Get Here Early!

Gates open at 5 a.m.!

Stay All Day!

Food trucks! Vendors! Live streaming!

Don’t you dare miss it … !

In fact, it’s the poster promoting Total Solar Eclipse 2017 at Gorges State Park, part of the normally staid North Carolina State Park system.

North Carolina, and the mountains in particular, are burning up with eclipse fever. For you, that translates to lots of events where you can share the experience with others, maybe hear some live music, sample the fare from a food truck or two, score a pair of those hard-to-get eclipse-watching glasses.

Among the offerings:

Mountains

Downtown Sylva, 1 minute and 47 seconds of total darkness. Eclipse central will be Bridge Park, where, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., you’ll find food trucks, educational tents, kids activities and a planetary walk. More info here.

Cashiers (pronounced “Cashers,” fyi), 2 minutes and 23 seconds. Food trucks, live music and fun, sure, but there will also be solar eclipse experts with special viewing equipment. Go to the local post office and get your special solar eclipse thermal stamp canceled. Festivities run from noon to 4 p.m. More info here.

Blue Ridge Parkway, anywhere from 20 seconds (Looking Glass Overlook, Milepost 417) to 44 seconds (Waterrock Knob, Milepost 469). Parkway officials will be allowing roadside parking (provided you are entirely off the road) for this stretch of the southern parkway west of the Pisgah Inn; still, expect a zoo as moonstruck motorists vie for prime  viewing spots. Check out RomanticAsheville.com‘s Blue Ridge Parkway Guide for overlooks and other stops along this section.

Gorges State Park, Sapphire, about 2 1/2 minutes. Yes, the gates really do open at 5 a.m. (the park typically opens at 8 a.m.), meaning you might want to camp outside the gate to score the best viewing spots and to enjoy the pre-eclipse entertainment, including music by Tina Eno, the Blue Ridge Bakery Boys, Quarter House Band, and the Singing Vegetables puppets. More info here.

Mount Mitchell State Park, Burnsville, 98.43 percent totality. View near totality from the highest point on the East Coast. Featured event: How an Eclipse Happens. Events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Upper Summit Parking Lot. More info here.

Piedmont

Umstead State Park, Raleigh, 93 percent. Warning: Did you know it can be harmful to view the eclipse without special eclipse glasses? Be among the first 100 to register for the eclipse event at Umstead State Park and the Friends of State Parks will make sure your eyeballs are eclipse-proof. Also on hand: a Dobsonian Telescope with solar filter to view the sun before the total eclipse. Noon to 4 p.m. More info and pre-register here.

Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap, partial eclipse. Gather at 1 p.m. for a 30-minute talk about the eclipse, then hang out in the field between campsites 33 and 34 in the A Loop Campground to watch the action. More info https://www.ncparks.gov/stone-mountain-state-park/events-and-programs/solar-eclipse

Haw River-Iron Ore Belt, 93 percent “Obscuration,” Greensboro. This event focuses on the peak of the event, from 2-3 p.m., with park staff assisting viewers in the open field near the parking area. Free safe viewing glasses provided to the first 70 participants. More info here.

Raven Rock State Park, Lillington, 94 percent. Come to the Visitor Center at 1 p.m. where eclipse educational stations will be set up; then, take your camp chair out front to the grassy field and watch. More info here.

Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Bahama, 93 percent. Our GetHiking! group hosts an event for those late to the eclipse party. Bring a lawn chair. More info and sign up here.

Coast

Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills, partial eclipse. Educational exhibits, crafts and other activities between 1 and 4 p.m. Plus, special viewing glasses will be available! More info here.

Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro, partial. Eclipse-related educational opportunities, with special glasses available. Programs both on the mainland and on Bear Island, a short ferry ride or paddle away. More info here.

Goose Creek State Park, partial, Washington. Timeline: Glasses distributed at 1 p.m., transition begins at 1:20 p.m., peak is at 2:45 p.m., the show’s over at 4 p.m. More info here.

For more State Park events, visit ncparks.gov.

The post Celebrate the Dark of Day! appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

“That’s great,” says Mitch. “But what’s the one thing?”

“That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

The mystery of  “the one thing” is what drove “City Slickers,” the 1991 comedy about three New Yorkers taking a dude ranch vacation to find the answer to life’s most persistent question: What is the meaning of life?

The answer is no mystery. It’s really pretty obvious. The meaning of life?

Be happy.

Last week, we shared a week’s worth of tips for living healthier in 2017. We offered specific tips (eat smart, eat simple), we offered philosophical tips (don’t just set a goal, set the right goal), we offered direction (in the form of First Day hikes to help you get your year off to an active start). But it all starts with being happy, because if the path you choose doesn’t make you happy, you won’t be on that path for long. Contrary to puritan ethics, happiness is not a demonic indulgence. It is the key to survival.

If you truly aim to be healthier in 2017, let happiness be your guide. There are a surprising number of ways to eat healthy and happy. Eat simple foods, sure, but indulge every once in a while. Experiment. As our blossoming awareness of food allergies attests, different foods work for different people. A happy body will let you know the diet you need to embrace. Listen.

The same with movement. The reason so many workout resolutions fail so quickly (most fizzle by the third week of January) is that they feel like just that, work. Being active is about so much more than sweating and losing weight: the physical benefits are important, but so are the mental benefits of a mind freed by movement (a mind that’s not so free when it’s focused on pain). One of the reasons we avidly promote hiking through our GetHiking! program is that even when a hike does feel like work, that work is often leading to a worthwhile goal: a mountaintop vista, a waterfall, an old-growth forest. Even then, the distractions of the woods — the solitude, the quiet — free your mind to go where it rarely gets the chance.

So if the cottage cheese diet is fulfilling, go for it. If working the Abdominizer puts a smile on your face, good for you. For you, those are the smart choices.

And the happy ones, too.

***

If you missed them, here are last week’s posts for a healthier 2017:

• 7 Tips for a Healthier 2017
• In 2017, Don’t Just Set a Goal, Set the ‘Right’ Goal
• An Active 2017 Starts on Day 1
• Avoid the Adventure Blues in 2017: Get an Adventure Coach

The post The One Thing appeared first on GetGoing NC!.