Let’s see, last weekend I tried the rah-rah cheerleader approach to get your mind off the rain, the wet weekend before I suggested just throwing a trash bag over your head and making the most of it. This weekend? How about, it’s not supposed to rain the entire weekend …
Tag Archives: adventure
DST: the gift of sunshine
Every year at this time, we get a gift: an extra hour of after-work daylight.
This time next week, after Daylight Saving Time kicks in on Sunday, the sun will set at 7:21 p.m. By month’s end, it will set at 7:36 p.m. That extra afternoon sunshine, friends, opens our evening outdoor opportunities.
Your goal: Make 2019 a year to remember
On Tuesday’s GetHiking! New Year’s Day hike, I was struck by how many of the hikers had hiking goals—ambitious ones—for 2019. Vaughn committed to five backpack trips in the first half of the year, and Linda was good for at least three. Deb was booked for an adventure in South Africa, and was planning to visit New Zealand. One hiker planned to complete a section hike of the 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
What’s realistic? You say you want to spend 50 nights in a tent, but is that feasible? What about your other obligations, your family, for instance? Do you have enough time off from work to get 50 nights in? You can quickly derail a goal by setting it, realizing it’s not possible, then abandoning it altogether. Better to set realistic, but still ambitious, expectations. Start with, say, one night a month in a tent.
Where do I want to go? Let’s say one of your goals is to take a weeklong backpack trip. Here are some questions to ask: Where do you want to go? Do you want to go alone? Would you like to go with locals familiar with the area? What season is best? And what specific gear will you need for where you’re going?
I want to experience “the best.” Maybe you want to hike the best trails in the state. So, er, what are the best trails? And by “best” do you mean trails with the best views? The best waterfalls? The best old growth forest? Try to define what’s most appealing to you to find your personal best.
How do I prepare? Here’s a popular goal: Climbing a fourteener—that is, a peak that tops out at 14,000 feet or above (there are 54 in Colorado, prime country for achieving this goal). So ask: Where can I find trails around here that will prepare me for the elevation gains I’ll face? What about the altitude issue — how do I prepare for that? And what’s a good fourteener to start with?
New Year’s Day is filled with hope, and these folks had already taken a first step toward seeing that hope become reality. Their secret? They’ve made it a habit over the past several years to make plans early, so they didn’t wind up on December 31 thinking, “Where did the year go?”
For a variety of reasons, not all of us excel at planning ahead. Sometimes, we simply don’t know where to start to plan an adventure. Sometimes, we hesitate because we aren’t sure we’re up for the challenge, and sometimes we pick a challenge that may not be realistic, at least in the way we envision tackling it. Sometimes, we aren’t even sure what it is we want to do. Here are four thoughts on how to make 2019 a year to remember:
Happy Holidays! (And where to enjoy them!)
We take a slightly different tack this week. We know a lot of you have time off and might be looking for an outdoor adventure or two from your out-of-town guests. Or an adventure just for you.
Here are some resources that will hopefully help you find the adventure you want:
=&0=&. Looking for a place to hike near home? Here are our recommendations for:
- 25 Top Hikes in Charlotte
- 25 Top Hikes in the Triad
- Mountains-to-Sea Trail hikes near urban areas. Check this post for where to pick up North Carolina’s statewide trail near you.
=&1=&. Find out what your local GetHiking! chapter (as well as GetExploring! Greenville) is up to over the holidays starting here.
=&2=&. If you’re willing to commit and day (including driving), check out these worthy options:
Five Great Hikes at the Coast and Coastal Plains. Heading to the beach for the holidays? Work in
one of these hikes
GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure
Yes, it rained for a few days there. The good news? It was during the week. The even better news? We’ve got a bright and sunny weekend on tap. Some ways to enjoy:
=&0=&, Sunday, 8:30 a.m., Eno River State Park: Fews Ford Access, Durham. Ever wonder why you don’t see or hear many birds on the trail? Maybe it’s because you aren’t on the trail early enough? Not that you need to be out in the woods ridiculously early, as this program at Eno River State Park suggests. Bring your binos, see who’s flitting about on an autumn morning. Learn more and sign up here.
=&1=&, Sunday, 2 p.m., Haw River State Park: Iron Ore Belt Access, Greensboro. As part of our GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods sessions, we like to find a bit of the past in the places we explore. When we hold the class in Greensboro (as we’re doing on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. and again on Friday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m.) our goal is to find the iron ore pit deep in the park. You’re hiking, you’re searching, you’re hiking, you’re — whoa! Very cool to see how nature recovers from a 150-year-old extraction industry. Learn more and sign up here.
=&2=&, Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Piedmont Wildlife Center, Durham. How many times have you looked at a mushroom in the woods and thought, “Well, it’s a mushroom, but beyond that … .” Fix your “Beyond that” problem with this two-hour class at the PWC in Durham. $30. Learn more and sign up here.
As always, you can find more opportunities this weekend here:
- North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
- North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
- You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.
Learn more about where we spent last weekend, featured in the video, by visiting Umstead State Park and the
Mountains-to-Sea Trail