My senior year in high school I went to a new school. In football, we went 0-9, in basketball, 0-18. I always wondered how our cheerleaders could muster the enthusiasm, the optimism, to encourage us to push on. 

I find myself in a similar situation, facing a rainy weekend, wondering how to encourage y’all to put on a happy face and head out the door for a weekend of adventure. So … well, grab your rain gear and let’s head out! Some options …

• Discovery Hike, Saturday, 10 a.m., Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. We love the loop hike around Jones Lake because it’s so diverse. Start at the lake, a Carolina bay whose shallow, tanic waters resemble sweet tea, continue through a pine savannah, then round the far end of the lake and enter a dense, coastal forest. Your ranger guide describes what’s going on. Learn more and sign up here. 
• Spring Hike, Saturday, 11 a.m., Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills. If your chances of finding spring anywhere this early in this rainy end of winter, it’s at Dismal Swamp, about as coastal as it gets in North Carolina’s state park system. A little spring, a few stills (retired) — sounds like a hike to us! Learn more and sign up here.
• Amateur Photography Hike, Sunday, 2 p.m., Carvers Creek State Park. Wish your photos even remotely resembled what you see in the wild? This class won’t solve all your problems, but it should help you figure out what to look for in your shots and how to frame them. Learn more and sign 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

GetHiking! this weekend

What are we up to this weekend? 

• GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking. For starters, we’ll be graduating a class of backpackers at South Mountains State Park through our GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking program. While it’s too late to matriculate with this group, we have another class starting April 13. Learn more about that class and sign up here. 
• GetHiking! Winter Wild Off-Trail Adventure to the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness. This trip is full, but there’s still time to get in on our next Winter Wild adventure, at Raven Rock State Park. Learn more about that March 16 trip and sign up here.

Live the video

Indeed, this week’s video was shot last weekend, just as the sun was poking out after that week’s long run of rain. Maybe there’s hope for this weekend. If so, we highly recommend exploring the Horton Grove Nature Preserve, a Triangle Land Conservancy property in northern Durham County. Learn more here.

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

After a dang cold week we’re heading into a darn nice weekend, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures, brace yourself, reaching 60.

So if you’ve been hibernating so far this winter, now’s your chance to emerge from your den for an adventure. An adventure such as:

• Advanced Hike, Saturday, Feb. 2, 1 p.m. Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. Hammocks Beach is taking a page from our Winter Wild hike series playbook with this 2.5-mile hike on trail that’s not yet trail. It’s a great chance to get a sneak peek at this emerging trail, the first at Hammock’s Beach itself, as it meanders through a mixed pine/hardwood forest bordering Queens Creek on newly acquired property. Expect downed trees, “possible fauna interaction,” and other potential obstacles on this ranger-led hike. Learn more and sign up here.
• Cox Mountain Hike, Saturday, Feb. 2, 1:30 p.m. Fews Ford Access, Eno River State Park, Durham. This hike begins with passage over the Eno on a suspension bridge, followed by 4-plus miles on trail up, over and around Cox Mountain. Nice stretches along the Eno included. More info and sign up here.
• 3 Mile History Hike, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2 p.m. Carvers Creek State Park, Spring Lake. If you’re new to hiking, you’ll love this flat-as-can-be 3-mile hike “exploring the millpond, silos, pavilion, and other historical farm buildings not yet open to the public.” More info 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

GetHiking! this weekend

As for GetHiking!, here’s what we’ll be up to this weekend:

GetHiking! Celebrate Groundhog Day at White Pines Nature Preserve, Saturday, Feb. 2, White Pines Nature Preserve, Pittsboro. e’ll loop together the preserve’s various trails for a 6-mile hike exploring the preserve’s variety of habitats, from fern-covered slopes to damp bottom-lands; mountain laurel and Catawba rhododendron cling to bluffs above the Rocky River. More info here.

GetHiking! Tuesday Night Hikes: Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Saturday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., Horton Grove Nature Preserve, northern Durham County. Our lone Tuesday Night Hike on a Saturday, we’ll start in an open meadow (great for stargazing under a near new moon), then link together five trails for a 5.5-mile hike through a largely hardwood forest made barren by winter. The trails here are in especially good shape: if you’re a more experienced hiker but have never hiked at night, this is a prime opportunity to give it a try. Sign up and we’ll immediately send you a Night Hiking Tips sheet. Also: we leave no hiker behind on the trail: there will always be a hike leader with you. More info here.

To learn more about the Winter Wild hike series mentioned above, check out our next Winter Wild off-trail adventure, to the Uwharrie Mountains on Feb. 23, here.

Live the video

Today’s video was shot last weekend on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake in Raleigh.  Learn more about exploring that stretch and the statewide trail as a whole, here.

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

That said, a few thoughts on the weekend ahead:

GetHiking! Triangle Fleece Hike at Horton Grove, Saturday, 9 a.m. Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Bahama. We aren’t about to pass on our first opportunity of the fall to hike in fleece! Expect a temperature around 50 when we hit the trail on this 6-mile hike. Starting from the old white barn on Jock Road we’ll hike a loop composed of the Jordan, Walker, Peaks, Holman, Hart and Justice trails. Because of its elevation and location on a high plateau, it should be comparatively immune from the drenching rains of Michael. Learn more and sign up here.

Big Canoe Program, Saturday, 2 p.m., Merchants Millpond State Park, Gatesville (northeast corner of the state). We’re intrigued by the simple program description: “Come to the visitors center at 2:00 p.m. for a canoe program in large canoes.” Large canoes … hmm. It’s free, and while these are large canoes, seating is limited, preregistration is required, by calling 252.357.1191. Not much more information here.

Hutchinson Homestead Hike, Sunday, 1 p.m., Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap (west of Elkin, which is northwest of Winston-Salem. If you’re new to hiking, this is a great starter hike: from the Lower Trailhead Parking Area, it’s a short hike (a half mile overall) to the Hutchinson Homestread, long enough to see some emerging fall color, learn about the homestead, and see the massive moon face of Stone Mountain (and likely some climbers working their way up the smooth face). Moreyinfo here.

More options

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.

And if you’re interested in exploring the two areas featured in our video, you can find more info by clicking the link below:

• Little River Regional Park
• Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Falls Lake Day-Hike Section S

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

Coast

Ah, that first post-Labor Day weekend at the coast, when the crowds have thinned and it’s safe to go back in the water. For, say, a bit of competitive standup paddle boarding!

Sunday is the Second Annual Carolina Beach SUP Challenge benefiting Ocean Cure, a non-profit that provides free surf camps and lessons to medically-fragile at-risk youth and adults. The Challenge includes two races — 3 and 6 miles — on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Been paddling for a while and like a good challenge? Race organizers say this event is for you you. New to SUPing? Again, grab your board and paddle and come on down. Really new to the sport? There’s a 1-mile Family Fun Race in which pets are encouraged to participate. (Pets? We can see a dog digging the surf scene, but a cat? A ferret?)

Logistics: Sunday, Sept. 13, 8 a.m., Carolina Beach Yacht Basin and Marina, 216 Canal Dr., Carolina Beach. $25. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 85, chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

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Looking ahead: Curious about the coastal environment? On Sept. 25 join UNC Wilmington faculty from the departments of biology, marine biology, geology and geography for a Campus Nature Tour. More info here.

Piedmont

Fall means the return of hiking to the Piedmont, and our GetHiking! crew is rarin’ to go.

Saturday at 1 p.m., we’ll hike a section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake, from the Upper Barton Creek boat ramp to NC 98 and back. We’ll hike 2.1 miles out, 2.1 miles back, through a rolling riparian woodland. At the turnaround is one of the biggest white oak trees around. For a preview, check out this description of the hike on the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website.

Sunday at 1 p.m., we’ll head to northern Durham County to explore the 708-acre Horton Grove Nature Preserve. Here, the Triangle Land Conservancy has built eight miles of trail exploring bottomland forest, mature hardwood forest, deep ravines and Piedmont prairie. Our hike will cover about five miles.

Logistics: For more information on both hikes and to sign up, visit our GetHiking! Triangle Meetup site.

Weekend forecast: Saturday, high of 83 with a chance of thunderstorms; Sunday, high of 78 and mostly sunny.

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Looking ahead: Take a Child Outside Week commences the week of Sept. 21. Find a rundown of TACO happenings at your local state park, here.

Mountains

Again, the passage of Labor Day signals the start of the fall hiking season, to us, at least. The prospect of hiking in a light fleece only heightens our three Es (enthusiasm, excitement, expectations).

That could be the case Saturday when the Carolina Mountain Club hikes a 6.4-mile stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the high mountains just south of Mount Mitchell (at 6,684 feet the highest point along the East Coast, in case you’re new to the region). This stretch of trail runs through old-growth balsam and spruce forests, with several scenic overlooks along the way.

And that fleece? You’ll want to pack it (and a rain suit, just in case) after reading the forecast below.

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 12, 10 a.m. (meeting time to shuttle from the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382. For more on the route, go here.

Sunday forecast: High in the mid 60s, chance of rain.

* * *

Looking ahead: Tsali Adventure Triathlon, Oct. 3, featuring 3-mile paddle, 5-mile run, and 12-mile bike. Individual $45, team $95. Details here.

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

The post This weekend: Labor Day is past, let the festivities of fall begin appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

We’re often asked, “GetGoingNC, why aren’t there more free opportunities for us to get out on the water with paddle in hand?” In our quest to get you moving and keep you moving, we’re working on that. In the meantime … .

Saturday is one of the best no-cost options going for an entertaining and informative guided kayak trip: a two-hour guided kayak tour at Hammocks Beach State Park. Led by a park ranger and with all key equipment (kayak, paddle, pfd) provided gratis, you’ll explore the salt marsh separating Hammocks Beach from the state park’s key attraction: Bear Island, a three-mile barrier island. The water here is protected, shallow, well-suited for beginning paddlers and wildlife viewing enthusiasts alike.

Logistics: Saturday, April 11, 11 a.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. For more information and to register — because space is limited — call the park office at 910.326.4881.

Saturday forecast: High of 69 with a high chance of rain that drops precipitously as the 11 a.m. start nears.

Piedmont

Again, we find ourself in the position of humping our own GetHiking! hike. But really, this promo has little to do with us and everything to do with the hike venue: the Triangle Land Conservancy’s Horton Grove Nature Preserve.

Horton Grove, at 708 acres TLC’s largest preserve, sits atop the Piedmont north of Durham. It’s a mix of mature upland oak-hickory forests, beech slopes and mixed pine and hardwoods, as well as open meadows and grasslands, including two small native plant meadows. The terrain means lots of opportunity for wildlife viewing and, considering the season, wildflowers in bloom.

We’ll hike about eight miles, with options for shorter hikes. We’ll get underway at 10 a.m.

Logistics: Sunday, April 12, 10 a.m., Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Durham County. For more information and to sign up, visit GetHiking! Triangle.

Sunday forecast: Sunny skies, high of 71.

Mountains

Eager to kick off the mountain festival season, but not crazy about waiting another couple months to do so?

Elk Knob State Park and the Elk Knob Community Heritage Association have you covered, with Sunday’s Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day. Live music, games, nature activities, hikes, wagon rides, craft and cultural demonstrations, hands-on activities, history and a potluck — six hours of mountain fun in a meadow at the entrance to the park, located just outside Todd.

Logistics: Sunday, April 12, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Elk Knob State Park, Todd. For more information, call 828.297.7261

Sunday forecast: High of 65, mostly sunny.

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

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