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

When I was in high school, certain friends would buy a ticket for the noon movie on Saturday, then, when it was over, linger in the lobby and slip into the 2 p.m. show. They’d repeat for the 4 p.m., the 6 p.m., the 8 p.m., and the 10 p.m. Kids, honestly.

That approach, however, occurred to me when I saw Saturday’s lineup of programs for the Bald Head Island Conservancy:

• 8:30am Kayaking the Creeks
• 9 a.m. Birding BHI
• 1 p.m. Touch Tank Time
• 2 p.m. Reptile Round Up
• 2:30 p.m. Marsh Kid’s Fishing
• 4:30 p.m. Crabbing & Cast-netting
• 6 p.m. Ibis Sanctuary Exploration
• 7:30 p.m. Nocturnal Adventurers
• 9 p.m. Sea Turtle Ride Along
• 9 p.m. Turtle Walk

And here’s the thing: you’re not really beating the system — the events are all free.

Logistics: A day of nature programs, Saturday, June 10, from 8:30 a.m. to about 10 p.m., Bald Head Island Nature Conservancy, Bald Head Island. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 82, sunny.

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Looking ahead: Carolina Beach Double Sprint Triathlon, Saturday, June 24, Carolina Beach. More info here.

Piedmont

Some folks go through life under the erroneous assumption that we have a two-day weekend in this country. In fact, it is 2 and a quarter days, the quarter beginning around 5 p.m. Friday.

That gives you plenty of time to join our GetHiking! Triangle group for An Evening Along the Eno, a 4.1-mile hike that begins at 7 p.m. In the light of early evening, we will head out on the Buckquarter Creek Trail, taking the ridgeline option to Buckquarter Creek. There, we’ll cross a wooden footbridge and pick up the Holden Mill Trail, along the Eno. This is an especially rocky stretch of the river: outcrops crowd the river midway, making for some playful scrambles. The return on this figure-8 route begins on a ridgeline and finishes, in the dusk, along the Eno. One of our favorite Triangle hikes, made better in the fading light of day.

Logistics: GetHiking! Triangle: An Evening Along the Eno, Friday, June 9, 7 p.m., Few’s Ford Access, Eno River State Park. More info and sign up, here.

Friday evening forecast: Clear skies with a high of 78 at hike time.

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Looking ahead: Creek Creep, Saturday, June 17, Mayo River State Park, Mayodan. More info here.

Mountains

We like to learn a thing or two when we venture into the woods. Like the difference between a pin oak and a white oak. Or how to ID a tree by its bark. Or where paint comes from. Or used to.

That’s what you’ll learn Saturday afternoon should you plan to attend Elk Knob State Park’s Natural Pigments program. “Find out how the artists of old got their colors and try it out yourself,” says the event description.

Logistics: Natural Pigments, Saturday, June 10, 2 p.m., Elk Knob State Park, Todd. Learn more and sign up here.

Saturday forecast: High of 75 and cloudless.

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Looking ahead: Tips and Tactics for Fishing the New River, Saturday, July 1, 10 a.m., New River State Park. Learn more and sign up here.

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

Coast

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