It was the podcast you hope for setting out for a long walk: a tale of adventure and intrigue from a distant time that makes you think, Man, I wish I’d been there. That sense of longing fades to wistfulness when you realize you could have been there. Or some place very much like it.

The podcast was on Climbing Gold, titled “Dope Lake: Misfts.” The episode, the first in a series, was about by a plane that went down in a small lake in Yosemite’s high country in 1976. The plane wasn’t immediately located because of its remote location and the fact the lake it went into quickly iced over. One other thing: the plane was flying low to avoid being detected, because it was carrying 6,000 pounds of pot. (One quibble: The podcast claims the pot, the popular, at the time, Mexican variety, was valued at $4 million. In fact, Mexican sold for $10 an ounce at the time, thus making the haul worth just under $1 million.)

A pivotal part of the story is the misfit climbing community that existed at the time in Yosemite. A community defined by climbers who would stealth camp near the best climbs, and spent as much time avoiding eviction notices from park rangers as they did climbing. Climbers who arrived in the valley with little more than a dollar to their name. Climbers who were living large if they had a sleeping bag. Climbers, nearly all male, who were young and knew they didn’t have forever to live the misfit life.

Not my moment

I was nowhere near Yosemite when this scene was happening in the mid-1970s. Rather, I was 1,200 miles east, living along Colorado’s Front Range, which also had a lively climbing community. Writer/climber Jon Krakauer (“Into Thin Air,” “Into the Wild”) and other climbers who were soon to dominate the climbing world were honing their skills in El Dorado Canyon outside Boulder. I was introduced to that scene on a cold November afternoon when Bobby, my roommate and a climber, dragged me along to watch the canyon’s climbing elite spider their way up Bastille Crack, Yellow Spur and other routes that would become classics. I’d occasionally tag along to watch when Bobby would head up for an hour of bouldering at Horsetooth Reservoir outside town. Once he tried to convince me to climb Long’s Peak with him in February. Around 3 a.m., about the time he should have been breaking camp and starting his summit ascent, he instead stumbled back into our apartment. “Man, was it cold!”

Despite Bobby’s influence, the climbing bug didn’t take. I was, frankly, too lazy and unmotivated at the time. This was not my moment to seize.

I remembered this as I continued listening to the podcast. Good for the misfits for recognizing and seizing their moment. Conversely, it wasn’t my moment, so why rue it’s passage?

Rather, live in the present and seize the moments that comes along today.

A New Year’s deadline

For me, that moment won’t involve climbing. I dabbled in indoor climbing gyms for a few years, only made it to real rock twice. I liked it, but that was 15 years ago, and the physical difference between 50 and 65 is significant. I may not be able to muster the stamina or generate the muscle required to climb, but I am still physically capable of other outdoor pursuits, which brings us to the “thankful” portion of this post: I’m thankful I can still act on any number of moments out there to seize.

Which leads us to the, for lack of a better description, New Year’s deadline portion of the post.

I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions. If you want to achieve something — drop 20 pounds, run a marathon — why wait until an arbitrary date to start working toward it?On the plus side, using January 1 as a goal gives you focus — and a deadline. And launching that search more than a month out gives you time to come up with something meaningful, time to recognize, to be open to, those moments worth seizing. 

Right now, I have no idea what that seize-worthy moment, or moments, might be. The last time I remember setting serious goals was when I turned 55 and seized on the number 55.  As in, do a 55-mile backpack trip, run 11 5Ks (55 total Ks), do a 55-mile trail run.

A moment worth seizing

Critical to seizing a moment is to be in a position to seize the right moment. In my case, I’ve ruled out climbing as being impractical for physical reasons. Another factor: time. I work full-time making, say, thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail a bit impractical. In fact, my goals likely won’t focus on feats of strength and stamina as much as they did when I turned 55.

Year of the Trail is next year in North Carolina, and I’m involved in helping to make that happen; if I’m smart, YOTT will play into my plans. We moved to a town near the Virginia border, so new adventures in the vicinity could be part of the plan as well. I’ve also become curiously interested in birding. Will 2023 be my Big Year? And, prompted by “Dope Lake,” I’ve also been thinking about moments missed, but that could still be seized in the future. Moments don’t necessarily have to be seized in the moment; if a moment continues to stick with you, it’s still a moment worth seizing.

Thanksgiving weekend is an appropriate time to begin watching moments to seize. For many, you have several days removed from the daily grind, freeing up mental space otherwise consumed with mundane functions. And, of course, Thanksgiving is a reminder to be thankful that you are capable of seizing the moment that resonates with you. 

When you discover that moment? Don’t wait until New Year’s Day to act. Seize it now.

The post Seize the moment, then live it appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Without dwelling, cold weather historically drives people indoors, and, this year, indoors is where you have a significantly greater chance of contracting the coronavirus. The advance of fall is already seeing a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in North Carolina and nationwide. In response, on Tuesday North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper dialed back the cap on indoor group gatherings to 10 people. Staying indoors is trouble, especially if you like people.

Thus, it’s more important than it has been since the pandemic began in March to:

1. Wear a mask in public
2. Stay at least 6 feet from people outside your bubble
3. Spend time outside

The first two are in your court: pretty simple requirements that involve no hardship or sacrifice. As for No. 3 — spend as much time as possible outdoors — that’s where we can help.

Yesterday, we announced our most aggressive lineup of winter programs ever. We’ve got weekly hikes for experienced hikers, we’ve got weekly hikes for novices who don’t know why there’s a tree with a splotch of paint every hundred feet or so on the trail. We’ve got hikes in the daylight, we have hikes in the dark. We have hikes where there’s no trail, we have hikes where you didn’t know there were trails (the coastal plain). And we have more overnight trips than in any winter past.

If you’re willing to learn to deal with the cold — another focus of our winter programs — then we can assure a plethora of outdoor options over the next four months.

Here’s a quick rundown:

GetHiking! Winter Series for the Aspiring Hiker

Dec. 13 through Feb. 28

Every Sunday afternoon at 1 we hike a local trail, starting with a 1.5-mile hike and building to 4 miles to help the aspiring hiker evolve into a competent, confident hiker. The hikes are at a mellow pace, and we start with less-challenging terrain and build to intermediate-level trails. Learn more and sign up here.

GetHiking! Sunday Winter Hike Series

Dec. 13 through Feb. 28 (with an additional Dec. 30 hike)

This 12-hike series is for more experienced hikers accustomed to going longer distances on more challenging terrain. Hikes are from 4 to 8 miles long, with most around 6. We have two Sunday sessions, one at 10 a.m. and a second at 1 p.m.

Learn more and sign up for: Sunday morning, single hiker here, family/couple here; Sunday afternoon, single hiker here, family here.

GetHiking! with Friends and Co-Workers

Hikes are according to your schedule

Got a group of friends or co-workers you’d like to hike with but aren’t sure where to start? Start with us. Based on your group’s location, size and interest level, we’ll craft an 8-hike series that meets your needs. Then, once a week, we’ll send you a guide with all the information you need to do a hike that’s right for your group. Learn more and sign up here.

Tuesday Night Hikes

Every other Tuesday night at 6:30, from Dec. 1 through Feb. 23

Don’t let the fact the sun sets before you get off work keep you from taking a midweek hike. We don headlamps and hike for an hour and a half through the dark of night. Learn more and sign up here for a single hiker, here for a family.

Winter Wild

Six weekend hikes, beginning in November and running into early March. 

Winter brings with it the chance to go off-trail and explore deeper into the woods. With this 6-hike series, we take advantage of the season’s stark landscape to explore some places you thought you knew as well places you had no idea existed. The hikes are from 5 to 8 miles long.

Learn more and sign up for the series here. Openings for individual hikes, if any remain, go on sale two weeks before the event.

Winter Coastal Escapes

November through February

Five events at the coast and coastal plain, including three camping trips, one backpack trip, one day hike and one paddle trip. Destinations include Jones Lake State Park, the Croatan National Forest, Carolina Beach State Park, and Goose Creek State Park. Learn more and sign up here.

Most events have a limit of 10 participants to more easily accommodate social distancing. We require masks be worn at trailheads and at other times when maintaining social distancing is difficult. We also ask that participants keep their masks handy should we encounter others and social distancing is difficult.

I’ve always loved exploring in winter, for reasons that defy easy explanation. So instead of trying to explain what’s attractive about the season, I’ll go one better by giving you a little extra incentive to see for yourself. From now through Sunday (Nov. 15), when you click on one of the above links and see an event (or events) you’d like to try, enter code 3VDXSS5S at checkout and get 10 percent off. 

Winter adventure: this year, it makes more sense than ever. 

The post There’s never been a better time to be outdoors appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Monday:  we find it hard to transition from a weekend of adventure to a workweek of … work.  So we typically find ourself easing into reality with a bit of weekend reflection. Or daydreaming as some might call it …

Today, we find ourself back on the trail at Raven Rock State Park Sunday afternoon. Now, if you were at Raven Rock around 12:30 you likely found yourself in a queue waiting to get into the popular park, which is currently limiting access due to the pandemic. That’s if you were trying to get into the main part of the park, on the south side of the Cape Fear River. Ah, but if you had been with us on the north side of the park, in the Avents Creek Access Area, you would have had far less company — and most of it four-footed.

Avents Creek has a pair of 4-mile loop trails that both begin from the parking lot. Start on the West Loop, hike down through some Appalachian-like terrain to Avents Creek and Jumping Fish Falls, then enjoy a mellow climb back out. If your legs are willing and the weather cooperating, tack on the more Piedmont-like East Loop. A great way to spend a warm day in the woods, minus the crowds.

The accompanying video is from the Avents Creek trails, some from Sunday’s hike, some from two weeks earlier. If you like what you see, check it out, it won’t disappoint. We’ve put together a GetHiking! Guide to Hiking Raven Rock | Avents Creek Trails, with all the pertinent information you need to hike here. One thing to emphasize: Horse trails in North Carolina State Parks are subject to closure when wet; a good idea to check the website to make sure they’re open before heading out.

And you? How was your weekend? Feel free to let us know and post photos on our GetGoingNC Facebook page.

Until next weekend, have a swell week!

Resources

• Find the GetHiking! Guide for Raven Rock | Avents Creek Trails and other GetHiking! Guides at our Explore with Us! page at GetGoingNC.com. 
• Like the idea of hiking in summer, but have trouble reconciling the trails with the temperatures? Our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking offers tips and perspective on how you, too, can stop worrying and love the balm. Find it here.

Both guides are 99 cents.

Facebook Live Follow

On this morning’s Morning Walk with Joe on Facebook Live, I mentioned benefitting from the vast trove of prose on nature provided by Riverdave Owen via his classes and Facebook page. You, too, can benefit from Riverdave’s insights here.

And you can tag along on our Morning Walk with Joe every weekday morning around 7:30, on our Facebook page, here.

The post Monday, Monday: The weekend in review appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

This weekend we enter the age of outdoor empowerment. It’s either that, or continuing to stay on your couch and watch movies that once may have been classic but now … . Suffice it to say that tastes change.

You need to empower yourself because if you’ve been relying on programs organized by others — guided hikes, nature programs, camping trips — to get out, those programs are all but suspended (more on the “all but” in a moment). So today, instead of providing a rundown of such events, we provide you with some resources to help you plan your own adventures this weekend;

Finding a trail. You’ve gone to Grandma’s house a hundred times, but someone else always drives: you don’t pay attention along the way and have no idea where Granny actually lives. Same with  group hikes: You plug the trailhead into your GPS device, arrive, then blindly follow the hike leader. What you need is a curated guide to hiking in your area. A guide that may not include every hike, but does include the ones especially worthy of your time. We’ve compiled such a guide, of more than 100 hikes, for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co. It’s divided by geographic region, making it easier to find a hike near you. Find the guide here.

Becoming a hiker. You look around, everything’s closed — except trails. You’ve never been a hiker, but suddenly it seems like a great idea. Over the past decade, we’ve helped a whole lot of people take their first step down the trail. That experience, of learning what new hikers need, helped us to create our fifth book, the just-released “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker.” Learn more and order a copy here.

Finding more advanced trails. We’re working on a guide to some of our favorite hiking venues — places with multiple trail options and base camp opportunities. We hope to have it available the middle of next week. Until then, some options:

• HikingUpward.com. Covers North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. Includes a map, overview and mileages.
• HikingProject.com. REI’s crowd-sourced site includes trail maps, an overview and reviews.
• AllTrails,com.  The free version includes a map, trail description, elevation profile and reviews; pony up for the pay version and you get such extras ad gps tracks and maps downloaded able to your phone with gps tracking.

Confirming trails are open. As of this post, the morning of Friday, March 20, trails are open. But that could change. Before heading out, check ahead to make sure your trail of interest is open. Some sources to turn to find out the status of your favorite hiking destinations:

• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• North Carolina State Parks (Croatan, Uwharrie, Pisgah, Nantahala)
• Shenandoah National Park
• Virginia National Forests (George Washington and Jefferson)
• Virginia State Parks

Small Batch Hiking

We mentioned above that guided hikes have “all but” been canceled. Our GetHiking! program is experimenting with Small Batch Hiking, or 10-10s: 10 hikers max hiking no closer than 10 feet apart. We held our first Small Batch Hike Thursday at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (see the video) and our hikers did an awesome job of keeping their distance and complying. And we still had a great time. Our next Small Batch Hike is Saturday morning. That hike is currently full, but as long as our hikers comply with the 10-10 rule, we will continue to hike. 

Keep an eye out for more GetHiking! Small Batch Hikes here.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Yes, it rained for a few days there. The good news? It was during the week. The even better news? We’ve got a bright and sunny weekend on tap. Some ways to enjoy:

Sunday Morning Birds, Sunday, 8:30 a.m., Eno River State Park: Fews Ford Access, Durham. Ever wonder why you don’t see or hear many birds on the trail? Maybe it’s because you aren’t on the trail early enough? Not that you need to be out in the woods ridiculously early, as this program at Eno River State Park suggests. Bring your binos, see who’s flitting about on an autumn morning. Learn more and sign up here.

Hike to the Iron Ore Pit, Sunday, 2 p.m., Haw River State Park: Iron Ore Belt Access, Greensboro. As part of our GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods sessions, we like to find a bit of the past in the places we explore. When we hold the class in Greensboro (as we’re doing on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. and again on Friday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m.) our goal is to find the iron ore pit deep in the park. You’re hiking, you’re searching, you’re hiking, you’re — whoa! Very cool to see how nature recovers from a 150-year-old extraction industry. Learn more and sign up here.  

Late Fall Mushroom Identification, Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Piedmont Wildlife Center, Durham. How many times have you looked at a mushroom in the woods and thought, “Well, it’s a mushroom, but beyond that … .” Fix your “Beyond that” problem with this two-hour class at the PWC in Durham. $30. Learn more and sign up here.

As always, you can find more opportunities this weekend here:

• North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
• North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
• You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.

Learn more about where we spent last weekend, featured in the video, by visiting Umstead State Park and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.