Daytime temperatures around 80, wake-up temperatures in the mid-50s — if that’s not early fall hiking weather, we don’t know what is.
And to get you out on the trail this weekend, we’re offering our hiking guides to you for 50 percent off.
Who wants to wait until Saturday to kick off the weekend? Especially when you have the option for a Friday Morning Hike.
We launch our new GetHiking! Fall Friday Morning Hike Series a week from today (Sept. 10), with a 4-mile hike on the Cox Mountain Trail at Eno River State Trail — the very same trail that we hiked this morning — in long sleeves and a vest, which one does when the temperature is just 48 degrees! That’s a good omen for our 8-week series, which gives you a jump on the weekend without playing hooky (the hikes start at 7:30 a.m., we’re done by 9).
Initially, it looked like the cold front ushered in by the remnants of Ida would lose its oomph by the weekend. Now, it appears the front has opted to extend its stay. Temperatures won’t be much above 80 through the weekend. It will be sunny. It will be less humid.
Each time we enter a new hiking season, the rules change. For three seasons, the change is significant enough to warrant the requisite reminders. Going into winter, it’s important to remember that the sun sets early, that it gets colder than you may recall, that any weather change needs to be heeded because the stakes for the unprepared are significant. Going into spring, the world is coming back to life — including itchy plants, biting flying creatures and venomous snakes. And summer — drink, drink, drink!
The signs are subtle at first. You walk out in the morning and the light isn’t quite as bright; the sun seems a little … behind, like it forgot to set its alarm clock. And that after dinner walk in the evening? You’re getting closer and closer to finishing in the dark.
