Carolina Tarwheels Archives - GetGoing NC!

This weekend: 0 to 6,684

JoeMiller — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 14:58:38 +0000

Exploring at Hammocks Beach.

We start at the coast (sea level) with a guided paddle trip at Hammocks Beach State Park and wind up in the high country — the highest country, in fact — with a program atop the highest point on the East Coast, 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell.

Coast

One of our favorite paddles is the marshland around Hammocks Beach State Park near Swansboro. It’s a vast, yet somewhat protected sea of sea and cordgrass, a marshy maze that frequently ends with turns down dead-end channels. Which is part of what makes paddling here fun.

For those of you who like a little less mystery in your paddle trips, the park is sponsoring a ranger-lead guided kayak trip on Friday. All equipment is provided.

Logistics: Friday, Aug. 9, 8:30 a.m. Hammocks Beach State Park. Free, but pre-registration is required by contacting the park office at 910.326.4881.

Friday forecast: High of 86, 10 percent chance of rain.

Piedmont

One of the premier cycling events in the state is BikeFest: the 18th Annual Rural Heritage Tour. Sponsored by the Carolina Tarwheels bike club, BikeFest is a celebration of the “historic farmsteads and rustic churches … the pastoral heritage of the Piedmont … along quiet country roads.” How much of a celebration you wish to make it is up to you: the ride has supported routes of 35, 62 and 100 miles.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug. 10, 7 a.m., Hillsborough. $30/$40. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 86, 40 percent chance of rain.

The view north from Mount Mitchell along the Black Mountain Crest.

Mountains

The free programs offered at North Carolina State Parks are well-done and well worth your time. But were you to close your eyes for a moment and listen, you might not know which park was being discussed. The ecology of Pilot Mountain, for instance, isn’t all that different from Hanging Rock. Not the case with programs at Mount Mitchell State Park, which sits atop the East Coast in a land unlike any other in the state parks system. That’s why Saturday’s “Wildlife, Weather and Trees of Mount Mitchell” is worth a visit. Odds are good you’ll learn something you’ll learn of something you didn’t thing happened in North Carolina.

And work in a hike with the program. Our favorite at Mitchell is the Deep Gap Trail, which heads north along the crest of the Black Mountains. The trail is 4.5 strenuous miles, topping a number of 6,000-foot peaks. A real treat on a clear summer’s day.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug. 10, 11 a.m., Mount Mitchell State Park. More info by calling 828.675.4611.

Saturday forecast: High of 76, 40 percent chance of rain.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Great Outdoor Provision Co.
Calendar includes three weekly events for each of its seven markets: Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem. Search by market.

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

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DST: Let the after work fun begin

JoeMiller — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:53:01 +0000

Sunday, one of the kids asked how Daylight Saving Time came to be (a disgruntled kid, I should add, since she’d be waking for school an hour earlier the next morning). I spared her my discourse on a subject I’m peculiarly fascinated by and gave her the short version: Several countries adopted it in World War I as a way to save coal for the war effort. Most dropped it following the war, resumed it for WWII, then, to a large extent, stuck with it.

That’s the short version of the real story. What I wanted to say was: Daylight Saving Time was conceived so we’d have more time to play in the evening. The advent of Daylight Saving Time opens a world of recreational opportunities after work. Consider: Just two weeks ago, the sun set at 6:09 p.m. in Raleigh. Today, thanks to DST, the sun will set at 7:22 p.m. And civil twilight, more-or-less the point at which sunlight completely fades, isn’t until 7:47 p.m.; if you’ve got good eyes you can eek out nearly another half hour of fun.

Some thoughts on how you can put this new-found daylight to work.

Ride a bike

Daylight Savings Time marks the start of the group riding season for cyclists. Bike shops and clubs will start meeting during the week promptly at 6 p.m. for rides that initially won’t go much more than 25 miles but by mid summer could top 50. A favorite is the weekly (every Wednesday) Oh Melo Velo ride (pictured) out of Cary’s MacGregor Village. Ride leaders David Cole and Fast-Eddy-turned-Crash-Eddy Downing figure out the distance its participants can go before sunset at an average speed of 18 miles per hour. Tomorrow, for instance, on the first ride of the season, the sun sets at 7:23 p.m. Starting precisely (and they do) at 6 p.m., that’s 1 hour and 23 minutes of sun-kissed riding time. Assuming an 18-mile-per-hour pace, that means a 24.84-mile ride. Cole and Downing then devise a 24.84-mile route, complete with cue sheets.

Can’t maintain an 18-mph pace? No worries: The routes are out-and-backs; if you haven’t reached the turnaround within 41 minutes and 30 seconds (half of 1 hour and 23 minutes), you simply reverse course from where you are and return by sunset.

For other rides, consult your local bike shop, which either has its own after-work rides or can direct you to a local club that does. Good starting points include BikeCharlotte.com in the Queen City, Carolina Tarwheels in the Triangle, and Triad Cycling in the Triad.

Hit a state park

All winter, from November through February, North Carolina State Parks close their gates at 6 p.m. But come March, with naturally expanding daylight getting a boost from DST, the gates stay open an extra two hours — closing time isn’t until 8 p.m. That’s a whole lot of extra playtime. At such popular parks as Crowders Mountain, Umstead and Eno River, that’s extra time for hiking or trail running (and in the case of Umstead, mountain biking the 14 miles of bike and bridle trail).

Visit a greenway

Most greenways are, technically, open dawn-to-dusk. Right now that roughly means 7:30 p.m.. Greenways are especially good for taking a walk or heading out with the kids for a bike excursion. Click here to find the nearest greenway in a few select cities: Raleigh, Cary, Charlotte, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

Explore your neighborhood

OK, so you still have to put in an 8-hour day at the salt mine. When the whistle blows at 5 p.m. you may, justifiably, be too pooped to contemplate driving somewhere to recreate. You have to: Your own neighborhood likely makes one of the best venues for a good 30-minute walk. See what’s in bloom and find out what the neighbors have been up to over the winter. (Not to mention venting the tension from a day of work.) Do it before dinner and you’ll likely suppress your appetite.

Explore your own backyard

With, say, a spade, a gardening hoe, some clippers. Gardening is highly underrated and under appreciated as a form of exercise. It not only can give you a good full-body workout, it’ll get those springtime chores out of the way, freeing up precious time on the weekends for more recreational pursuits.

Perhaps the best reason to take advantage of this extra hour of daylight at the end of the day?

It’ll get your mind off the hour you’re missing in the morning.

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Dip into the new year with a run, a ride, a plunge

JoeMiller — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:06:41 +0000

Yesterday, I mentioned that a nice walk in the woods is a traditional way to welcome the new year. To help make it a new tradition in your life, I included a list of organized New Year’s Day hikes throughout the state. While a hike is a good way to kick off an active new year, it’s not the only way to kick off an active new year.

For instance, down in Cedar Point, they’ll be welcoming 2011 with a brisk dip in the Atlantic (water temperature at last year’s plunge: 51.5 degrees, which is a lot colder than it may sound) as part of the 2011 Penguin Plunge. Chip in $5 (proceeds benefit Martha’s Mission and Hope Kitchen) and you can claim penguin bragging rights — once you are able to regain your breath. The fun begins at 1 p.m.

Prefer to greet the new year dry, warm and with your clothes on? On Atlantic Beach you can bundle up and enjoy the New Year’s Day Kite Fly. Bring your own kite or just bring a camera. The Kite Fly begins at The Circle Some other thoughts … .

Run

In the spirit of being more active in the year ahead, a number of New Year’s 5Ks are scheduled throughout the state. Among them:

Triangle

Resolution Run, Bond Park, Cary, 9 a.m. $20, North Carolina Roadrunners Club. More info.

Run In The New Year, Triangle Aquatic Center (at Cary Towne Center), midnight, $25, Miracle League of the Triangle. More info.

Coast

Resolution Run, Camp Lejeune, 10 a.m., $25, U.S. Marine Corps. More info.

Resolution Run, Wrightsville Beach Park, 11 a.m., $25, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry. More info.

Mountains

Run in 2011, Recreation Center, Cullowhee, 11 a.m., $25, Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department. More info.

Trent Woods Resolution Run 2011, Trent Woods Development in New Bern, 11 a.m., $30, Trent Woods. More info.

Bike

Most bike clubs and a number of bike shops sponsor New Year’s Day rides. Some tend to be more competitive affairs; chances are if you’re a more dedicated rider you already know your options. For the more casual rider, here are two possibilities.

Triangle

Durham Greenways Ride, 27-mile ride on American Tobacco Trail and various other Durham greenways, starts at ATT trailhead at Southpoint Crossings, 10:45 a.m., free, Carolina Tarwheels/Dave Connelly. More info.

Triad

14th Annual Polar Bear Ride; Cycles de Oro, Greensboro; 25-, 41- and 61-mile rides; Cycles de Oro Bike Shop. More info.

Photo: Showing resolve at the North Carolina Road Runners Club Resolution Run.

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