Even if you’re a dedicated couch surfer, that springlike weather we had last week, when the temperature reached 80 in some spots, got you thinking, didn’t it? Maybe the outdoors isn’t such a bad place. Maybe I should plan to spend more time outside.
Tag Archives: Hiking
GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure
It’s looking like another one-day weekend. The forecast: Saturday: cold and dry; Sunday: cold and wet.
- Cox Mountain Hike, Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Eno River State Park, Durham. Watch the accompanying video — see the hillier sections? Those are from the Cox Mountain Trail, the very same Cox Mountain trail that’s the focus of this 4- to 5-mile hike. Learn more and sign up here.
- Hike to Tory’s Den, Saturday, 1 p.m., Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury. New to this hiking thing and not sure you can hike very far, but still want some great scenery and you want it pretty much to yourself? (Boy, you’re demandy!) You can have it all on this half-mile round-trip hike on one of the lesser-visited, but still scenically awesome, trails at Hanging Rock. Learn more and sign up here.
- Wildings: Winter Wing Watching, Saturday 10 a.m., Weymouth Woods State Natural Area, Southern Pines. Remember when “wilding” was a bad thing done by juvenile hoodlums? Well, it’s practiced differently down in Southern Pines, where this wilding also features youths (ages 6 to 10), but involves them quietly watching birds. Learn more and sigh up here.
As always, you can find more opportunities this weekend here:
- North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
- North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
- You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com
What we’re up to
Here are highlights of what GetHiking! and GetBackpacking! are up to this weekend:
=&6=&, Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m., Great Outdoor Provision Co., Raleigh. Join our GetBackpacking! braintrust for an all-encompassing discussion of all things backpacking, from how to get started to how to drop a pound or two. Learn more and sign up here.
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Warm up to the Cold
The temperature was around 60, the sky as blue as it gets. It was a gorgeous day for hiking any time of the year, let alone the first weekend of January. And yet … .
“I could stand it a little colder,” Jenny said as we took a short break hiking the Buckquarter Creek Trail at Eno River State Park, our first GetHiking! Winter Program for Beginners hike. Her fellow sun-drenched hikers nodded.
Now, I love hiking in winter: I love throwing on layers, then peeling them off as I warm up; I love seeing my breath; I love steam pouring off my head when pull off my wool cap. But I was surprised that so many people new to hiking were ready for more of a nip in the air. I associate new hikers with spring and its allure of wildflowers and touch of warmth, and fall, for its color and retreat from summer’s stifling heat. And so it was wonderful to see that they are ready to embrace winter’s subtle charms. Here in the Southeast, especially, winter offers these delights:
=&0=&. Here’s a paradox: It’s the coldest time of the year, yet the time when we’re nearest the sun. On a cloudless day, the sun is more brilliant than it is in July. And in a forest without leaves, you can appreciate the sun’s brilliance all the more. During the week, you go into work as the sun is coming up and you go home around the time it sets, so the weekend allows for full appreciation of this burst of sunlight.
=&1=&. It’s quiet — and it’s not. In winter there’s less wildlife chatter, fewer noisy people in the woods. And while hibernation isn’t a practice in these parts, there’s less foraging going on. The noise you can is hear from a distance, because dry winter air acts as a transmitter that’s especially effective in the absence of sound-muffling leaves. Stand still and just listen.
=&2=&. On Sunday’s hike, we followed a ridge above the Eno for three-quarters of a mile. In summer, you have no idea there’s a river below. On Sunday, we stood and watched the rain-swollen Eno course its way through a series of boulder fields, and listened to the dull roar of a river made too big for its banks. The elevated vantage point was almost better than walking along the banks.
=&3=&. In summer, we stick to the trail because who knows what lurks beyond: slithery creatures on the other side of a log, poisonous vines concealed in an ankle-high carpet of green. In winter, there are few surprises. For one, those slithery creatures aren’t likely to be out until the temperature climbs into the upper 60s and those itch-inducing leaves are in remission (though keep an eye out for fuzzy vines curling up tree trunks). The winter woods are open, the threats are minimal.
=&4=&. There are few, reason enough to love winter in the woods.
=&5=&. Winter gets a bad rap because it’s viewed as down time. This is especially true if you’ve migrated to the Southeast from the North or Midwest and are used to winter starting in mid-November and lingering through March. But here, winter soon reveals harbingers of spring. In late January, the first warm rain of the season queues a chorus of spring peepers. In early February, the woods start sprouting their first clusters of daffodils, a hardy ornamental planted by early homesteaders to brighten their lives. Then, in mid- to late-February come pairs of mottled green leaves poking through the leaf litter that soon give way to the delicate yellow and purple petals of the trout lily.
It may only be the second week of January, and just the third week of winter, but already, before the first peeper has spoken, we’re already getting nostalgic for the cold. Enjoy it while you can.
Happy trails,
Joe
Let us help you enjoy the season!
For a rundown of our winter hiking (and backpacking) programs, go here.
For our weekly GetHiking! hikes in North Carolina and Virginia, go here.
Happy Holidays! (And where to enjoy them!)
We take a slightly different tack this week. We know a lot of you have time off and might be looking for an outdoor adventure or two from your out-of-town guests. Or an adventure just for you.
Here are some resources that will hopefully help you find the adventure you want:
=&0=&. Looking for a place to hike near home? Here are our recommendations for:
- 25 Top Hikes in Charlotte
- 25 Top Hikes in the Triad
- Mountains-to-Sea Trail hikes near urban areas. Check this post for where to pick up North Carolina’s statewide trail near you.
=&1=&. Find out what your local GetHiking! chapter (as well as GetExploring! Greenville) is up to over the holidays starting here.
=&2=&. If you’re willing to commit and day (including driving), check out these worthy options:
Five Great Hikes at the Coast and Coastal Plains. Heading to the beach for the holidays? Work in
one of these hikes
If you please, a few notes about trail etiquette
On a recent Sunday at crowded Umstead State Park, we honestly weren’t looking to get all Miss Manners on our trail companions. But events conspired to make apparent that it’s time for a reminder about trail etiquette.
Here are a few things to keep in mind on the trail:
- Do not smoke cigars. Midway along the Company Mill Trail, a member of our party stuck her nose in the air and said, “Is that cigar smoke?” Surely not, I said. It was more likely the rotting carcass of a woodland creature who had met its demise. Yet 10 minutes up the trail, off to the side, sat a 20s-ish fellow with a stogie. True, most trailhead kiosks don’t specifically address cigar smoking — perhaps because common sense would dictate that the trail is not a suitable venue for cigars. Just don’t.
- No portable speakers. A short while later, on the bike & bridle trail, there arose a tinny, scratchy, cacophony of quiet-shattering chaos, emanating from a portable speaker on the water bottle belt of a young runner. If you must listen to adrenalin-pumping music rather than soothing woodland noises, wear earbuds.
- Downhill yields to uphill. And it doesn’t matter if you’re running. It really doesn’t, middle-age-guy-in-compression-socks-and-knee-length-gym-shorts, who dominated the trail as he barreled down a crowded stretch of Company Mill.
- Horses. OK, yeah, one exception to downhill yields to uphill: Horses have the right of way on a trail. Keep in mind that the sudden sight of you can spook a horse, so when you’re aware of a horse approaching, step to the side, stop and wait for the horse to pass. If the urge to pet is strong, first ask the rider if it’s OK.
- No Hulu. We can only guess that’s what was occupying the attention of a father with his grade-school-age daughter who marched out of the woods on the Sycamore Trail and across the gravel Group Camp Road (open to traffic) without taking his eyes off his phone or breaking stride. Fortunately, his daughter was paying attention. (A quick sidebar: one of the many things we love about Umstead is that cell signals can be elusive—though apparently not where Sycamore crosses Group Camp. We hope that rumors suggesting N.C. State Parks is contemplating park-wide wi-fi are just that.)
- Long time, no talk. A favorite pastime among hikers seems to be catching up on the phone with friends. Might we suggest: Invite that friend to hike with you so you can chat face-to-face. If the friend lives far away, perhaps you could catch up over a cup of tea, at home, rather than on the trail where you tend to be oblivious to those sharing the trail with you.
- “On your left”. I was last in our group of eight when I heard footsteps rapidly approach from behind. I waited for an acknowledgement — a request to pass or at the very least, a throat clearing — as the footsteps neared. None came, so I stepped off the trail to my right; a young woman passed, not breaking stride, not acknowledging my action. When she caught up to the next hiker in our group, she simply stopped and walked tight on her heels. Our hiker, sensing someone, turned, stepped aside and said, “You’re welcome to pass.” The runner did, with barely a grunt of thanks. People: it’s not impolite to pass a slower party on the trail; just announce your intentions, ideally with a brief and robust, “On your left,” issued 15 to 20 feet before the passing zone.
- Thanks! Oh yes, and when someone does yield, please do acknowledge their gesture with a “Thanks!”, a cheerful one, if you can manage.
- Stop to the side of the trail. If you stop to take a drink, check the map, or eat some gorp, step off the trail.
- Be aware of your surroundings. Good trail etiquette comes down to being aware of your surroundings and remembering that the quiet, the fresh air and the freedom that the trail offers you is why others are here as well.
Remember, you aren’t alone on the trail. You hit the trail to disconnect, to escape, but don’t disconnect to the point you’re oblivious to those around you.
Of course, we know that YOU always exhibit good trail etiquette. So feel free to forward this Top Ten list to someone you know who might need it.
Happy trails,
Joe
Speaking of being aware of your surroundings …
We’re ramping up our GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods classes as we head into cooler weather. If you worry about getting lost in the woods, this three-hour class will make you feel more comfortable and confident on the trail. We start with a map and compass introduction, then head down—and off—the trail to put your wayfinding skills to the test. Upcoming sessions include:
- Saturday, Dec. 1, 1 p.m. Umstead State Park, Raleigh. More info here.
- Sunday, Dec. 2, 1 p.m. Haw River State Park: Iron Ore Belt Access. More info here.
- Saturday, Dec. 15, 8 a.m., Weetock Trail, Croatan National Forest (advanced class). More info here.
- Thursday, Dec. 27, 1 p.m., Umstead State Park, Raleigh. More info here.
- Friday, Dec. 28, 1 p.m., Haw River State Park, Greensboro. More info here.
For more information on not getting lost in forest, check out
this post