Normal may still be a ways off in some cases, but the recovery has been remarkably swift. From what I’d seen of Hot Springs, a town that I’ve been leading hiking trips to for years, I was certain it could be years before we would return to hike on the Appalachian Trail, which runs through downtown.

And yet come May, just seven months after Helene, I found myself in Hot Springs at the town’s reopening, a reopening that included a hike on a favorite stretch of the AT, from Tanyard Gap into downtown. Two weeks later I was back in the mountains, for a weekend of hiking in Panthertown Valley. And next weekend this celebration of mountain towns and trails will continue, with a weekend of hiking in Ashe County.

This will be the third of our Return to Western NC events, and by “our,” I mean the communities involved working with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong unit. Hometown Strong works to help communities in the state’s 78 rural counties in a variety of ways, including helping them promote their recreational assets. My day job is with Hometown Strong, and helping to organize these events is how I spend part of my time. Enough about that. Let’s talk about our next Return to Western NC hiking weekend, in Ashe County.

Ashe County, for the unaware, is in the far northwest corner of the state. The mountainous area is unique in that it’s home to the Amphibolite Mountains, steep and rugged mountains covered in dense forests of northern hardwoods, including a type of aspen and sugar maples that blaze orange come fall. It’s a different experience than you’ll get in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests to the south. And because there’s significantly less public land in these mountains, the opportunities to hike here are limited. Which makes an event like this one on June 27 and 28 that much more special.

Three hikes are planned for the weekend:

Friday, June 27

Return to Western NC: Hike Paddy Mountain, 2:30 p.m., West Jefferson. Last year, the first segment of the nascent 40-mile Northern Peaks State Trail opened in West Jefferson. It was promptly closed by Hurricane Helene. But thanks to volunteer-led efforts, the trail has reopened, and we’ll get to hike it as part of our Return to Western NC weekend in Ashe County. Jordan Sellers with the BRC will lead this 3.6-mile loop hike, which utilizes long switchbacks to ease its way up Paddy Mountain, gaining nearly 350 feet in its first 1.3 miles. Passage is through a Rich Cove Forest. What’s that mean? Join us to find out. Learn more and sign up here.

Saturday, June 28

Return to Western NC: Hike Elk Knob State Park, 9 a.m., Todd. On this 4-mile out-and-back hike we top out on 5,520-foot Elk Knob, which offers incredible views to the north, of the Southern Appalachians in northern North Carolina and southern Virginia. And the 2-mile hike to the summit, gaining nearly 1,000 vertical feet, relies on well-designed trail to ease the impact of that elevation gain and to usher you safely through some of the mountain’s rockier sections. Learn more and sign up here.

Return to Western NC: Hike Pond Mountain, 2 p.m., Pond Mountain is a 2,900-acre game land made possible by the Blue Ridge Conservancy and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Stunning views dominate the 5,000-foot summit plateau, but so does water. According to the Blue Ridge Conservancy, the area got its name from surveyor Peter Jefferson (Thomas’s son), “…because of the many natural ponds that dotted the mountain’s high ridgeline. The historic ponds point to the mountain’s special significance as an important water resource. Several important streams and creeks originate on Pond Mountain, including Big Laurel, Ripshin and Big Horse Creeks, all of which flow into the New River, a National Heritage River and one of the oldest rivers in the world.” Learn more and sign up here.

In addition, there’s an outdoor concert Friday evening in downtown West Jefferson featuring the Whitetop Mountain Band, a popular family-based band with deep roots in mountain music. All the more reason to come up for Friday’s Paddy Mountain hike and make a weekend of it.

Learn more about these hikes, the concert, lodging/camping and more by going here.

See you in West Jefferson!

The post Return to Western NC with an Ashe Co. Hiking Weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

At just 6,311 acres, this pocket of the Nantahala National Forest is full of great views, numerous waterfalls, and mountain streams noted for their trout. It also has 30 miles of trail to help you see it all. It may not be Yellowstone; rather, it’s a microcosm of what Yellowstone is known for. It’s also one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the country. 

How diverse?

On Saturday, you’ll have a chance to find out. For the past month or so the Friends of Panthertown have been conducting a Biolblitz, an effort to catalogue as much of the valley’s flora, fauna and geology as possible. It’s the first such effort ever, and the results will be shared at the Bioblitz Final Celebration Saturday in Cashiers from 2-5 p.m.

Hearing about Panthertown’s naturally occurring virtues is great; seeing them is even better. That’s why, as part of my day job with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, I’ll be leading 5-mile hikes into the valley on both Saturday and Sunday, commencing both days at 9 a.m. from the Salt Rock Gap trailhead. The hikes: 

• Saturday’s hike: Panthertown Valley Trail to Mac’s Gap Loop, 5.4 miles. This hike starts with a pleasant downhill, then includes a loop taking in the popular Schoolhouse Falls and a well-earned view from atop Little Green Mountain. Lots of variety on this hike, which you can check out here on AllTrails. Find details on the hike and sign up (spots are limited) here.
• Sunday’s hike: Blackrock Mountain, Granny Burrell Falls, Frolictown Falls and Wilderness Falls, 5.5 miles. We hike out to Blackrock Mountain, then drop down hike to three waterfalls before returning to the trailhead. Find details and sign up (spots are limited) here. Piece together these two hikes on AllTrails — this one and this one — and you’ll have a good idea of the hike.

Are you a backpacker? We’ve got you covered, too.

• Weekend backpack trip: Get both hikes AND a night or two of camping in the valley. We meet at 5 p.m. Friday, May 15, at the Salt Rock Gap Trailhead, then hike a mile downhill to camp for the weekend. After setting up and eating dinner, we’ll take a short hike to the Salt Rock Overlook to enjoy sunset. Saturday and Sunday we do the hikes listed above. You can also join us Saturday morning, if you like. Find details and sign up (spots are limited) here.

Both day hikes should end around 12:30 p.m.. On Saturday, that’s to allow time to get into Cashiers by 2 p.m. for the Biolblitz festivities, on Sunday that’s to give folks time to drive home in daylight.

Panthertown Valley is a must-explore for the adventurous Southeasterner. This is the perfect weekend to mark it off your list.

More info

• Learn more about the Bioblitz here.
• Learn more about the Friends of Panthertown here.
• Learn more about lodging options nearby here.

The post It’s a great weekend to blitz Panthertown Valley appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Water.

So in a way, it’s appropriate that we shall spend Earth Day this year getting drenched. A week of sun, a day of rain: What better prescription for the planet we love?

That being the case, instead of kvetching about our plans for tomorrow — which is Earth Day, btw — on the verge of being rained out, we instead make the most of what, in Mother Nature’s view, is a good thing, we make the proper adjustments. In our case, that means tweaking the Year of the Trail Weekend Trail Days Festival we’ve been planning with the city of Eden, the county of Rockingham, and the Dan River Basin Association over the past eight months. (“We” incidentally, being the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong initiative, of which I am employed.)

Fortunately, there’s a lot of enthusiasm for Year of the Trail here in the land of Eden and rather than cancel the event outright, we’ve opted to simply move as many events as possible to Sunday. We’ll still have a kickoff twilight hike this evening on the Smith River Greenway, we’ll still have a downtown festival in Eden Saturday evening, Otherwise, it’s all on Sunday. Here’s our revised schedule:

9 a.m. – Hike at Mayo Mountain State Park, Mayodan. Deshazo Mill, 1.5 miles. Beginner/family. Ranger led. Learn more and sign up here.

10 a.m. – Hike at Lake Reidsville, 4 miles. This trail ducks in and out of forested coves along the lake. Beginner/family friendly. Learn more and sign up here.

1:30 p.m. — Hike on the Smith River Greenway, Eden, 3 miles. See Friday’s evening hike for a trail description. Beginner-friendly. Learn more and sign up here.

1- 4 p.m. – Paddle on the Dan River. 5 miles, mellow stretch of river with some Class I rapids and assorted riffles. BYOB (Bring Your Own Boat), shuttle will be provided. Paddlers from the Dan River Basin Association will lead this trip. The Dan is wide and easily navigable on this stretch from the new Dan River Game Lands boat ramp to the Leakesville Landing boat access in downtown Eden. Members of the Dan River Basin Association will lead this trip. Learn more and sign up here.

The forecast for Sunday: Highs in the 50s and low 60s under sunny skies. A gift from Mother Nature after she takes her day in the spotlight for a well-deserved drink.

The post Mom Needs a Drink, Year of the Trail is Happy to Oblige appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Until this year.

This year, as part of North Carolina’s observance of Year of the Trail, among the hundreds of Year of the Trail events are 11 weekend trail festivals. Most will follow this format:

• Friday evening: a night hike, maybe a downtown concert, an introductory remark or two. 
• Saturday: Guided hikes, paddle trips, mountain bike rides. We’ll start around 9 a.m., go until 5 p.m. or so. There will also be a downtown festival, with craft and outdoor vendors, food and live music. There might well be more live music Saturday evening.
• Sunday: Sunday started out as a EIY (Explore It Yourself) day, with guide material supplied for select adventures. and that will still be the case. But we’re finding we have more and more to offer, so some structured events are sneaking into the mix. Volunteer service events (trail maintenance, trail building, etc.), for one. And we may be adding birding to the mix.

A quick explanation of what I mean by “we.” The 11 events are hosted by the communities and by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong initiative. Hometown Strong was created by Gov. Roy Cooper to help the state’s 80 rural counties boost their economies. I joined Hometown Strong last summer to help communities in those counties do just that by helping them showcase their, in my opinion, largely under-appreciated outdoor recreation assets. Hence the 11 Weekend Trail Days Festivals, which are shown below with their festival dates:

• Elizabethtown/White Lake, Feb. 17-19
• Morganton, March 3-5
• Eden, April 21-23
• Sanford, May 12-14
• Elizabeth City, June 2-4
• Old Fort, June 2-4
• Edenton, July 21-23
• West Jefferson, Aug. 4-6
• Shelby, Oct. 13-15
• Robbinsville, Oct. 27-28

First Festival: Elizabethtown/White Lake

What will these festivals look like? They continue to evolve, but the first one, in Elizabethtown/White Lake southeast of Fayetteville, looks like this:

Friday, Feb. 17

• 3-7 p.m. –  Check-in at the Trail Weekend Headquarters at the Cape Fear Farmers Market, where you’ll find food, vendors and information on the weekend’s events.
• 6:30 p.m. – Night hike at Jones Lake State Park, Cedar Loop Trail

Saturday, Feb. 18

• 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Food, vendors, information on events available at the aforementioned Cape Fear Farmer’s Market.
• 10 a.m. – Hike at Jones Lake State Park on the 4-mile Bay Trail
• 11 a.m. – Guided mountain bike ride at Browns Creek Nature Park and Bike Trail
• 12:30 p.m. – Guided paddle on Jones Lake State Park
• 1 p.m. – Reading by local author at Bladen County Public Library
• 2 p.m. – Guided hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
• 3 p.m. – Guided hike at Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area
• 4 p.m. – Guided hike at Singletary Lake State Park
• 4-8 p.m.  Trail Weekend Headquarters moves to White Lake. 
• 4 p.m. – Guided hike on White Lake multi-use path
• 5:30-7:30 p.m. — Southern comfort cuisine dinner/fundraiser for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
• 6-8 p.m.  Live music, White Lake

Sunday, Feb. 19

Sunday is a do-it-yourself day. We will provide maps and route descriptions.  A “hike board” will be at the Trail Weekend Headquarter for people to organize and hike together. Potential hikes include:

• Through the vines at Lu Mil vineyard
• Paved trail around Greene’s Lake and Cape Fear Winery & Distillery
• Tour and hike at Harmony Hall National Historic site open from 1-4pm
• 9 holes of disc golf at Tory Hole Park
• Jones Lake State Park
• Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest
• Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area

More info and registration

Events are free, but registration is suggested since most events are capped. You can also find more information on each event at the registration site, which resides here. Two more sites to be aware of:

• GetGoingNC.com YOTT page. You can find more information including upcoming Year of the Trail events and news, at our YOTT page, here.
• Greattrailsnc.com. And, you can find a comprehensive Year of the Trail calendar of events at greattrailsnc.com, the official event aggregator for Year of the Trail.

One last thing. These events are for everyone. We don’t care about your experience level, we don’t care if you’ve been in seclusion for the past three years (which some of you have). The goal of Year of the Trail is to develop a keen appreciation for the outdoors in every North Carolinian, all 10.7 million of us.

Join us.

The post A Year of Weekend Festivals Celebrating Trails appeared first on GetGoing NC!.