Alan and I were overdue for an epic ride. During the early summer we’d done a handful of 4- to 5-hour rides at Umstead, Lake Crabtree and adjoining single track networks that will go unnamed for fear of prosecution for trespassing. But since July — or specifically since I’d done ORAMM and no longer had the incentive to put in long hours in the saddle — our longest ride had barely topped 2 hours. So we were overdue, we realized last week, but we were also short on after work daylight.

No problem, Alan said. Let’s break out the headlamps.

This time of year, with the passing of Daylight Savings Time, I get the urge to go all Medieval, break out the torches and roam the countryside. Only it ain’t a monster I’m looking to vanquish. Rather, it’s the monster of inactivity I’m looking to do in. Be it mountain biking by the massive flare of my 1200 lumen helmet-mount light or the more cozy, though still effective, glow of my 90 lumen Black Diamond headlamp for hiking it might as well be high noon in the High Sierra

I’ve written a good deal over the years about getting out and exploring at night. And since I’d rather get out at night and do something than rewrite what I’ve written about before, I’ll just direct you to those previous articles. Here’s hoping you’re inspired to see your day end long after 6 p.m.

Mountain biking

Since we’re already on the topic of mountain biking, let’s start there. An elaboration on why riding a bike through the forest at night is safe and scenes from a 24-hour race that runs through the night.

• Coping with Standard Time: Mountain Biking at Night
• Beer for Butter, Unprotected Support and Other Insights from the Burn 24

Hiking

One of my favorite times to take a long hike? In the dark of night. A 3- to 4-hour walk in the woods after the sun goes down can be aerobically aurally stimulating. Some tips on making a safe night of it.

• Enjoy the Night with a Hike
• Night Hiking: Beating the Standard Time Blues

Neighborhood walk

Spooked by the idea of hiking in the dark with … who-knows-what that might be out there with you? Join the masses who bundle up and walk their neighborhoods in the dark.

• Night Moves: A Safe Walk in a Dangerous Place

Climbing

Of course, you can’t stay out every night. Which is why I find myself spending considerably more time at the climbing gym during the winter than at other times of the year.

• Climbing: Before You Go Up, You Gotta Learn to Come Down

Need more incentive?

Another reason not to taper off when the weather turns cold? It’s bad for your hrealth.  According to the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State’s North Carolina Research Campus people who don’t exercise in the winder are more likely to catch cold.

• Run from that Cold

Last year, when I originally foisted this repackaging of past posts upon you, I noticed one big omission: Nary a mention of paddling at night. I’ve mentioned guided paddles that occur at night, but nothing reflecting the experience personally. I’ve paddled at night: I still have vivid memories of being part of a flotilla that paddled to a remote part of Falls Lake one cold November night to watch a meteor shower. But that was years ago, and I can’t find a report on the event. And if that was the last time I’ve had a paddle in my hands in the dark (it was in the mid-1990s), that’s too long a time to go between night paddles.

Last year I vowed to remedy the situation. The vow still stands. Hopefully it will happen this month.

The post Take back the night appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I have various rules of thumb for when it’s too hot to do certain things. Over 80? Too hot to hike (sweat + overnight cobweb construction + lots of body hair makes me feel like a wad of cotton candy after a mile or so). I draw the line slightly higher, at 85, for running, mainly because of the skimpy apparel involved. I’ll paddle into the low 90s, but not on open, unshaded water. I can handle 90 degrees on a mountain bike; the calculation becomes more involved on a road bike. I’ll ride up to 95 on road, maybe higher if I don’t have to stop; few things are more demoralizing than coming to a stoplight after generating an 18-mile-per-hour breeze, then losing that breeze altogether. (Sweaty fact: 109 F is 42.777 C.)

And when the temperature is 106, as it’s forecast to be today? (Sweaty fact: the hottest it has ever been in the Triangle is 105 F.)

Not even swimming is refreshing at that temperature. When I lived in Dallas I occasionally swam laps in the 50-meter outdoor pool at Southern Methodist University. Come August, with daytime highs typically in the 100-105 range, the water temperature would climb into the upper 90s, making me ever vigilant for cafeteria workers shoveling large quantities of carrots, onion and seasoning into the pool. (Sweaty fact: “Beef” stew should be served at 160 F.)

So, how can you maintain your active lifestyle when the temperature is north of 100, as it’s forecast to be for a good deal of the state through Monday? (Sweaty fact: The highest temperature ever recorded in North Carolina is 110, in Fayetteville on Aug. 21, 1983.)

Hit the gym. Even if you don’t belong to a gym you can usually finagle at least a day or two of working out. Many gyms offer free trial periods (though be prepared afterward for an onslaught of soliciting emails and phone calls) and others charge a modest fee — usually around $10 — for a one-time visit. (Sweaty fact: Unchecked, your body temperature can rise to as high as 104 during a workout.)

Hit the climbing gym — The best example of bringing the outdoors in? Your local neighborhood climbing gym. Mine is the Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville, where Joel Graybeal reports, “We have no special plans to do anything in regard to the heat other than making sure that the a/c filters are cleaned daily and that we run the system at night to cool the whole building down ahead of the next day.” Rain rather than heat, adds Graybeal, is more likely to drive active types indoors. To find the climbing gym nearest you, check out our list of North Carolina climbing gyms. (Sweaty fact: The melting temperature of granite is 1215-1260 C.)

Read a good book about people being active. This might be the weekend I break my “wait-‘til-it’s-in-paperback” rule and pony up for Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.” Strayed’s account of her 1995 journey on the 2,650-mile trail isn’t your typical trip report, according to reviews. In fact, Strayed wasn’t even a hiker, let alone a thru-hiker, when she set off. Again, according to the reviews, this is a book you best plan on not putting down once you pick it up, a book perfect for a string of 100-plus degree days. For a rundown of other recommended adventure reading, check out the original Outside magazine canon, which appeared in 1996. (Sweaty fact: My eyesight began going south in third grade after I weathered a bout of temperature-spiking German measles by reading continuously.)

Watch a good film about people being active. Who among us hasn’t looked up from the computer screen bleary-eyed after a three-hour session of 90-second videos showing everything from wingsuit BASE jumping into a Norwegian fiord to surfing the biggest wave ever to Russian teens doing wacky parkour routines atop high-rise buildings? Even though I just provided links to all of the above, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about such full-length classic outdoor fare as “The Eiger Sanction,” “Stand by Me,” “Jeremiah Johnson” or “Cliffhanger.” OK, maybe not “Cliffhanger.” This list of The Top 100 Adventure Movies has some curious choices (“Ratatouille”) but it’s got a number of winners as well. (Sweaty fact: “Celsius 41.11: The Temperature at which the Brain Begins to Die” was a 2004 documentary that “attempts to correct the record when it comes to the left’s attacks on President Bush, 9/11 and the war in Iraq and Kerry’s 20-year tenure in the Senate.”)

Wait until dark. I’m not saying you’ll need your fleece if you head out in the evening, but you won’t need a mop, either. A quick review of local Meetup activities shows a night mountain bike ride at Lake Crabtree on Friday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a last-minute night hike or paddle pops up as well. Follow the action by checking into Meetup.com, entering your zip code and areas of interest, and see what pops up. Note: If you can’t find anyone to head out with you on a night venture, think twice about heading out on your own, especially if you don’t have much night experience. In the daylight if you get in trouble, there’s a good chance someone will stumble upon you. Not so after dark. An early morning outing is likewise an option; the temperature is typically at its coolest shortly after sunrise. But keep in mind the mercury will soar with the rising sun. (Sweaty fact: “Wait Until Dark” probably isn’t a movie you want to wait until dark to watch.)

Sweaty fact: No matter what you do over the next several days, expect sweat to be a part of it.

The post Too hot? Don’t sweat it appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

We were on a post-sundown training hike for the Ultimate Hike last month when a beam  of bright light began gaining on us from behind. I turned and saw two headlights bearing down on us, still maybe 75 yards down the road.

“I’ll do the talking,” I said, since I was the hike leader and since I may have forgotten to mention to my fellow hikers that, technically, we were trespassing. We were hiking on a gravel road in a local forest where — again, “technically” — the gates close at sunset. I quickly relied this information to my hikers — then we waited a surprisingly long time for the two beams of light to reach us. When they did, they split, passed us on either side, and continued on their technically illegal way. It wasn’t a park ranger on patrol in a pickup; it was a pair of mountain bikers.

“Wow!” said one impressed hikers. “Those lights are really bright.”

“I can’t imagine riding a mountain bike at night,” added another. “That’s gotta be dangerous.”

“Actually,” I said, about to deliver a speech I’ve issued many times over the years, “It’s just the opposite.” I went on to explain that mountain biking at night is, in many respects, more safe than riding during the day because your world is restricted to this 20-foot-or-so world ahead illuminated by your headlamp. Unable to let your eyes wander off into the woods, or farther down the trail, you’re forced to focus on what’s immediately in front of you. That’s pretty much true of most outdoor activities done at night: they generally are more safe.

I’ve written a good deal over the years about getting out and exploring at night. And since I’d rather get out at night and do something than rewrite what I’ve written about before, I’ll just direct you to those previous articles. Enjoy.

Mountain biking

Since we’re already on the topic of mountain biking, let’s start there. An elaboration on why riding a bike through the forest at night is safe and scenes from a 24-hour race that runs through the night.

• Coping with Standard Time: Mountain Biking at Night
• Beer for Butter, Unprotected Support and Other Insights from the Burn 24

Hiking

One of my favorite times to take a long hike? In the dark of night. A 3- to 4-hour walk in the woods after the sun goes down can be aerobically aurally stimulating. Some tips on making a safe night of it.

• Enjoy the Night with a Hike
• Night Hiking: Beating the Standard Time Blues

Neighborhood walk

Spooked by the idea of hiking in the dark with … who-knows-what that might be out there with you? Join the masses who bundle up and walk their neighborhoods in the dark.

• Night Moves: A Safe Walk in a Dangerous Place

Climbing

Of course, you can’t stay out every night. Which is why I find myself spending considerably more time at the climbing gym during the winter than at other times of the year.

• Climbing: Before You Go Up, You Gotta Learn to Come Down

Need more incentive?

Another reason not to taper off when the weather turns cold? It’s bad for your hrealth.  According to the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State’s North Carolina Research Campus people who don’t exercise in the winder are more likely to catch cold.

• Run from that Cold

In searching my archive of the past three years I notice one glaring omission: Nary a mention of paddling at night. I’ve mentioned guided paddles that occur at night, but nothing reflecting the experience personally. I’ve paddled at night: I still have vivid memories of being part of a flotilla that paddled to a remote part of Falls Lake one cold November night to watch a meteor shower. But that was years ago, and I can’t find a report on the event. And if that was the last time I’ve had a paddle in my hands in the dark (it was in the mid-1990s), that’s too long a time to go between night paddles.

I’ll remedy that situation pronto.

The post Don’t let the fun set at sunset appeared first on GetGoing NC!.