Coast | Coastal Plain

Any event of athletic endurance should end with a flourish. Few end with the flourish of the Go Jump in the Lake 5K, 10K and 15 K in Boiling Springs.

The course is mostly around Spring Lake, site of a summer triathlon known for its heat. It’s not likely to be much cooler for Saturday’s GJITL 5/10/15K. However, in the spirit of flourishing finishes, this race ends with contestants eagerly fulfilling the race’s intent, and jumping into the lake. Talk about incentive!

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 3, 8:30 a.m., Boiling Springs. $15-$35. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a race-time high near 70.

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Looking ahead: Wilmington YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Sept. 17, Blockade Runner, Wrightsville Beach. More info by calling 910.256.2251.

Piedmont

Sometimes, what we need to motivate us to move is motivation that’s not about moving.

That logic is for the birds, you say?

It is in the case of Saturday’s Birding with Vernon at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville. “Join our bird enthusiast, Vernon,” states a description of the event, “for an easy walk while looking and listening for our feathered friends. Discover different types of birds and their habitats.​“ (And get a healthy walk in, to boot.)

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 3, 8:30 a.m., Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville. Free. More info here

Saturday forecast: High in the upper 60s, chance of rain.

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Looking ahead: Nature at Night, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7-8:30 p.m., Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville. More info here.

Mountains

Nothing like an organized bike ride that recognizes all levels of preparedness. Been riding all season and in top form? Then the 100-mile and 100k (62 miles) options of Labor Day’s Tour d’Apple out of Hendersonville is for you. Likewise, if you’re in pretty good shape, but not that good of shape, you could try TdA’s 45-mile route. Haven’t dusted off your bike yet this summer? Perhaps you’d best be advised to do the 25-mile version.

All good options with plenty of rest stops and great scenery on this ride(s) that begin and end from Blue Ridge Community College. Sugarloaf Mountain, Bearwallow Mountain, Terry’s Gap, Pinnacle Mountain, Jump Off Rock — all some of the features you may (or may not) encounter, depending upon your route. Proceeds benefit the various charitable efforts of the Henderson Four Seasons Rotary Club.

Logistics: Monday, Sept. 5, 8 a.m. Blue Ridge Community College, Hendersonville. $55. More info here.

Monday forecast: Sunny with highs in the 70s.

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Looking ahead: Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day, Elk Knob State Park, Saturday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m.. More info here.

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

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Coast

Here’s a good, coastal biathlon for these modern times: the 6th Annual Wrightsville Beach Biathlon, involving a 4-mile standup paddle and a 4-mile run on the beach. Hosted where all your hip beach adventure competitions are hosted, at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort. Competition in various categories.

Logistics: Saturday, March 28, 10:30 a.m., Blockade Runner, Wrightsville Beach. From $45 for individuals up to $150 for corporate teams. Details here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a high of 54.

Piedmont

Nature programs abound in spring, and understandably so: our world is coming back to life and there’s so much to see and figure out. All those emerging amphibians, for instance.

Saturday morning, get a feel for the amphibians at Lake Crabtree in Morrisville with Toadally Awesome Amphibians. According to the sponsoring Lake Crabtree County Park: “After the first week of spring, but before the April showers start, we’re hoping to catch some sleepy salamanders. This program will investigate the park’s amphibian habitats, show you how to create your own, and teach about the important ecological roles amphibians and the vernal pools they inhabit play.”

Logistics: Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon, Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville. $3 per person, $5 per family. Call 919.460.3355 to reserve a spot.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 50.

Mountains

We like Saturday’s Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K in large part because it’s in one of our favorite places in the state: the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

The 5K stays on campus, the Half starts and ends on campus but spends most of its time along the Tuckasegee River. Racing in a gorgeous setting is always good, but especially early in the race season when distractions may be especially welcome.

Logistics: Saturday, 8 a.m., Western Carolina University, Cullowhee. Race-day registration is $80 for the half marathon, $30 for the 5K. Read more about the race in the Asheville Citizen-Times, visit the race website here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a high of 44.

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

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

The post This weekend: A bi, a sign, a race appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Saturday was the 14th running of the Huck-A-Buck at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville. The Huck-A-Buck is a tradition in Triangle mountain bike racing, born of the inspiration of Happy Fun Racing and its visionary leaders Pat Lundergan and Chris Pappas. Three years ago, its demise was rumored. Fortunately, the rumor proved to be just that.

Alas, we weren’t able to make this year’s race. Instead, we take a look back to the race’s 10th running, in 2011. Come along for the ride.

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Coast

Standup paddleboarding and kayak fishing may seem like odd bedfellows. But on Saturday, they’re married for a day of fun on the water at the Brunswick Waterfest in Wilmington. On the SUP side, there’s racing in four categories on a course on the Cape Fear River that starts and ends at the U.S.S. North Carolina battleship. There’s also a SUP Derby and several guided SUP and kayak trips. The kayak fishing tournament is for bass; a freshwater North Carolina license is required.

Logistics: Saturday, June 7, Wilmington and Leland. Cost varies by event. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 82 under mostly sunny skies.

Piedmont

Saturday is National Trails Day across the land. We’ll have details on NTD events around the state tomorrow; today, we’ll highlight one event happening in the Triangle: the Triangle Fat Tire Festival.

This two-day event at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville starts Saturday with a trail workday on the venerable Lake Crabtree trail network, then concludes Sunday with a celebration of all things mountain bike, from a kids race, to time trials to a dirt jump skills clinic to group rides and maintenance clinics. Lots of vendors on hand, too.

Logistics: Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville. More info here.

Weekend forecast: Highs in the mid to upper 80s under mostly sunny skies.

Mountains

Every week during the summer, Blue Ridge Parkway rangers lead hikes along the parkway. The hikes are generally geared toward folks who may not realize there are hiking trails along the parkway. Folks for whom communing with nature essentially means a drive-by overlook viewing. On these ranger-led hikes, motorists will actually emerge from their vehicles and take a short hike.

This week, on Friday, that short hike will be a one-mile roundtrip to the top of Devil’s Courthouse at Milepost 422.2. If you think the views from the overlooks are great, invest a little sweat equity and you’ll score an even more memorable view. Water, walking shoes and clothing for “changeable weather” recommended.

Logistics: Friday, June 6, 10 a.m. Devil’s Courthouse Overlook, Milepost 422.2 Blue Ridge Parkway.  More info by calling 828.298.5330, ext. 304. Information on upcoming hikes here.

Friday forecast: High of 80, chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.

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Those are our thoughts for the weekend. Find more activities below.

The post This weekend: Paddle, pedal, earn a view appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

But what’s been most surprising is the response to our night hikes. We’ve held two so far, which have attracted 31 and 26 people respectively. A lot of those folks are newcomers to hiking who are still adjusting to the challenges of hiking in bright, broad daylight. We thought they might have some reservations about navigating a rocky, rooty, twisty, turny trail with only the a narrow beam of light to guide them. That’s hardly been the case.

Recognizing this apparent appreciation for still being able to get out and explore after work despite a growing absence of daylight, we’ve decided to dust off another previous post about things to do in the dark. This one, which originally ran on Oct. 30, 2009, is on mountain biking.

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I used to dread the end of Daylight Savings Time, which comes to a close this year on Nov. 3 at 2 a.m.  I now accept the absence of after work daylight and keep moving.

Not a decade ago, mountain biking after hours was the sport of daredevil twentysomething guys who would gather clandestinely, switch on their sketchy lighting systems (often homemade and composed of pvc pipe, a fistfull of A batteries and a halogen lightbulb), and careen through the forest. Bouncing off trees and occasionally getting impaled was the norm, and no biggy in your immortal youth. It’s something altogether different once you get a mortgage. At Wednesday night’s ride at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville, at least half the riders were over 40, several of us past 50. There were women, and there was a 14-year-old.

And there was no sneaking under a closed park gate; Lake Crabtree park manager Drew Cade greeted every rider (and had them sign a waiver). The main reason mountain biking at night has gone mainstream: advances in lighting systems. Gone are the schizo homemade lighting systems (although you may still see a diehard riding with one). In their place: A new generation of LED, HID (a k a metal halide) and Xenon helmet-mounted lights that create a cozy sphere of daylight letting you see a good 10 to 20 feet or more up the trail. Advances in battery technology mean burn times in the two- to five-hour range, more than sufficient to for the typical mountain bike ride. (And if it isn’t, special chargers can revive these batteries lickity split.) Here’s a good overview article on lighting systems to get you up to speed.

Most riders (based on conversations over the years) claim that riding at night is actually safer because you’re more focused. Instead of gazing off at a ridgeline 10 miles off, your field of vision is confined to the glow cast by your light. Fewer distractions, fewer forays into trail-hugging pines.

Despite the growth in mountain biking at night — night rides at Lake Crabtree typically draw 50 or more riders — it remains a fairly controlled activity. Most legal trail networks close at dusk; thus, most night rides are the work of local bike clubs making arrangements with land managers. The Lake Crabtree rides (there are two a month during Standard Time, on the first Tuesday and third Thursday) are the result of the Triangle Off-Road Cyclists working with Cade. TORC has a similar arrangement with Harris Lake County Park and is negotiating to hold night rides at Little River Regional Park and at the Beaverdam area of Falls Lake State Recreation Area.

That the majority of night riding is run by bike clubs is a good thing for riders new to riding at night. Thursday night’s ride at Lake Crabtree split into groups based on experience; We went with Jeff LeBlanc, who took out the beginners.

“I’ll be leading the ride,” he told us, “my son will be acting as sweep. No one will get dropped, which means that at every fork in the trail that we come to, we’ll wait until everyone catches up.”

And that’s a good thing, because no one likes getting dropped. Especially in the dark.

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Looking for a night ride?

Your best bet for tapping into local night rides is through your neighborhood bike club’s Web site. Here are some good ones to start with:

Asheville

Mountain Biking in Western North Carolina

Charlotte

Charlotte Mountain Bike
Tarheel Trailblazers

Triad
Greensboro Fat Tire Society

biketriad.com

Triangle
Triangle MTB
Triangle Off-Road Cyclists. (Rides are held the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of every month at Lake Crabtree, and the second Thursday and fourth Tuesday at Harris Lake. More rides will likely be scheduled. Consult Triangle MTB for details.)

Wilmington

Sir Bikes-A-Lot

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