This July 4, celebrate our independence in the freedom of the great outdoors.
Note: Most coastal state parks are planning to close Thursday and Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Arthur. Their reopening is dependent upon Arthur’s wrath. Check the North Carolina State Parks website before heading to any park that may be affected by the storm.
With high temperatures expected to soar into the mid-70s in parts of North Carolina this weekend, you have no excuse for not getting into the wild, be it learning to reconnoiter at the coast, scoping birds in the Piedmont or hiking the Blue Ridge escarpment.
This weekend: Learn how to use a map and compass, learn how to play golf with a disc, learn your strengths as a hiker.
Coast
Ever wonder what happens when the battery in your GPS dies? You wouldn’t have to, nor would you care, if you were skilled in the art of orienteering. Orienteering: the ancient (pre 2000) art of wayfinding with map and compass. In fact, even if you’ve had a fully-charged GPS you’ve probably wished you knew how to to use a map and compass (the things aren’t 100 percent reliable).
Wayfinding, warm water kayaking, winging your way down a mountain — it’s all happening in North Carolina this weekend.
Coast
Sometimes luring the recalcitrant into the outdoors is simply a matter of offering the right bait. A mere walk in a cold forest may not appeal to someone more involved in cerebral pursuits, but throw in a map, a compass and the opportunity to calculate your way over hill and dale and suddenly a hike doesn’t seem so bad. Sunday at 2 p.m. just such an opportunity will be offered at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park near Goldsboro, when a park ranger leads a beginner course in map reading and using the compass. (If you have a compass, bring it; otherwise, the park has some spares you can use.) It’s free and should last about an hour and a half.
For many of us, it’s the last weekend of summer before the kids head back to school. Act now, because once school and its various activities kick in, it could be a while before the clan has a free weekend of spend together.
Coast
I love exploring and I love a good map. But sometimes you get a hankering to go terra incognita; that is, to a spot on the map where trails are sparse and successful navigation depends upon your ability to use a map and a compass to get around. Good skills to have regardless, and skills you can pick up Sunday during an orienteering course at Lake Waccamaw State Park. If you have a compass, bring it, if you need one the park has a few loaners. Definitely bring bug spray, though. It’s an hour-long class, from 4-5 p.m.