The forecast for the weekend is looking better than it has for a spell: some chance of rain (but mostly sunny) with temperatures in the 80s. Sounds like exploring weather to us.
As we do every Friday in this space, we offer encouragement and direction to get you out and about over the weekend ahead. First, we recommend the two venues shown in the video: Brumley Forest Nature Preserve, a Triangle Land Conservancy property between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough that’s surprisingly diverse (and flat, if you’re into that kind of thing), and Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Hillsborough. At 867 feet, it’s the highest point in the Triangle and has some surprisingly montane flora. Links below.read more
Throughout most of GetGoingNC land, there’s a chance of rain this weekend. A real good chance.
Normally, that discourages folks from heading out into the wild. Instead, it should encourage you. OK, maybe not if the weather people are talking Noah-type rain, or rain accompanied by lightening bolts zapping down from above. But hiking in a light rain, if you’re equipped, can be exceptionally rewarding.read more
Last weekend, we hiked more of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake and saw our first mountain laurel bloom of the season — a lone bloom, but an impressively full and vibrant (if white can be vibrant) bloom about midway between the Shinleaf Recreation Area and NC 98. We also spent a little time exploring all the Eno River in Orange County and planning a trip next weekend to the Curtis Creek area of the Pisgah National Forest. It was a busy weekend on the trail.read more
Last weekend, we explored the longest uninterrupted stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake in Raleigh: the 7 miles from NC 98 to Creedmoor Road. We were struck by how, seemingly overnight, the woods had gone from a hint of green to full-blown leaf-out. We caught glimpses of the lake; mostly, though, we were enveloped in green.read more
Every Friday, we give you a glimpse into our weekend past to give you a nudge to get out and explore the weekend future. Meaning this one.
Last weekend we spent Saturday exploring dang near all of Pilot Mountain, then Sunday we were at Little River Regional Park and Harris Lake County Park. For us this weekend we’ll be hiking a 7-mile stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake in Raleigh on Saturday, and doing 8 miles Sunday along the Eno River.read more
