on summer vacation. And it wasn’t the fact that you were always in “go” mode. It was the one time you were free to do whatever you pleased. 

Recapture that summer vacation verve as an adult: Take a summer hike.

* * *

GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking

OK, so maybe it was a little easier to take the heat as a kid. But by following a few small suggestions, you can mitigate the heat. You can find those suggestions in our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking, here.

The post A summer hike recalls summer vacation appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Don’t hesitate to adjust your plans based on the forecast. For instance, GetBackpacking! was scheduled to do the 35-mile Virginia Triple Crown loop this weekend. The four-day trip takes a high route, largely sticking to ridges. 

Ridges tend to be devoid of water, which is a problem on any backpack trip but especially one with Heat Dome heat. We’ve not had trouble finding water on our three previous VTC hikes, but then we haven’t done a trip where it hasn’t rained the 10 previous days, and no rain is in the forecast. This trip was quickly devolving from sweaty and uncomfortable, to dangerous. So we changed direction. We’re saving the VTC until late October, cooler and colorful late October, and we are instead doing a basecamp trip this weekend at Doughton Park. There’s sufficient water for drinking and, of psychological importance, for lolling about in following a day on the trail (in lighter day packs). Learn more about both trips at the end of this post. Now, on to our Heat Dome Tips.

Minimize the heat

Maybe you can’t ignore the heat. But you can minimize its debilitating effects.

• Clothes. Wear lightweight clothes, preferably clothes that breath. Button-style fishing and hiking shirts typically have ample vents and mesh that do a good job of keeping you cool by letting you vent body heat. 
• Pants. If you’re not a fan of shorts, the good news is there are several relatively inexpensive lightweight nylon pants on the market. Some even come with UPF sunblock protection. The protection that long pants offer can be especially welcome in summer. If you’re on an exposed trail, that protection from the sun is great. If you’re on a trail meandering through tight vegetation, long pants are good protection from poison ivy/oak/sumac and other irritating plants, and from ticks; the little pests can still weasel their way onto your skin, but it’s a harder task.

Drink (a k a hydrate)

Water is important whenever you exercise. It’s especially important in the heat, when you’re sweating more than on a cool day. Two key points when it comes to water.

• Remember to take it. At the bare minimum, take a liter of water. Even if you’re doing a 1/2-mile nature trail, take a liter of water. If you’re going longer, say, between 2 and 5 miles, take two liters of water. If you’re going much beyond that, take two liters as well as a filtering device to get more water along the way. Note: The later only works if you are hiking in an area where the water is devoid of chemical pollution. 
• Make it so you’ll want to drink it. Do you look forward to a nice, tepid glass of water, water warm enough to brew tea? Likely not. If you use water bottles, the night before a summer hike, fill the bottles 3/4 full and toss them in the freezer. In the morning, top off your ice bottle with water. If you use a hydration pack, fill the bladder with as much ice as possible, then fill with cold water. 

How to dress (and undress)

Some key pieces of clothing:

• Wet bandana. Soak a bandana in water, drape it around your neck. When you cross a stream, refresh the bandana. It goes a long way toward keeping your body heat regulated.
• Cotton … refreshes. Normally, you’re discouraged from hiking in a cotton T-shirt. In cold, even cool weather, your T-shirt gets wet from sweat, you stop to take a break, you catch a chill. On a really hot day when you’ll only be on the trail when it’s hot, that sweat-cooled T serves as a form of air conditioning. Do be sure to have a dry T waiting for you when you get back to the trailhead. 
• Take extra socks. Even if you’re only hiking 4-5 miles, take an extra pair of socks. Feet get sweaty in the heat (especially if you’re wearing Gore-Tex shoes), the sweat gets absorbed into the socks. Even if you’re wearing wicking wool socks, there’s only so much wet they can wick. When socks become wet, the friction generated by your moving feet will cause blisters. Change socks before you hear an audible squish coming from your shoes.
• Air out your feet on breaks. Even if you’re just taking a 5-minute snack break, sit down and liberate your feet from your shoes and socks. Drape your socks over a branch to dry, let your hot, sweaty feet have a moment to cool. 

Maybe you can’t beat a spring or fall day on the trail. But summer does have something to offer.

Give it a chance.

* * * 

More tips

This is an abbreviated version of our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking. For the full guide, which includes information on the best times to hike and the best places to hike, go here.

Hike with us!

GetBackpacking! Weekend Escape to Doughton Park, June 21-23, (THIS WEEKEND). Our original Virginia Triple Crown group will hike instead this weekend at Doughton Park, where cooler temperatures and great water opportunities offer a great weekend outdoors. 

The essentials:

• Friday: Hike in 1.5 miles to camp, set up camp, with day packs hike 3.3 miles up Basin Creek (and 3.3 miles back). 
• Saturday: 16-mile loop including the Cedar Ridge, Bluff Mountain and Grassy Gap Trails.
• Sunday: Break camp, hike out. Optional day hike at nearby Stone Mountain State Park.

Camp is along Basin Creek, not only a good water source but a great place for immersing one’s self post hike. $85. Limited to 5 hikers.

Learn more and sign up here.

GetBackpacking! Virginia’s Triple Crown! This classic 35-mile loop has been rescheduled to the cooler, colorful fall, Oct. 24-27. We now have two openings for this 4-day trip. $225. Learn more and sign up here.

The post Don’t get bullied by the Weekend Heat Dome appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Fortunately, neither is the case with this year’s running of our Top 10 Cool Hikes with Water, because it includes some new entries from the last time we ran it. To keep the list at 10 — arbitrary, perhaps, but it keeps things manageable — we’ve had to drop a couple hikes from last year’s list, which you can read here. But that doesn’t diminish those hikes; after all, these lists are subjective anyway, so be content with 10.

Now, on to our Top 10 Cool Hikes with Water for 2024. Links with additional information, including trailhead directions, can be found at the end of this post.

1. Morrow Mountain State Park, North Carolina State Parks, Albemarle, NC (northeast of Charlotte)

Water feature: swimming pool

A scouting trip to Morrow Mountain twentysome years ago was, I’m certain, on the hottest day recorded on Earth. How hot it was I’m not sure because the profuse sweat filling my eyes keep me from reading a thermometer. When I was done slogging up Sugarloaf Mountain, then Morrow Mountain, I was desperate for relief — relief I found in the park’s swimming pool, a genuine cement pond that was closed for renovation but has reopened for this summer. Part of the park’s original Civilian Conservation Corps construction, the pool’s inviting blue waters offer soothing recovery from even the sweatiest of hikes. Fee: $6 per day for adults, $4 for kids 3 to 12.

2. North Mills River, Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville, NC

Water feature: creek crossings

We did a GetHiking! trip here in 2016 that had us spending much of our time in the mercifully cool waters of burbling North Mills River and Big Creek. Our 5-mile hike from the campground up to Little Pisgah Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway saw us spending all but the last mile splashing as much as hiking (the last mile was a bearish climb to the summit). It also included a pass by the Hendersonville Reservoir (probably not for taking a dip). A great hike in the right water shoes.

3. St. Mary’s Wilderness, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Raphine, VA

Water feature: multiple creek crossings

Every time I see this hike posted by our GetHiking! Charlottesville crew I’m reminded of why I love summer so much: 10 creek crossings on a relatively short (5 or so miles) hike! Don the water sandals and quick-dry shorts and wade in. With nearly 10,000 acres, St. Mary’s is the largest wilderness on National Forest (George Washington and Jefferson) land in Virginia. If you’re looking for a great summer escape in the Charlottesville area, this is it.

4. Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area, Pisgah National Forest, Burnsville, NC

Water feature: tubing, swimming holes

Could there be such a thing as a tubing and swimming hole resort? There could and there is: the Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area, which sits on a stretch of the South Toe River that has a ridiculous number of great places to wallow in the bracing waters that drain from the Black Mountains, the highest mountain range in the East with elevations approaching 6,700 feet. Wander through the Carolina Hemlocks Campground (36 campsites) and the majority will sport tubes and other gear suited to days on end spent frolicking in this mountain creek. And what a great carrot to dangle after hiking the Colbert Ridge Trail, which leaves from the west side of the campground, climbing 3.6 miles and gaining nearly 3,000 vertical feet on its way to Deep Gap on the crest of the Black Mountains.

5. Panthertown Valley: Schoolhouse Falls, Nantahala National Forest, Cashiers, NC 

Water feature: swimming

You have to hike in about a mile-and-a-half for this hole, but what a hike it is, past towering hemlocks and rock outcrops in an area described as the Yosemite of the East. The payoff is sweet: Schoolhouse Falls is a picturesque curtain of water dropping 20 feet into a luxurious pool, at the far side of which is a sand beach. Those of you who apply to the gradual immersion school will be especially pleased by the gentle incline that introduces you to the cold. Fed by the Tuckasegee River, it’s possible to walk behind the falls at lower flows.

6. Sliding Rock, Pisgah National Forest, Brevard, NC

Water feature: spectating

Spectating? The true joy of Sliding Rock is standing in the spectator area where this smooth rock waterslide empties into a small pool and watching the surprised sliders emerge from their ice-bath landing: all smiles going into the seven-foot-deep pool, an I’ll-never-be-warm-again look of horror coming out. Located on the upper reaches of the Davidson River (rent a tube and float the river several miles downstream), this is a definite must-do for anyone seeking Appalachian swimming hole cred. A fee area ($5), with bathhouse and lifeguard. Seasonal operation.

7. Gragg Prong, Wilson Creek area, Pisgah National Forest, Mortimer, NC

Water feature: swimming

Ah, Wilson Creek — probably our favorite summertime water escape in the state, in large part because it’s dang near impossible to avoid water (which is why we generally don’t visit in winter). From the Huntfish Falls trailhead hike down to the falls, then follow the Mountains-to-Sea Trail down Lost Cove Creek. Shortly, you’ll encounter Gragg Prong and after maybe a quarter mile of climbing, a series of cold pools encased in rock. Wade in, jump in, warm yourself on the surrounding rock. Read more in a blog we wrote about the area for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co. Read it here.

8. Hanging Rock State Park, Sauratown Mountains, Danbury, NC

Water feature: swimming in a mountain lake

OK, this one gets an asterisk since it’s not in what we typically think of as “the mountains;” that is, the Southern Appalachians. But it is in the ancient Sauratown Mountain range, which runs from Hanging Rock to Pilot Mountain, and it does have 18 miles of hiking that mimics the Appalachians, visible to the west. It’s also got a 12-acre lake with swimming beach, strategically located at the nexus of the park’s trail network. We especially love liking the 4.7-mile Moore’s Knob Loop Trail, working up a good glow, then dousing that glow in the lake’s cooling waters. 

9. Upper Whitewater Falls, Nantahala National Forest, Jackson County, NC

Water feature: waterfalls. 

You can’t talk about best water-based hikes in North Carolina without mentioning Upper Whitewater Falls, which plunges 411 feet (with its sister Lower Falls, they combine to make an 811-foot drop, making it the highest waterfall east of the Rockies). There’s an easy way to view the falls, via a quarter mile paved path to the upper overlook. Or, hike down to the lower overlook for better views, or hike down even farther to an area great for swimming and also to access the Foothills Trail, which runs 77 miles along the N.C./S.C. border.

10. High Shoals Falls, South Mountains State Park, Connelly Springs.

Water feature: waterfall

At just 60 feet, High Shoals Falls might not sound that impressive. But it’s not just the falls, it’s the quarter mile or so of jumbled boulders — and Jacob Fork trying to figure its way through them — that lead up to it that makes this hike so cool. Even the lead-up to the boulder field, a civil gravel path the parallels Jacob Fork, is pretty swell. It’s about a mile up to the falls (and a mile back), but the beauty of a visit to South Mountains is that there are about 40 miles of trail in all, most of which is also open to equestrians, some to mountain bikers. If you’re into solitude, once you get past High Shoals Falls, you pretty much have South Mountains to yourself.

* * *

Resources

For more information on the locations mentioned above, click the appropriate link:

1. Morrow Mountain State Park
2. St. Mary’s Wilderness
3. North Mills River

4.  Carolina Hemlocks

5. Panthertown Valley: Schoolhouse Falls

6. Sliding Rock

7. Gragg Prong/Wilson Creek

8. Hanging Rock State Park

9. Upper Whitewater Falls

10. High Shoals Falls

In addition, you can find details on trips 2, 4 and 7 in “Backpacking North Carolina: The Definitive Guide to 43 Can’t-Miss Trips for Mountains to Sea.”

The post 10 Summer Hikes with Cooling Water appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

In some parts of the U.S. — the Northeast, the Pacific Coast, the mountain states — hikers live for the summer and its warm days. Not here, where Summer is equated with still air, sticky clothes and sweat-stung eyes. 

While some of that may be true, it’s not the full story. Approached the right way summer can be enjoyed just as much as the banner seasons of fall and spring. Just in a different way.

Some thoughts on how to embrace summer on the trail.

First, why?

You like to hike, right? So why not in summer. Here’s what keeps us from taking a summer hiatus.

The green. If you live in a lush, warm environment, you’ll want to appreciate what that means to be enveloped from forest floor to the canopy in a world rich with flora. It’s a world constantly in flux: from the blooms of elderberry, sumac and rattlesnake root in mid June, to the first tinge of fall color in the sweetgums and sourwoods, the woods are worth watching.

The critters. It’s funny how we recoil at the sight of snakes, but rejoice when we cross paths with a box turtle. The latter loves the heat and is on the move come mid-June. You’ll see those snakes out as well, while at dawn and dusk the larger local mammal populations are on the move.

The birdsong. Early morning and evening are when birds, like hikers, are at their best in the woods. 

The quiet. Multiple layers of leaves, you’ll quickly discover on a summer hike, make the best insulation. I regularly hike a trail that’s within 50 yards of an interstate highway. In winter, you can’t escape the ruckus; in summer, you’ve no idea the road is there. There is one delightful exception to the quiet rule … .

The noise of night. We love staying on the trail past dark in summer because that calming quiet of the day quickly gives way to a raucous cacophony come sundown. Are those frogs? Are they crickets? And … my God, what was that? (Likely the Hitchcockian scream of a bobcat.) 

Now, how?

Now, some tips on coping with the heat on your hike.

Minimize the heat Maybe you can’t ignore the heat. But you can minimize its debilitating effects.

Clothes. Wear lightweight clothes, preferably clothes that breath. Button-style fishing and hiking shirts typically have ample vents and mesh that do a good job of keeping you cool by letting you vent body heat. 

Pants. If you’re not a fan of shorts, the good news is there are several relatively inexpensive lightweight nylon pants on the market. Some even come with UPF sunblock protection. The protection that long pants offer can be especially welcome in summer. If you’re on an exposed trail, that protection from the sun is great. If you’re on a trail meandering through tight vegetation, long pants are good protection from poison ivy/oak/sumac and other irritating plants, and from ticks; the little pests can still weasel their way onto your skin, but it’s a harder task.

Drink (a k a hydrate). Water is important whenever you exercise. It’s especially important in the heat, when you’re sweating more than on a cool day. Two key points when it comes to water.

• Remember to take it. At the bare minimum, take a liter of water. Even if you’re doing a 1/2-mile nature trail, take a liter of water. If you’re going longer, say, between 2 and 5 miles, take two liters of water. If you’re going much beyond that, take two liters as well as a filtering device to get more water along the way. Note: The later only works if you are hiking in an area where the water is devoid of chemical pollution. 
• Make it so you’ll want to drink it. Do you look forward to a nice, tepid glass of water, water warm enough to brew tea? Likely not. If you use water bottles, the night before a summer hike, fill the bottles 3/4 full and toss them in the freezer. In the morning, top off your ice bottle with water. If you use a hydration pack, fill the bladder with as much ice as possible, then fill with cold water. 

How to dress (and undress)

Wet bandana. Soak a bandana in water, drape it around your neck. When you cross a stream, refresh the bandana. It goes a long way toward keeping your body heat regulated.

Cotton … refreshes. Normally, you’re discouraged from hiking in a cotton T-shirt. In cold, even cool weather, your T-shirt gets wet from sweat, you stop to take a break, you catch a chill. On a really hot day when you’ll only be on the trail when it’s hot, that sweat-cooled T serves as a form of air conditioning. Do be sure to have a dry T waiting for you when you get back to the trailhead. 

Take extra socks. Even if you’re only hiking 4-5 miles, take an extra pair of socks. Feet get sweaty in the heat (especially if you’re wearing Gore-Tex shoes), the sweat gets absorbed into the socks. Even if you’re wearing wicking wool socks, there’s only so much wet they can wick. When socks become wet, the friction generated by your moving feet will cause blisters. Change socks before you hear an audible squish coming from your shoes.

Air out your feet on breaks. Even if you’re just taking a 5-minute snack break, sit down and liberate your feet from your shoes and socks. Drape your socks over a branch to dry, let your hot, sweaty feet have a moment to cool. 

Maybe you can’t beat a spring or fall day on the trail. But summer does have something to offer.

Give it a chance.

* * * 

More tips

This is an abbreviated version of our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking. For the full guide, which includes information on the best times to hike and the best places to hike, go here.

The post Don’t let the coming heat keep you off the trail appeared first on GetGoing NC!.