Tag Archives: canoe

This weekend: Hot times in NC

Lumber River

A cool bike ride in the mountains or a leisurely day on the water in the Piedmont and coastal plain: Those are but three of your options this weekend in North Carolina.

Coast

What better place to spend a muggy, 90-degree day than on a river? And not just an hour or two of the day, but at least half of it. read more

This weekend: Paddle, hike, RunRunRunRunRun

Lake Waccamaw (photo courtesy N.C. State Parks)

The second weekend of summer is perfect for paddling a Carolina Bay, for a taking a high-country hike and for running five races in one.

Coast

Summer is ideal for paddling. But it you don’t have your own canoe or kayak, a leisurely day on the water takes on potential hassles. First, you have to find a place to rent a boat (which we’ve made easy with this handy list). Then you have to get the boat to decent place to paddle (again, we’ve got help with that). And you have to watch the clock to make sure you get the boat back on time (sorry, no help there). read more

Self-shuttle the Neuse

I love to paddle rivers. But I don’t always have a party to paddle with. That’s a problem for three reasons:

  1. Paddling with others is more fun;
  2. It’s safer, and;
  3. From a purely selfish standpoint, paddling with a party makes setting up a shuttle a whole lot easier.

Usually.
Like most folks, I’m excited about the near completion of Raleigh’s Neuse River Trail, a 27.5-mile greenway following its namesake river from the base of Falls dam south to the Johnston County line. (The missing link, a 3/4-mile stretch below Horseshoe Farm Park is scheduled to open early next year). And, like most folks, I’m excited for the cycling/running/walking potential the greenway offers. read more

90 Second Escape: Paddling into summer

Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb. read more