Start your weekend Friday evening in the Piedmont, learn how the woods once helped paint their own portraits at Elk Knob State Park, “sneak” into 10 nature programs at the coast. So much to do this weekend, and great weather in which to do it.
Coast
Sometimes you’re intrigued by an ambitious goal — a marathon, for instance, or triathlon — but are hesitant to commit. If only you could see it in action first … . Well, if you’ve been intrigued by the idea of an ultra — a footrace longer than a marathon — then head to Bald Island this weekend and check out the Third Annual Badwater Cape Fear, where runners will be doing either a 50K or 51.4-mile run, most of it along the lonely coastline between Cape Fear and Fort Fisher.
In recognition of the fact many of you have a good deal of flexibility through year’s end (no school, no work), we expand the definition of “weekend” to include the rest of the year. And, in accordance with Mother Nature of late, we expand the definition of winter adventure to include polar plunges where you’re more likely to need suntan lotion and a cold drink than a fleece blanket to warm yourself in.
Explore Bald Head Island at the coast, explore your relationship in Piedmont. Or, explore the lofty — and cooler — air on a hike in the higher country.
Coast
To many of us, Bald Head Island, the southernmost barrier island before the Cape Fear concedes to the Atlantic, is a mystery. You catch a glimpse as the ferry heads from Southport to Fort Fisher, you stand on the sand at Caswell Beach peering across the water, curious. Maybe you’ve taken the ferry over, but that tells only part of the story.