There were two behaviors in particular that we need to be comfortable with:

1. Wearing masks: at the trailhead, as we gathered to set out; on the trail as we passed other hikers on narrow trail; in camp settings where it was hard to stay apart.
2. Keeping six feet apart at all times.

Wearing masks

Every backpacker showed up at the trailhead wearing a mask, for which we were encouraged. No complaints, no whining. Once we hit the trail, we removed our masks.

Donning our masks as we passed other hikers was a non-issue. The 40 miles of trail at South Mountains are nearly all double track — extra wide trails that easily accommodate a six-foot buffer between hikers. This was especially good because we were able to hike two abreast, with plenty of distancing, allowing for easy conversation. As for passing other hikers, at South Mountains, 90 percent of the visitors only make the mile-long pilgrimage to High Shoals Falls; elsewhere, you might see the occasional runner or mountain biker, more likely some folks on horseback. Encountering others wasn’t a problem.

Six feet of separation

More of a challenge was consistently maintaining that six-foot buffer.  Curiously, we had the most evenly-paced hikers we’ve every had. Typically, with backpacking — and with group hiking as well — the group tends to spread out. Some folks love a good aerobic workout, some like to stop and smell the multiflora roses. The first backpacker may get to camp an hour and a half before the last. This weekend’s group hiked in lockstep. Subtly, we managed to spread them out when they bunched up. 

It was encouraging that everyone understood why we had these distancing requirements; they felt that being in the woods was well worth this small price. It’s this attitude, this understanding, that will drive our decisions moving forward. There’s a lot that remains to be learned about the novel coronavirus. But within the medical community there does seem to be agreement that the odds of transmission diminish significantly when we keep our distance from one another, and when we can’t, that we wear masks. (We’re going with the ultimate authority on things communicable, by the way: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which makes its case for masks and social distancing here.)

That’s a pretty easy protocol to follow hiking.

Hiking: the near future

Later this week we will unveil our hike and backpack agenda into September. It will be subject to change, based on what our local government leaders deem is in the public interest. Factors that we will take into consideration include:

Avoiding popular spots. Since the beginning, GetHiking! and GetBackpacking! have emphasized the trails less traveled. Sure, we hike the places others love to hike: the Appalachian Trail (especially at Carvers Gap and Max Patch), along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and in our State Parks. But increasingly, as State Parks are forced to close their gates when they reach capacity (sometimes within an hour or two of opening), we’ve been looking at the places most folks aren’t familiar with. Expect to see more lesser-known destinations.

• More hikes/trips on wider trails. Save for the popular one-mile trek to High Shoals Falls, South Mountains, with it’s network of wide trails, is ideal hiking and backpacking in these viral times. Another option we’ve been exploring: N.C. Wildlife Commission game lands, which are navigated primarily via gravel roads closed to traffic. A good option for summer, since there’s no hunting.
• More hikes/trips on remote trails. With hundreds of miles of trail in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests. more remote trails can be found, especially in wilderness areas. 
• More hikes at off times. More hikes at night, more hikes first thing in the morning, more hikes during the week.
• Smaller group sizes. Depending upon the trail, we’re looking at backpack trips in the 6- to 8-person range, and day hikes with no more than 10.

Physically distancing can be a challenge, even for the most well-intentioned. 

As Guide Alison Watta, who lead the weekend’s South Mountains trip, notes, “There is a likelihood someone may get closer than six feet accidentally.  If this concerns someone, then they either aren’t ready for the trip, or I would recommend they be in the back where they can more readily control their environment.”

We’ll be back Friday with our plan.

The post Where do we go, together, from here? appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Typically, this much-anticipated three-day hiatus marks not just the beginning of summer, but the end of the year’s most sustained run in the salt mines. For five straight months, we typically toil away, indulging in a federal holiday or two, but saving our sacrosanct vacation days for summer. From New Year’s Day to Memorial Day, it’s pretty much work, work, work.

Not this year.

Which isn’t to say this Memorial Day is totally devoid of the holiday’s usual welcome-to-summer cheer. With Phase 2 of Gov. Cooper’s reopening plan set to kick in at 5 p.m. today:

• Swimming pools can open, at 50 percent of capacity
• Most campgrounds in North Carolina’s State Parks can open
• Restaurants can open at 50 percent capacity for dine-in customers
• You can get your summer buzz cut
• The state’s beaches are open, with some restrictions

And, you can hit the trails. 

Keep in mind that the sunny forecast for the weekend — and the fact that it is a three-day weekend — means the more popular trails, particularly those in our State Parks, may be crowded. Recently, we’ve shared some thoughts on how to try and avoid those crowds, including:

Hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Yesterday, we posted that your best bet for solitude on the trail may be on some of the lesser-known sections of the state’s best-known trail. Find those recommendations here.

Hike game lands. We’ve also advocated exploring North Carolina’s game lands. Operated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, these 2 million acres spread across the state are intended for wildlife management but open to exploring on foot. Hunting is allowed, though not on Sundays nor between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Check out our post on North Carolina’s game lands here.

When and where to hike. When you hit the trail can be just as important to avoiding crowds as where you go. This post also offers suggestions for what kind of trails to seek and to avoid. Find it here. 

This Memorial Day may not be like the one’s you remember, but it won’t be one you’ll forget, either.

Getout! and enjoy!

Resource

Find a more comprehensive rundown of what is, and isn’t, open, here.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

From the N.C. State Parks and Recreation Facebook page on Sunday:

• Occoneechee State Natural Area full as of 11 a.m.
• Eno River State Park’s Cole Mill and Fews Ford accesses closed as of 1 p.m.
• Raven Rock State Park is full as of 10:00 a.m.
• Hanging Rock State Park is full as of 10:40 a.m. Main restrooms are closed due to sewer failure; restrooms are open at the lake parking lot. There were 1,000 more visitors at Hanging Rock yesterday than ever recorded before.
• Pilot Mountain State Park is full as of 10:40 a.m.

A thousand more visitors at Hanging Rock State Park “than ever recorded before.” That is a stunning statement if you’ve ever been at Hanging Rock on a gorgeous spring or fall afternoon. A thousand! Where on earth would an extra thousand fit?

With fewer entertainment options available, more people are continuing to discover trails. And the trails they’re discovering tend to be the more obvious ones. In State Parks, for instance.

On May 8, we wrote about how to avoid the crowds. Friday, we’ll elaborate on the topic in the hopes that: a) we can avoid the overcrowding that threatens to close trails, and b) you, the dedicated hiker, can find solace on the trail.

In the meantime, we revisit another way you can make that happen: by hiking in the rain. You’ll find some tips on wet-weather exploring in a post from April 13, and you’ll find incentive in this brief video shot this afternoon. The good news: the rain continues at least for the the next three days! 

Get out and enjoy some liquid solitude.

The post On fair weather crowds, foul weather solitude appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Portions of the 29 North Carolina State Parks that had been closed as a result of the coronavirus reopened this past weekend. Some reopened all their trails, some just a few. It’s worth a visit to the N.C. State Parks Facebook page for a sense of how things went systemwide. You’ll need to go beyond the photo of cars queued up as far as the eye can see at Raven Rock State Park to get a sense of what Reopening Day was like. 

It’s not clear what time that photo was taken, but one person who visited Raven Rock left this comment: “Got there SUPER early and enjoyed an AMAZING hike on Campbell Loop. Parking lot was empty when we got there, full when we left, as expected. Pays to be an early bird!”

A hiker at Carver’s Creek State Park only saw three families. Morrow Mountain S.P. also had plenty of room for roaming, said another observer.

I hiked at Eno River State Park, arriving a few minutes after it opened at 8 Sunday morning. When I left around 10, there were 16 cars in the main lot at the Fews Ford Access, about par for a Sunday morning, maybe even less than you might expect on a morning that felt more like fall than May (temperature of 39, cloudless skies). We went to Occoneechee State Natural Area this morning and saw one person on the trail.

How will it be next weekend? Not as crowded, we suspect. The forecast calls for the first hot weather of the year — upper 80s — and that’s bound to keep the fair-weather hikers away. 

We’ll have more on the prospects for weekend adventure Friday. For now, enjoy our visit to Eno River State Park on Sunday, in this brief video.

The post The return of N.C. State Parks appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

For instance: 

• Eno River State Park, only trails originating from the Fews Ford and Cole Mill access areas will be open (Pleasant Green and Cabelands remain closed, probably to keep crowds from the quarry, pictured above). 
• Crowders Mountain State Park, only “some trails” from the Sparrow Springs access will open.
• Pilot Mountain State Park, the summit parking area remains closed; all hiking must be done from satellite parking areas. 

At other State Parks — Umstead, Hanging Rock and Raven Rock — all trails will reopen.

Hours are altered at some parks as well, and some parks are marked as having “limited capacity,” though it’s unclear what that means. Before heading out, check out this park-by-park rundown of what’s open and what’s not.

A thought about heading out this weekend. The weather forecast is ideal for much of the region, with temperatures in the low- to mid-60s and sunny skies. That means the number of hikers flooding the state’s newly reopened trails could spike. On the other hand, that likely will siphon off hikers who have been flooding your local favorite trails, the ones no one else was supposed to know about. We recommend letting the excitement of this weekend’s reopening pass before paying those trails a visit, and sticking, for at least one more weekend, with those local favorites.

Regardless of where you head, though, some advice on how to minimize contact with your fellow hikers: 

• Hike early. Most N.C. State Parks open at 8 a.m. — a good time to go, especially this weekend with near-perfect weather. It’ll be chilly early — 34 on Saturday in the Triangle! — which should keep the numbers down at the trailhead. Sunday morning is also a good time to be out.
• Hike late. It’s May, so most State Parks are open until 9 (though, again, some parks are altering their hours)! Take advantage of these later hours to get out. Remember to take a headlamp or flashlight.
• Avoid the main trailheads. Find the more remote trail access points to where you’re headed. In particular, look for trailheads that don’t have paved parking, are on gravel roads, don’t begin from a visitor center, don’t have restrooms. Study the map; you can find them. 
• Avoid the main trails. Start from a more remote trailhead and you’ll be on a trail that likely doesn’t get much foot traffic — initially, at least. A lot of these trails will hook up with more popular trails eventually.
• Avoid parks near urban areas. Twelve state parks kept their trails open while the other 29 had to close. Why? Because they were in more remote locals. At least for this weekend, you might want to focus on trails in those more remote parks, which you can find here.

Have a great weekend!

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