Recently, I was on a multi-use trail (a trail open for more than just hiking: mountain biking and horseback riding, for instance) at a nearby state park when I came upon a phalanx of hikers spanning the width of the trail and spilling onto its shoulders. The trail was quite generous, a converted fire road capable of handling loads of trail users without conflict—provided those trail users were considerate of other trail users. I doubt these hikers were being intentionally inconsiderate: they were simply unaware.

Which brings us to trail etiquette.

With any civilized pursuit, there are certain rules one is expected to observe, and hiking is no exception. These basic rules won’t impinge on your ability to enjoy the escape you seek. Rather, they’re simply an acknowledgment that you are not alone on the trail, that the trail is there for all of us to share.

Here are some ways to be a good citizen of the trail:

• Pay attention. Be aware that you are not alone on the trail. If you’re walking two abreast and a hiker approaches, make room for the hiker to pass. This is especially important when hiking with a group.
• Be aware. If you like to hike plugged in—with earbuds or headphones—make sure the volume is low enough that you can hear what’s happening around you — a hiker approaching from the rear, for instance. Also make sure the volume is low enough that it doesn’t seep out and disrupt the quiet of the woods for others.
• Share the trail, Part I. Remember that you are not alone on the trail. As the scenario at the top suggests, being a good trail user is more about awareness than anything. Lose yourself in nature, but keep a little of yourself in the present and aware of fellow hikers.
• Share the trail, Part II. As mentioned earlier, some trails are multiuse, meaning they’re open to more than just hikers. When sharing the trail, the general rule is that mountain bikers yield to hikers and equestrians, hikers yield to equestrians. There are, however, exceptions to the rule …
• Downhill yields to uphill. The exception to the above: If you’re on a steep, narrow trail, the hiker/biker/runner heading downhill should yield to the hiker/biker/runner laboring uphill. However, there are times when the uphiller is only too eager to cede passage — and take a break in the process. Common sense should apply; do not become obsessed with propriety and insist that the uphill party proceed.
• Passing. When you come up behind a slower trail user, announce your intentions to pass. Something simple, such as “Passing on your left,” or simply, “On your left” is good. Announce your intentions far enough in advance that the person has time to react and isn’t sacred out of his wits. A “thank you” after passing is a nice touch.
• Stop to the side of the trail. If you stop — to take a drink, check a map, eat some gorp — step off the trail so others may pass with ease.
• Hello! Share a simple, “Hey,” “Hi,” “How are ya?” A little wave, a quick smile, a peace sign. A simple sign of humanity goes a long way on the trail. As it does everywhere in life.

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Let’s GetHiking!

Learn more about the basics of hiking, from how to dress and what to bring, to the dynamics of the group hike, in our Let’s GetHiking: A Guide for the Aspiring Hiker.

The post A Trail Etiquette Primer appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

We head into the wayback machine again to revisit the timely topic of trail etiquette. The following first appeared here on March 19, 2010. It reappears today, with minor revisions. 

Sunday, I was running the bike and bridle trail at Umstead when I came upon a sizable obstacle: a phalanx of hikers bearing backpacks spanned the width of the trail, spilling over onto the shoulders. The trail is quiet generous, a converted fire road that should be capable of handling boatloads of trail users without conflict. Provided those trail users are cognizant of other trail users. Which brings us to today’s topic:

Trail etiquette.

It’s a particularly relevant topic considering highs reaching into the mid to upper 70s accompanied by ample sunshine are bringing legions of hikers into the woods. Warm weather, lots of sunshine, plenty of people on the trail. A few gentle reminders for making sure everyone has a good time out on the trail.

• Pay attention. Even as runners, mountain bikers and other hikers took evasive action to dodge the aforementioned backpackers, the oblivious party continued to block the trail. I appreciate the group experience, but it’s just as easy to appreciate in blocks of two or three on half the trail. Hike/run/bike for a while with that group, then mix it up. But above all, just pay attention.
• Be alert. Runners especially like to hit the trail plugged in to music. I’m quick to admit a recent addiction to Pandora; the unpredictable mix provides welcome surprises, especially on a trail I know too well. If you are plugged in, keep the volume low enough so it doesn’t block out the sounds around you. And keep to the side of the trail.
• Share the trail. I touched on this a while back, but a quick reminder can’t hurt. When sharing the trail, mountain bikers yield to hikers and equestrians, hikers yield to equestrians. And runners? We’re quick on our feet: Don’t worry about us.
• Uphill yields to down. If you’re on a steep, narrow trail, the downhill hiker/biker/runner should yield to the person laboring uphill. While this is a general rule, there are times on a mountain bike where both parties know instinctively that the downhiller should have the right-of-way. And frankly, it’s common practice that the uphiller is only to eager to cede passage — and take a rest in the process.
• “Passing.” This mainly applies to mountain bikers: When you come up behind a slower trail user, announce your intentions to pass. Something simple, such as “Passing on your left” is good. Announce your intentions far enough in advance so that the person has time to react. A “Thank you” after passing a cooperative party is a nice touch. And if they’re plugged in, don’t hear you and continue to take up the middle of the trail, well, be patient, take a breath, remind yourself you’re on the trail on a gorgeous day.
• Stop to the side of the trail. If you stop to take a drink, check a map, eat some gorp, step off the trail.
• Don’t block the trailhead. Another annoying thing that happens at Umstead, at the Lake Crabtree neighborhood entrance: When people — runners and cyclists especially — finish their workout, some like to linger on the road and, based on how long they linger, discuss world politics. On my bike, I’ve actually made eye contact with folks blocking the road who STILL fail to move. Grrr. I mean, Grrreat that they’re so engrossed in what they’re doing.
• Hello! Finally, would it kill you to say a simple, “Hey,” “Hi,” “How are ya?” A little wave, a quick smile, a peace sign. A simple sign of basic humanity goes a long way on the trail.

As it does everywhere in life.

The post Trail etiquette: play nice appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Saturday sees a return to seasonable temperatures and sun, suitable for a day of adventure. Sunday … not so much. Unless you’re going skiing, check out our Saturday recommendations.

Coast

One of the big struggles of modern parenting is motivating our kids to move. Back in the day, it was no problem: you could stay inside and watch one of the four channels (three of which were airing mom’s soaps) on the Zenith, or you could go outside and get into mischief. Nearly all of us went the mischief route.

Today, there are so many more reasons not to get into outdoor mischief, thanks to our assorted electronic devices. It’s so easy to spend the day getting lost in a world of faux mischief that, shoot, who has time for the real thing?

We’re guessing that a bit of history in the making in the Wilmington area this weekend could change that for your brood. Saturday and Sunday, at Brunswick Nature Park in Leland, the fledgling N.C. Interscholastic Cycling League will hold its first-ever mountain bike race. Twenty-five teams from across the state are expected to compete on the five-mile network, kids in grades 6 through 12, some competing on school teams, some on “composite” teams made up of kids from various schools, including home schoolers.

Bring your kids, watch the action. Worried about your kid getting hooked on a sport you can’t afford? Don’t be. The NCICL offers scholarships to riders in need, and has alliances in the bike industry (take a bow, Trek) that can help make mountain biking affordable. Remember how transformative it was to tool around the neighborhood on your BMX bike as a kid? Imagine that feeling amplified riding through the woods.

Logistics: Race 1: N.C. Interscholastic Cycling League, Saturday and Sunday, March 11-12, New Brunswick Nature Park, Winnabow (which is near Leland, which is outside Wilmington). More info here.

Weekend forecast: Sunny and 55 on Saturday, rainy and 55 on Sunday.

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Looking ahead: N.C. Birding Trail Hike, Thursday, March 16, Halyburton Park, Wilmington. More info here.

Piedmont

Last fall’s wild fires in the mountains raised questions about the devastating effect they would have on the places we love to visit: Chimney Rock, South Mountains State Park, parts of the Nantahala.

True, fires of this magnitude can have devastating consequences. But fire in its natural place is vital for the forest, crucial, in fact, to the forest’s health. Certain flora rely on periodic fires to reproduce, certain fauna rely on it to replenish their food supplies. The role of fire is complex.

Saturday, though, you can start making sense of the role fire plays on the Fire Ecology Hike at Pilot Mountain State Park. There, controlled burns have been employed to replicate the natural order of burns; join a ranger to understand how this seemingly contradictory situation — fire breeding life — works.

Logistics: Fire Ecology Hike, Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 49.

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Looking ahead: First Day of Spring Hike, Monday, March 20, Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. More info here.

Mountains

If you haven’t made it to the mountains to ski yet this winter and had doubts that you’d be able to in light of the warm weather of late, the weather gods have issued a reprieve. Cold weather and snow return to the mountains starting Saturday and lasting into midweek, making mid-March skiing a reality. That is, for those resorts that choose to capitalize on the returning cold and crank up their snow machines.

At this point, say our friends at SkiSoutheast.com, only Snowshoe, Appalachian and Sugar Mountain appear committed to more snowmaking this late in the season. Keep your dial tuned to the aforementioned SkiSoutheast.com for the latest details on who’s blowing how much snow where.

Logistics: Get the latest ski report at SkiSoutheast.com

Weekend forecast: Cold, with snow possible.

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Looking ahead: Flight of the American Woodcock, Saturday, March 18, New River State Park. More info here.

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

Coast

The post This weekend: Saturday, rather than Sunday  appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

But the idea has lingered. It’s come to the fore of late with talk of creating a Trails Center on about 600 acres owned by the RDU Airport Authority between Lake Crabtree County Park and Umstead. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it is a mecca for local mountain bikers and runners. There’s about 35 miles of legal trail in the vicinity, perhaps twice that if you throw in the … unauthorized paths. A year ago, RDU commissioned a study suggesting this land — including some of the legal trail at Lake Crabtree — might be put to more economic use by housing offices, apartments, retail. The local outdoors community has responded with a proposal to instead create a Trails Center that, in the words of Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson, could establish the Triangle as the Boulder of the East.

Boulder of the East: that’s selling short the area’s true potential.

Trails — and more

So far, the focus of this center has been on trail aimed at bikers, runners, hikers.

But the potential here is so much more. Take that canoe trip I didn’t take. Crabtree spends about an hour meandering through Umstead, a nearly pristine run through protected forest that includes old growth beech groves and bluffs of rhododendron and mountain laurel. After leaving the park to the east, at the Ebenezer Church Road boundary, the creek continues about 17 miles before feeding into the Neuse River. As many know because for 14.6 miles the creek is escorted by Raleigh greenway, it’s a diverse stretch: there’s some of the natural beauty found in Umstead, you can stop and shop at a mall (Crabtree Valley), you can lookie-loove the backyards of some of Inside the Beltline’s grand homes. There’s even a portage, at Lassiter Falls. Because of downfall strainers dropped over the years, Crabtree is only paddled as a lark, for quirky bragging rights.

And how about that greenway. On the Lake Crabtree end, trail connects with the Cary greenway system: Black Creek Greenway meets the White Oak Greenway in Bond Park, White Oak is just two short stretches shy of connecting with the American Tobacco Trail and a ride into downtown Durham. Heading east out of the park, there’s a short stretch of yet-to-be-built greenway before the Crabtree Creek Greenway picks up and begins its nearly 15-mile run to the Neuse. There, it meets with 32 miles of greenway running from the base of Falls dam to Clayton. A short distance downstream, you can ride up the 15-mile Walnut Creek Greenway and ride through N.C. State’s Centennial Campus to Lake Johnson.

In all, there’s some 200 miles of nearly connected trail, nearly all of which is paved (and what isn’t, in Umstead, is a crushed gravel surface friendly to most bikes).

Last summer I was at Umstead, waiting for a hiking group to show. A guy in running gear pulled up, hopped out, asked if I knew the trails. “I need to catch a plane in two hours,” he explained. “I’m looking for a 5-mile run.”

Ride, run, hike, paddle, climb …

It wasn’t the first time I’d fielded such a question from a visiting business type. For a runner traveling for work, you couldn’t ask for a better amenity than Umstead. Made me wonder how a traveling mountain biker might respond should there be a quick and easy bike rental option near the airport.

The triumvirate of Umstead, Lake Crabtree and RDU makes for an ideal recreation hub exceeding that of even the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Think about it: A Triangle Adventure Center that would:

• Rent canoes and kayaks, and provide shuttle service, for trips down Crabtree Creek, either to the edge of Umstead, to various spots in Raleigh, or to the Neuse. (Or on to New Bern.)
• Rent mountain bikes, do repairs, and offer guide service and skills training with access to 25 miles of single-track trail.
• Serve as a bike touring center for cyclists skittish in traffic but eager to ride long — of 100 miles or more.
• Serve as a hiking center to those interested in exploring the 20 miles (currently) of hiking trail in Umstead.
• Serve as a nexus for runners, perhaps offering training packages to distance runners eager to take advantage of Umstead’s natural surface trail.
• Attract folks who are into bouldering. (We’re not supposed to know this, but there’s a great outcrop on RDU land just up Crabtree Creek from Umstead.)
• And what the heck, let’s throw in a climbing wall, maybe convince our friends at the Triangle Rock Club to build their first outdoor climbing facility.

Recreation ready

Much of the recreational infrastructure is in place. Perhaps the biggest challenge would be making Crabtree Creek navigable: those strainers create habitat over time, and care would need to be taken not to disrupt the ecological balance.

The Triangle Adventure Center would be a great asset for local residents. Its proximity to RDU — its existence within RDU — would make it one of the top airport amenities in the world (and if you don’t think that means something, just ask any RDU board member). It would draw serious athletes for focused training as well as families looking for an adventure vacation with the amenities (shopping, food, culture, an actual bed to sleep in) of an urban area.

Rather than settle for being the Boulder of the East, let’s think big.

Let’s make Boulder the Triangle of the West.

The post The RDU Solution: Let’s think big appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Carpenter’s vision is this: Lake James, the 6,800-acre lake currently best known as the gateway to other adventurous places (Linville Gorge, Wilson Creek, the Pisgah National Forest) is the next Nantahala Outdoor Center, an all-encompassing outdoor playground that’s day-tripable from North Carolina’s major population centers: Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle.
Carpenter is Deputy County Manager and Planning Director for Burke County, in which Lake James and its associated state park reside. Burke County, like many mountain counties, is dealing with a changing economy that must figure out how to rely less on manufacturing and more on … .
“Tourism,” answers Carpenter.
The ultimate goal, says Carpenter, is to lure an NOC-type outfitter to the region to help exploit the local recreational resources. Chances are, if you see the Lake James exit on I-40 as little more than a sign that you’re almost to where the fun starts, you’re scratching your head: What can I do at Lake James that doesn’t

involve a power boat?
A lot, it turns out. And a lot more, if Carpenter and Burke County Commissioner Johnnie Carswell, who shares Carpenter’s vision, get there way.
Currently on Lake James area’s adventure menu:

• Paddling: flat water. True, Lake James may be best known for it motorboating options, but Carpenter says the lakes numerous fingers snaking into the rugged surrounding terrain makes for great paddling for those in the know.
• Paddling: whitewater. Though access is a challenge, the Linville River through Linville Gorge, offers some noteworthy whitewater kayaking. (Shortly after exiting the gorge, the river empties into Lake James.)
• Rock climbing. Linville Gorge, especially the east rim, is a popular spot, and not just in North Carolina: MountainProject.com calls it “a premier climbing destination in the SE.”
• Hiking. Lake James itself has several miles of hiking trails; Linville Gorge adds another 40 miles (some of it among the most challenging —

  

  and rewarding — in the state; an eight-mile run of the Overmountain Victory Trail connects with the state park; and, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail swings by as well.

• Mountain biking. Earlier this year, Lake James State Park added 15 miles of mountain bike trail in the Paddy’s Creek area, including a four-mile beginner loop (Tindo), and the more aggressive East Wimba and West Wimba loops.

That alone would seem enough to justify a day trip and a dedicated outfitter. But Carpenter and Burke County are hoping to seduce us further with a multiuse trail that would circle the lake. That would mean a trail of between 24 and 27 miles. A trail that would link with the Upper Catawba River Paddle Trail, MST, Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and the existing trail at Lake James State Park.
How confident is Carpenter that the trail, which still needs an easement or two from private landowners who border the lake and will take about $5 million to build, will become reality?
So confident that a volunteer group has already begun building the trail.
One reason for his confidence is the documented economic impact of recreational tourism elsewhere. The master plan cites two examples:

• On the Outer Banks, bicycling is estimated to have an annual economic impact of $60 million and 1,407 jobs supported from the 40,800 visitors for whom bicycling was an important reason for choosing to vacation in the area. “The annual return on bicycle facility development in the Outer Banks is approximately nine times higher than the initial investment.”
• In Damascus, Va., hub of the Virginia Creeper Trail (a 34-mile rails-to-trails project), “locals and non-locals spend approximately $2.5 million annually related to their recreation visits.” (Damascus is also a popular stop on the Appalachian Trail.)

Does Carpenter’s optimism for the project extent to projecting when the Lake James Loop might be complete. It does, as he offers an answer without a moment’s hesitation.
“Within four years,” he says, “it will be done.”

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Learn more about the proposed Lake James Loop Trail and the area in general in Lake James Loop Trail Master Plan, here.

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