Taking a brisk hike to welcome the new year is a long-standing tradition. It became formalized a few years back when American State Parks challenged state parks across the country to hold First Day events. Today, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a state park in the U.S. that doesn’t hold a First Day Hike. That’s especially true in North Carolina and Virginia, where 113 First Day events are planned in state parks; some parks are even celebrating with two or three events.

We won’t provide a complete rundown of options; you can find a list of First Day Hikes here for North Carolina, here for Virginia. We will, however, give you a quick sense of the types of events planned.

North Carolina

While most of the state’s 53 hikes are straightforward, ranger-led nature hikes, some have a twist.

First Day Bingo. At Pilot Mountain State Park north of Winston-Salem you can swing by the the Visitor Center, pick up a bingo card, then take a self-guided hike to record what you find. Details here.

First Day Scavenger Hike. There’s a similar theme at William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, where you can tale a self-guided hike on the trail of your choice, tick off items from a list provided, get a sticker. Details here.

Go long or short. At Fort Macon State Park you have the option of two ranger-led hikes: at 9 a.m. you can take either a 0.75-mile stroll on the Yarrow’s Loop Trail and the beach inlet, or check out the 3.2-mile Elliot Coues Trail. Details here.

Go high. Mount Mitchell State Park, the highest state park in the East, is banking on Mother Nature to keep the roads open for three hikes it has planned: a 6-mile hike around the park at 9 a.m. (details here), a family-friendly hike on the 1-mile Balsam Nature Trail at 10 a.m. (details here), and a challenging 2.6-mile hike to Mount Craig and back at 11 a.m. (details here).

Two states, three parks. Looking for a bit of novelty in your hike? Crowders Mountain State Park and its neighbor across the state line, South Carolina’s Kings Mountain State Park, host a 5.6-mile hike on the Ridgeline Trail joining the parks (and Kings Mountain National Military Park to boot). Details here.

Hike an island. Hammocks Beach State Park offers a rare opportunity to hike Bear Island in winter, rare because the ferry, which doesn’t normally run in winter, will be fired up to shuttle hikers across the Intercostal Waterway. Details here.

Find all North Carolina First Day events here.

Virginia

Virginia has 60 First Day events planned at its 42 state parks, and they aren’t planning to wait around for the new year to get underway. At Natural Tunnel State Park hikers can hike in the New Year with a 1-mile hike beginning at 11 p.m. on Dec. 31. The 1-mile hike is on birding and wildlife trails. Details here.

At Sky Meadows State Park they’ll wait until sunup for their First Day Hike, reflecting the practice of certain cultures by welcoming the new year at dawn. Gates open at 5:30 a.m., hikes are scheduled past 1 p.m. Details here.

One of the coolest parks in the state, False Cape State Park in Virginia Beach, is holding a Bay to Beach hike, taking in Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Two miles, but some of it is in soft sand. Details here.

The First Day of hiking in Virginia State Parks ends where it began, at Natural Tunnel with a hike to Lovers’ Leap. That hike begins at 3 p.m. Details here.

Find all Virginia First Day hikes here.

As for us …

We plan to attend the First Day hike at Mayo River State Park, where the long-awaited Fox Trail will finally open. Details here.

Exploring a new trail. Hard to imagine a better way to welcome the new year!

The post First Day, First Hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Sunday, for instance, I caught up with Howard for the first time since he’d returned from hiking  a section of the Camino de Santiago in June. I was especially interested because Howard’s plan was to average 15 miles a day for 7 days; Howard is in good shape and a strong hiker, but that’s the kind of mileage AT thru-hikers aspire to — after building up for a month on the trail.

“It was good,” he said, a bit subdued, I thought. In the ensuing mile of discussion it turned out that the hike itself was beyond good, but the daily mileage took its toll in the form of one injury I had heard of (planter facitiis) and one I hadn’t (something involving the big toe).

I hadn’t seen Phyllis for about the same amount of time, during which she had done two trips, one in the Swiss Alps, one in the Canadian Rockies. In the seven years I’ve hiked with Phyllis, it seems she’s been just about everywhere. In fact, having done 34 trips in 10 years she’s pretty much run through every trip Roads Scholars offers.

“There is the Inca Trail,” she said, “but my time for that may have passed.” Less a physical thing, explained Phyllis, who is in her late 70s, more to do with altitude. 

I spent a good deal of time hiking with Jennifer and quizzing her on her and hubby Dan’s October trip to Patagonia. 

“Are you looking at Patagonia as an excuse to get new gear?” I asked. “Like rain gear? Could be an issue that time of year down there.”

“Actually, we’ve got good rain gear, from our trips to Iceland.”

Ah, yes Iceland, plural. 

I will admit there’s a twinge of envy when I hear these tales. In large part because what I do is limited to the Southeast, especially North Carolina, my hiking is mostly in the region. Which certainly is nothing to complain about: if I have to be restricted to one area, this is it. In my mind, with the Appalachians, the Piedmont and even the coast, North Carolina is indeed the Great Trails State.

After Howard shared his injuries I asked if he would do it again. He’d done about 90 miles on the Camino, and there are many miles more to be done. “Oh, yeah,” he replied without a thought. “We’ll, maybe not the Camino. But another hiking trip.” He mentioned the famous Hadrian’s Wall hike across England, and Scotland as destinations.

That got me to thinking about motive, about whether I’d yet to find a hiking trip I really wanted to take, one that provided sufficient motivation. And that got me to thinking about WildBeare. 

Wild Beare is a YouTube adventure blogger, of which there are many: got a smartphone and like to hike? You’re an adventure blogger. Wild Beare is different. She uses quality video gear (including an efeectively-used drone), has a great eye, and with every video seems to visit the most inviting spots on the planet. And all are in her backyard of the Chiltern Hills of England.

Chiltern Hills? 

Of all the hiking tours I’ve scouted online, I don’t recall one mentioning the Chiltern Hills (her adventures also spill into neighboring Wales). Yet Wild Beare’s adventures up it’s 700-meter moonscape peaks, into it’s vigorous waterfalls, and beneath it’s starry moonless nights has catapulted the Chiltern Hills to the top of my must-visit list. 

Perhaps more importantly, the tales shared by the globetrotters I hike with makes me realize such a trip can be done. My friends do it all the time: they leave, they hike, they return. And they return with tales of great adventure.

Another thing I’ve learned from my globetrotting hikers: Now’s the time to start planning for next year. Hiking trips, by their nature, are limited in size and they fill up fast. Time to start doing research.

Who knows, maybe next year I’ll be the one returning with tales of great adventure. And possibly a well-earned injury.

* * *

Plan your big adventure

Motivated to plan your next — or first — hiking vacation? Here are 5 popular guide operations that popped up on a Google search. Note: These are not, obviously, recommendations.

• Roads Scholars Leads trips covering a wide range of adventures worldwide. Phyllis’s choice.
• REI Adventures Focuses on U.S. adventures.
• Backroads Offers a range of packages worldwide.
• Wildland Trekking Leads trips worldwide.
• Wilderness England Offers both guided and self-guided trips.

The post Maybe it’s time for the Chiltern Hills appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

In some parts of the U.S. — the Northeast, the Pacific Coast, the mountain states — hikers live for the summer and its warm days. Not here, where Summer is equated with still air, sticky clothes and sweat-stung eyes. 

But hold on. While some of that may be true, it’s not the full story. Approached the right way summer can be enjoyed just as much as the banner seasons of fall and spring. Just in a different way.

Some thoughts on how to embrace summer on the trail.

First, why?

You like to hike, right? So why not in summer. Here’s what keeps us from taking a summer hiatus.

The green. If you live in a lush, warm environment, you’ll want to appreciate what that means to be enveloped from forest floor to the canopy in a world rich with flora. It’s a world constantly in flux: from the blooms of elderberry, sumac and rattlesnake root in mid June, to the first tinge of fall color in the sweetgums and sourwoods, the woods are worth watching.

The critters. It’s funny how we recoil at the sight of snakes, but rejoice when we cross paths with a box turtle. The latter loves the heat and is on the move come mid-June. You’ll see those snakes out as well, while at dawn and dusk the larger local mammal populations are on the move.

The birdsong. Early morning and evening are when birds, like hikers, are at their best in the woods. 

The quiet. Multiple layers of leaves, you’ll quickly discover on a summer hike, make the best insulation. I regularly hike a trail that’s within 50 yards of an interstate highway. In winter, you can’t escape the ruckus; in summer, you’ve no idea the road is there. There is one delightful exception to the quiet rule … .

The noise of night. We love staying on the trail past dark in summer because that calming quiet of the day quickly gives way to a raucous cacophony come sundown. Are those frogs? Are they crickets? And … my God, what was that? (Likely the Hitchcockian scream of a bobcat.) 

Minimize the heat

Maybe you can’t ignore the heat. But you can minimize its debilitating effects.

Clothes. Wear lightweight clothes, preferably clothes that breath. Button-style fishing and hiking shirts typically have ample vents and mesh that do a good job of keeping you cool by letting you vent body heat. 

Pants. If you’re not a fan of shorts, the good news is there are several relatively inexpensive lightweight nylon pants on the market. Some even come with UPF sunblock protection. The protection that long pants offer can be especially welcome in summer. If you’re on an exposed trail, that protection from the sun is great. If you’re on a trail meandering through tight vegetation, long pants are good protection from poison ivy/oak/sumac and other irritating plants, and from ticks; the little pests can still weasel their way onto your skin, but it’s a harder task.

Drink (a k a hydrate)

Water is important whenever you exercise. It’s especially important in the heat, when you’re sweating more than on a cool day. Two key points when it comes to water.

• Remember to take it. At the bare minimum, take a liter of water. Even if you’re doing a 1/2-mile nature trail, take a liter of water. If you’re going longer, say, between 2 and 5 miles, take two liters of water. If you’re going much beyond that, take two liters as well as a filtering device to get more water along the way. Note: The later only works if you are hiking in an area where the water is devoid of chemical pollution. 
• Make it so you’ll want to drink it. Do you look forward to a nice, tepid glass of water, water warm enough to brew tea? Likely not. If you use water bottles, the night before a summer hike, fill the bottles 3/4 full and toss them in the freezer. In the morning, top off your ice bottle with water. If you use a hydration pack, fill the bladder with as much ice as possible, then fill with cold water. 

How to dress (and undress)

Wet bandana. Soak a bandana in water, drape it around your neck. When you cross a stream, refresh the bandana. It goes a long way toward keeping your body heat regulated.

Cotton … refreshes. Normally, you’re discouraged from hiking in a cotton T-shirt. In cold, even cool weather, your T-shirt gets wet from sweat, you stop to take a break, you catch a chill. On a really hot day when you’ll only be on the trail when it’s hot, that sweat-cooled T serves as a form of air conditioning. Do be sure to have a dry T waiting for you when you get back to the trailhead. 

Take extra socks. Even if you’re only hiking 4-5 miles, take an extra pair of socks. Feet get sweaty in the heat (especially if you’re wearing Gore-Tex shoes), the sweat gets absorbed into the socks. Even if you’re wearing wicking wool socks, there’s only so much wet they can wick. When socks become wet, the friction generated by your moving feet will cause blisters. Change socks before you hear an audible squish coming from your shoes.

Air out your feet on breaks. Even if you’re just taking a 5-minute snack break, sit down and liberate your feet from your shoes and socks. Drape your socks over a branch to dry, let your hot, sweaty feet have a moment to cool. 

Maybe you can’t beat a spring or fall day on the trail. But summer does have something to offer.

Give it a chance.

* * * 

More tips

This is an abbreviated version of our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking. For the full guide, which includes information on the best times to hike and the best places to hike, go here.

Hike with us!

Can’t find anyone to hike with in the heat? You can hike with us!

• GetHiking! Wednesday Night Hikes, May 25 – July 27. One of the best times to hike in summer? In the evening, as the day begins to cool. Our 10-week series hikes every Wednesday evening from 6:30 until 8, covering 3-4 miles on a different trail each week. Learn more and sign up here.
• GetHiking! Friday Morning Hikes, June 3 – July 22.  Another one of the best times to hike in summer? In the morning, before the day has a chance to heat up. Our 8-week series hikes every Friday morning at 8 a.m., covering 3-4 miles on a different trail each week. Learn more and sign up here.
• GetHiking! Summer Hike Series, June – August. Five Tuesday evening hikes and three Sunday morning hikes, all on different trails in the Triangle. Learn more and sign up here.

The post Guide to Summer Hiking (and why you should!) appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

It still is.

Our GetHiking! program is offering a number of ways to make that happen.

GetHiking! Spring Sunday Morning Hike Series

• 10 hikes
• Every Sunday morning starting March 20 and running through May 22 at 10 a.m.
• $165 for single hikers, $295 for couples and families.
• 15 hiker limit

You’ve been cooped up all winter, you’re eager to get back outside and play: Spring is the ideal time to be on the trail. In this 10-week series we visit a different trail every week to hike around 5 miles and watch the season unfold, as a variety of wildflowers bloom, and the trees leaf out. A good way to discover new trails in the region. Includes the weekly guided hike and a trail guide, including map and route description, for each hike.

Learn more and sign up: Individual hikers go here, couples and families here. 

GetHiking! Spring Sunday Afternoon Hike Series

• 10 hikes
• Every Sunday afternoon starting March 20 and running through May 22 at 1 p.m.
• $165 for single hikers, $295 for couples and families.
• 15 hiker limit

You’ve been cooped up all winter, you’re eager to get back outside and play: Spring is the ideal time to be on the trail. In this 10-week series we visit a different trail every week to hike around 5 miles and watch the season unfold, as a variety of wildflowers bloom, and the trees leaf out. A good way to discover new trails in the region. Includes the weekly guided hike and a trail guide, including map and route description, for each hike.

Learn more and sign up: Individual hikers go here, couples and families here.

GetHiking! Spring Series for the Aspiring Hiker

Interested in becoming a hiker but not sure where to begin? Begin here, with our 10-hike Spring series that meets Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m.. We start with a 2-mile hike and build to 5 miles. Each hike is on a different Triangle trail

• 10 hikes
• Wednesday evenings, March 16 to May 11,  at 6 p.m.
• $195 for single hikers, $345 for couples and families.
• Includes:
  • Kick-off Zoom meeting to discuss how the hikes will work, what gear you’ll need, how-to-dress and more
  • Weekly enewsletter with tips, resources, gear recommendations, and a guide for that week’s hike
  • Guide to 25 Triangle Trails
  • “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker (Second Edition),” a 109-page guide with everything an aspiring hiker needs to know.

For more information and to sign up, go here for a Single hiker subscription, here for a Couple/Family.

GetHiking! Spring Hike Series for Clubs/Organizations/Business

If you’ve got a minimum of 8 hikers, we can craft a weekly Spring hike series to suite your needs, from mid-day during the work week, to evenings to weekends. Same as our Sunday series, but set up around your availability.

• 10 hikes
• Built around your schedule 
• $165 for single hikers, $295 for couples and families.
• 8 hiker minimum

For more information, email info@getgoingnc.com 

GetHiking! Tuesday Evening Hike Series

The return of Spring and Daylight Saving Time means the return of our Spring Tuesday Evening Hike Series.  In this series we hit the trail at 6:30 p.m. and hike into sunset. Each hike is about 3 miles, and lasts about an hour and a half; at the midpoint, we take a minute to stop and savor the sounds and fading light of day’s end.

• 10 hikes
• Tuesday evenings from March 15 to May 17, at 6:30 p.m.
• $145 for single hikers, $265 for couples and families.
• 15 hiker limit

For more information and to sign up, go here for individual hikers, here for couples and families.

GetHiking! Piedmont Explorer

Maybe you’re new to the area, or maybe you’ve been hiking in the Triangle for a while and are ready to expand your horizons. With the Piedmont Explorer we take you to nine destinations, each no more than two hours away. Some you may have heard of but haven’t had a chance to visit. Some you may not know at all. All offer great hiking not far from the Triangle. 

• 9 hikes
• Second Saturday of every month; most hikes begin at 10 a.m. 
• Each hike is $85 for an individual, $135 for couples/families, or sign up for all 9, for $540 ($895 for couples/families), and save 20 percent.
• 12 hiker limit
• The hikes: 
  • Morrow Mountain State Park (April 9). For this hike only, sign up here
  • Raven Rock State Park (May 14). For this hike only, sign up here
  • White Pines Nature Preserve (June 11). Registration tba
  • Hanging Rock State Park (July 9). Registration tba
  • Medoc Mountain State Park (August 13). Registration tba
  • Birkhead Mountain Wilderness (September 10). Registration tba
  • Uwharrie National Forest: Uwharrie National Recreation Trail (October 8). Registration tba
  • Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve (November 12). Registration tba
  • Merchants Millpond State Park (December 10). Registration tbas

To learn more and sign up for a Single hiker subscription, go here, for a couple/family subscription go here.

The post GetHiking! Spring 2022 appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

How about just enduring a little cold weather.

We love hiking this time of year. The air is typically dry, the diminished foliage lets you see deep into the woods, the slanted winter sun seems to light the forest from the ground up. Yes, it’s cold, and perhaps you’ve shied away from hiking in the cold in the past. But not this year, not when you can escape the hordes of recent hiking converts and have the trail nearly to yourself.

Here’s how we can help make that happen this winter season.

GetHiking! Hike Through the Holidays

• 15 hikes
• Sunday mornings and afternoons, Tuesday evenings, Friday mornings, two Wednesday afternoons
• Various locations around the Triangle
• $125 for individuals, $225 for couples/families
• 15 hiker limit

A total of 15 hikes spread throughout the week — on Sunday morning and afternoon, Tuesday night, Friday morning and on two Wednesday afternoons — to keep you hiking during the busy, stressful holiday season. At different locations throughout the Triangle.

Learn more and sign up here.

GetHiking! Sunday Winter Hike Series

• 10 hikes
• Sundays starting Jan. 9  and running through March 13; sessions at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Various locations, mostly around the Triangle
• $165, $295 for couples and families
• 15 hiker limit

Each Sunday we hike 5 or 6 miles on trails throughout the Triangle (we also have a slightly longer road trip, to the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness southwest of Asheboro, where we’ll hike 7 miles). It’s good incentive to keep hiking through the winter and to discover new trails (we hike a different one every week).

Learn more and sign up: Click the appropriate link: 10 a.m. Single; 10 a.m. Family; 1 p.m. Single; 1 p.m. Family.

GetHiking! Tuesday Night Hikes

• 10 hikes
• Every Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. from Jan. 4 – March 8
• Various locations around the Triangle
• $145, $265 for couples/families
• 15 hiker limit

Every Tuesday evening for 10 weeks we scoff at the notion you need sunlight to hike, don our headlamps and hike 3 miles on a different trail in the region. We hike at a relaxed pace, typically on less challenging terrain. At some point we stop, flick off our headlamps and take in the night sky.

Learn more and register by going here for a single hiker, here for a couple/family.

GetHiking! Winter Wild Series

• 5 hikes
• Once a month, from November through March
• Locations: Eno Wilderness, Three Sisters of the Sauratown Range, Caswell Game Lands, Lower Haw River Natural Area, Birkhead Mountain Wilderness.
• $195; individual hikes are $45, when space is available.
• 10 hiker limit

Once a month we take advantage of the winter-exposed woods to take a hike mostly off trail: there’s some bushwhacking, but for the most part we’re on game trails and long-abandoned roadbeds, passing remnants of long-abandoned homesteads and elements of the natural word few others see.

Learn more and sign up here.

GetHiking! Winter 2022 Series for the Aspiring Hiker

• 10 Sunday afternoon hikes beginning Jan. 9 and ending March 13, beginning with 2 miles and building up to 5.
• Various locations around the Triangle
• Kick-off Zoom meeting to discuss how the hikes will work, what gear you’ll need, how-to-dress and more
• Weekly enewsletter with tips, resources, gear recommendations, and a guide for that week’s hike
• Guide to 25 Triangle Trails
• “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker (Second Edition),” a 109-page guide with everything an aspiring hiker needs to know.
• $195 individual hikers, $345 for couples and families
• 10 hiker limit

You’ve heard about the physical and mental benefits of hiking and of simply being in nature. You’ve likely also heard that, as “workouts” go, hiking hardly feels like work. Make 2022 the year you finally get into hiking and reaping the benefits with our 10-week hiking program for beginners.

Learn more and sign up here for a single hiker, here for a couple/family.

GetHiking! Winter Weekend Escape to Jones Lake State Park

• 3-day, 2-night hiking weekend
• Hiking at Jones Lake State Park, Turnbull State Educational Forest, Bay Tree Lake Natural Area
• Group camping Friday and Saturday nights
• Breakfast and lunch both Saturday and Sunday
• Guided hikes both Saturday and Sunday
• An eguide for the weekend, with details (including a map and route description) for each hike, as well as information about the area.
• Campfires with s’mores both nights
• Stargazing, under some of the least light-polluted sky along the East Coast
• $185
• Group size limit: 10

Winter is the best time to explore the wonders of the Coastal Plain: the pine savannah, the bay forests, the swampy terrain with bald cypress and tupelo gum. It’s drier and its colder, helping to keep down the flying, biting critters prominent much the rest of the year. On this trip we’ll hike a State Park, a State Forest and a State Natural Area — plus part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Not a camper? Not a problem: the Elizabethtown Inn is 9 minutes from our base camp for the weekend.

Learn more and sign up here.

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