Technically, it may still be summer (fall starts a week from Friday, on Sept. 22), but the weather suggests the season is well underway. Sunny skies, dry air, temperatures in the 70s and low 80s: weather that beckons with a seductive come-hither finger to come outside and have some fun.
Coast
Since this is a special weekend, extending to Wednesday for many of you, we’re throwing the 4th into the mix — and one of the best displays of brightness lighting up the sky that you’re likely to see: the Cosmos & Cocoa display on Bald Head Island.
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
Learn about the salt marsh on a paddle at the coast, watch the sun set on the weekend from the Art Loeb Trail, or discover a “new” gorge where the Piedmont and coastal plain meet.
Coast
The Bald Head Island Conservancy does an exemplary job of promoting the environment through public education. This weekend, for instance, there’s Birding BHI, Touch Tank Time and Reptile Roundup on Saturday, and Island Nature Tour and Kayaking the Creeks on Sunday. We’re especially intrigued by Kayaking the Creeks. Lead by a member of the Conservancy, you’ll head out in tandem kayaks to explore and learn “about the beauty and importance of the salt marsh.”
With the weather expected to remain exceptionally summerlike this weekend, we get out the divining rod to show us the way to sensible adventure. Let’s see where it takes us.
Coast
At the coast, our rod points to … the marshlands of Bald Head Island, where wet relief is but a paddle-splash (or better still, a capsize!) away. On both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the BHI Conservancy leads Kayaking the Creeks, a paddle tour exploring and explaining “the beauty and importance of the salt marsh.” If you’ve done this trip before, you haven’t necessarily done this trip: “Each trip offers a unique perspective of BHI and great views of wildlife,” promises the conservancy.