National Trails Day is non-denominational: you can celebrate on a paddle trail, a bike trail or a hiking trail. Come one, come all.
Coast
Most ranger-led paddle trips are quick one-hour affairs. This Saturday at Lake Waccamaw State Park you’ll have a full half day to explore this Carolina Bay in the wake of a knowledgeable lead. The paddle starts at 10 a.m.
This weekend, avoid alligators, avoid trails, but don’t avoid the first big weekend of the Southeast ski season.
Coast
Remember the old Peter, Paul & Mary hit, “Where Have All the Reptiles Gone?” No, wait. That wasn’t PP&M in the 1960s. That’s Lake Waccamaw State Park this Sunday at 2 p.m., when a ranger explains why the park’s alligators are no longer on the prowl, why the turtles aren’t out catching some rays … basically why the entire reptile population is laying low. A great opportunity to learn a little something, then take a long (Lakeshore Trail, 5 miles) or short (Sand Ridge Trail, 0.75 mile) hike to look for the reptiles that aren’t supposed to be there.
Fly like an eagle, run like an alligator’s nipping at your heels, go somewhere where you might need a — be still my heart — jacket! It’s all on North Carolina’s busy agenda this weekend.
Coast
Flying like a bird: it should be on your life’s to-do list, and since it’s there, why not knock it off this weekend? Kitty Hawk Kites has taught more than 300,000 people to hang glide off the dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, and as far as we know they’ve all landed (though we know of at least one — ahem — who didn’t necessarily land on his feet). It’s surprisingly easy and even more fun than the birds make it look. An hour of classroom instruction, then two on the dunes soaring up to 100 yards and getting as high as 15 feet (it doesn’t sound high until you’re up there). The laws of aerodynamics dictate that you must weigh no less than 75 pounds, no more than 225. $99
For me — and thousands of others in North Carolina — it’s as much a New Year’s Day tradition as black-eye peas and college football: the New Year’s Day hike. Make it a tradition for yourself as well, whether it’s to shake out the cobwebs from ushering 2010 out the door or, on a more progressive note, to get your year off to a healthy start. A walk through the woods can’t help but put you in a good frame of mind for the year ahead.