Coast: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic

Head on down to Wrightsville Beach this weekend to participate in (or watch) the 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic! Lots of standup paddleboarders competing in different divisions: based on age, gender and height. Friday, there is a pig pickin’ and music fest, followed by the races on Saturday. Registration ends this Friday!

There are two races, a 3.5-mile recreational race, and a 7-mile elite race with cash prizes for winners! All racers must bring a USCG approved PFD in order to participate. Registration fees differ based on category.

Weather policy: there will be a weather call Saturday morning. Canceling will occur only if paddling conditions are unsafe.

Vital stats: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic, Friday and Saturday, more information here or here. ColdStroke@coastalurge.com or head here.

Saturday forecast: High of 42, chance of rain. Might wear a wetsuit. Or a dry suit.

Looking ahead: Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Madness; marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay, 5K, 1-mile run, March 18-20. More info here.

Piedmont: Mount Rogers Hike

Weather permitting, this Saturday the Piedmont Hiking and Outing Club is hiking the Mount Rogers Trail to intersect with the Appalachian Trail, Northbound, in the popular Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in southwestern Virginia. Before signing on, the club advises that you be prepared for cold temperatures, high winds and possibly deep snow!

If you can’t make this hike, the club is one of the more active outdoors groups in the region. Check their website for a schedule of activities; individual membership fees are $20 per year, family memberships are $30 annually.

Vital stats: Saturday, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, visit the club’s website for meeting time and additional information.

Saturday forecast: Snow starting Thursday evening will begin to taper Saturday morning, with accumulations of 18 inches expected. High temp: 30.

Looking ahead: Nature’s Notebook Hike, Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Saturday, Feb. 6. More info here.

Mountains: Icycle Mountain Bike Event

“The most fun you’ll ever have on two wheels, rain, sleet, snow or sunshine,” promises the event’s sponsors. Fontana Village Resort hosts the Icycle Mountain Bike Event Saturday. Cross-country races begin at 11 a.m. and go late into the night. If you’re looking for a challenging winter mountain bike race, the IBM should do it.

Registration takes place in advance and race day; fees vary, see website.

Vital stats: Icycle Mountain Bike Event, Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. into the night, Fontana Village Resort, Fontana Dam. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Snow throughout the day, high of 32.

Looking ahead: Swannanoa Rim Hike #3: Cherokee Boundary, March 19, 4.5-mile hike nearly all off trail. More info here.

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

The post Weekend Plans: Ice? Snow? Bah! appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Did you know this is about the time in the new year when people begin to lose their resolve to be healthier and more active? If you feel you may be at risk, check out our statewide prescription for a prolonged active lifestyle. We have something for the team player (volleyball at the coast), the nature lover (a geology hike in the Piedmont) and — what’s a nice way to put this — the nutcase, in the form of a night downhill mountain bike race in the mountains.

Stay active, my friends.

Coast

Someday, I’m going to get three friends and head to the coast for the periodic 4 x 4 Coed Indoor Volleyball Tournaments held by the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Department. You must pre-register, which discourages the unpracticed, and the $55 team fee is fair but, again, makes you take the tourney a bit more seriously. And, there’s the prospect of prize money — 70 percent of the take goes to first place, the remaining 30 percent to second place — which could cover gas and a stop on the way home at Smithfield’s Chicken and Bar-B-Q! It’s BYOB (Bring Your Own Ball).

Logistics: Pre-register by calling Emerald Isle Parks & Recreation at 252.354.6350 by 5 p.m. Friday. Six team limit. More info at the aforementioned number or via smcnally@emeraldisle-nc.org. Games start at 8 a.m.

Saturday forecast: The tourney is indoor, but if you lose in the first round bring outdoor play clothes: the weatherman is calling for partly sunny skies and a high of 50.

Piedmont

Brisk weather for hiking is in the forecast for this weekend in the Piedmont; if you’re a fan of  medium brisk, then you might want to plan on hiking Saturday, when the temperatures will be a skosh warmer. It just so happens there’s a mountains-in-the-Piedmont hike Saturday, at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Hillsborough. This popular hike explores this pyrophyllite quarry with insights offered by a bonafide geologist. Plus, Occoneechee, the highest point in Orange County, is especially good in cold weather. Don’t ask why, just is.

Logistics: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2 p.m., Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough.  Free, but pre-registration required, by calling 919.383.1686. More about Occoneechee Mountain here.

Saturday forecast: High of 43, clear with clouds moving in as the day progresses.

Mountains

Don’t you love an event where the name says it all? Like Saturday’s Icycle Mountain Bike Event out of Fontana Village? The Icycle consists of a cross-country race — several actually, in various categories and skill levels. All on a 7-mile course that “consists of varied terrain with rocks, roots, creeks, & wide open passing lanes offering some of the finest western North Carolina singletrack.” There’s also the Icycle Night Downhill, described as “not for the faint at heart.” A minimum 10 watt/150 lumen light is required for this one.

Logistics: Entry fee starts at $30 and registration closes at the very end of today (Thursday, Jan. 24). Register here. More info by calling 800.849.2258, or going here.

Saturday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 45.

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Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

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The post This weekend: Spike, hike, bike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.