As Mike, Jennifer and Karen will attest, enjoying a rainy day on the trail is all about your gear.
The weekend forecast, no matter where you live in North Carolina, is essentially this: daytime high of 80, a good chance of rain.
We’ve had a fair amount of rain this year: in the Triangle, 31.58 inches of rain have fallen at Raleigh-Durham International Airport since the first of the year, more than six inches above the normal. Fortunately, though, much of that rain has come during the week.
Not, apparently, the case this weekend.
So what are your rainy day options?
There’s always the climbing gym, and with 14 across the state, odds are there’s one near you. Check out your options at our list of climbing gyms in North Carolina.
One of our favorite outdoor options in the rain: a hike. If you’ve got even the basic gear to keep dry, a hike in the rain can be a revelatory experience. First, though, you need that basic gear; this post from March 2012 gives you that direction.
Then, because some hikes are better hiked wet that others, here’s a rundown of seven of our favorite wet hikes near the state’s urban centers.read more
Jason Thomas had one concern when a climbing gym opened in his hometown of Cortez, Colo.
“Will it hurt my hands?”
Assured that it would not, he gave it a try.
“I was hooked immediately,” says Thomas. So much so that despite still being in high school and having now climbed once, he asked the head of the rec center housing the gym who was managing the wall. No one? Well, mind if I give it a go?
That led to an improbable trajectory that saw him head to the University of Colorado in Boulder (to major in Philosophy) because of the local climbing, a job at a Boulder climbing gym, and soon to Eldorado Climbing Walls, where he managed to talk his way into a construction job. That was in 2005. Today — literally today — he stood at the base of the “tall walls” at the freshly minted Triangle Rock Club North Raleigh talking with climbers about his latest creation as Eldo’s lead designer (officially, he’s the company’s Design and Creative Director).
To the untrained eye, the new gym, which opened at noon today, more resembles something you might find at the N.C. Museum of Art with a sign at the base reading “Do Not Climb.” The angular, vibrant orange and yellow walls cover 13,500 square feet, climb to 30 feet and are pocked with an array of equally artsy plastic holds. When Thomas explains his inspiration, though, he doesn’t refer to cubist influences, modernism or realism. He starts with the business of demographics.
“I think of areas in terms of different user groups,” says Thomas. Standing just inside the entrance to the gym, carved out of a cavernous former Gold’s Gym at Duraleigh Road and Glenwood Avenue, Thomas explains the crucial first impression he hopes to land.read more
High and dry, at the Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville.
From Murphy (40-90 percent chance of rain, highs in the low 50s) to Manteo (up to a 90 percent chance of rain with highs in the low 50s), it promises to be a wet, cool first weekend of Spring across North Carolina.
Not that that should keep you inactive. Or even indoors.
We refer you to two of our get-out-and-go directories, tailor made for weekends such as this. Climbing walls. Check out our list of 14 climbing gyms across the state, nearly all indoors and impervious to the elements (unless the roof leaks, in which case you’ll have a little taste of being in the wild). If you’ve never climbed, this is the perfect opportunity to learn. Start with our primer, then dial up your neighborhood gym and inquire about instruction. Hiking. Cool and wet — my favorite time to be on a local trail, especially since I have the gear for it. Basically, that gear would include water-resistant hiking boots or shoes and rain-resistant/proof outer wear. Honestly, if you can stay dry, a cold, wet day in the woods is hard to top. And because driving tends to be the biggest hassle you’ll face, check out our list, compiled in conjunction with Great Outdoor Provision Co. Five venues near each of North Carolina’s seven biggest metro areas.
Don’t let a little (or a lot, frankly) cold rain stop you this weekend: get out (or stay in) andread more
