Sunday, for instance, I caught up with Howard for the first time since he’d returned from hiking  a section of the Camino de Santiago in June. I was especially interested because Howard’s plan was to average 15 miles a day for 7 days; Howard is in good shape and a strong hiker, but that’s the kind of mileage AT thru-hikers aspire to — after building up for a month on the trail.

“It was good,” he said, a bit subdued, I thought. In the ensuing mile of discussion it turned out that the hike itself was beyond good, but the daily mileage took its toll in the form of one injury I had heard of (planter facitiis) and one I hadn’t (something involving the big toe).

I hadn’t seen Phyllis for about the same amount of time, during which she had done two trips, one in the Swiss Alps, one in the Canadian Rockies. In the seven years I’ve hiked with Phyllis, it seems she’s been just about everywhere. In fact, having done 34 trips in 10 years she’s pretty much run through every trip Roads Scholars offers.

“There is the Inca Trail,” she said, “but my time for that may have passed.” Less a physical thing, explained Phyllis, who is in her late 70s, more to do with altitude. 

I spent a good deal of time hiking with Jennifer and quizzing her on her and hubby Dan’s October trip to Patagonia. 

“Are you looking at Patagonia as an excuse to get new gear?” I asked. “Like rain gear? Could be an issue that time of year down there.”

“Actually, we’ve got good rain gear, from our trips to Iceland.”

Ah, yes Iceland, plural. 

I will admit there’s a twinge of envy when I hear these tales. In large part because what I do is limited to the Southeast, especially North Carolina, my hiking is mostly in the region. Which certainly is nothing to complain about: if I have to be restricted to one area, this is it. In my mind, with the Appalachians, the Piedmont and even the coast, North Carolina is indeed the Great Trails State.

After Howard shared his injuries I asked if he would do it again. He’d done about 90 miles on the Camino, and there are many miles more to be done. “Oh, yeah,” he replied without a thought. “We’ll, maybe not the Camino. But another hiking trip.” He mentioned the famous Hadrian’s Wall hike across England, and Scotland as destinations.

That got me to thinking about motive, about whether I’d yet to find a hiking trip I really wanted to take, one that provided sufficient motivation. And that got me to thinking about WildBeare. 

Wild Beare is a YouTube adventure blogger, of which there are many: got a smartphone and like to hike? You’re an adventure blogger. Wild Beare is different. She uses quality video gear (including an efeectively-used drone), has a great eye, and with every video seems to visit the most inviting spots on the planet. And all are in her backyard of the Chiltern Hills of England.

Chiltern Hills? 

Of all the hiking tours I’ve scouted online, I don’t recall one mentioning the Chiltern Hills (her adventures also spill into neighboring Wales). Yet Wild Beare’s adventures up it’s 700-meter moonscape peaks, into it’s vigorous waterfalls, and beneath it’s starry moonless nights has catapulted the Chiltern Hills to the top of my must-visit list. 

Perhaps more importantly, the tales shared by the globetrotters I hike with makes me realize such a trip can be done. My friends do it all the time: they leave, they hike, they return. And they return with tales of great adventure.

Another thing I’ve learned from my globetrotting hikers: Now’s the time to start planning for next year. Hiking trips, by their nature, are limited in size and they fill up fast. Time to start doing research.

Who knows, maybe next year I’ll be the one returning with tales of great adventure. And possibly a well-earned injury.

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Plan your big adventure

Motivated to plan your next — or first — hiking vacation? Here are 5 popular guide operations that popped up on a Google search. Note: These are not, obviously, recommendations.

• Roads Scholars Leads trips covering a wide range of adventures worldwide. Phyllis’s choice.
• REI Adventures Focuses on U.S. adventures.
• Backroads Offers a range of packages worldwide.
• Wildland Trekking Leads trips worldwide.
• Wilderness England Offers both guided and self-guided trips.

The post Maybe it’s time for the Chiltern Hills appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

• Wednesday, Feb. 4, REI in Cary, 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 5, REI in Durham, 7 p.m.

And if you’re thinking, “I’m not really much of a hiker, this probably isn’t for me,” then cease that line of thinking. This hike and the 12-week training program is exactly for you: that’s what the training is all about. If you’re curious about what hiking 28.3 miles in a day is like, here are some scenes from the first Ultimate Hike on the Foothills Trail, in 2011.

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The post The Ultimate in a hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Solution: Build mountain bike trails closer to where kids live so they can ride to the trailhead.

Granted, that would seem to fall into the “No ‘duh” category. But because mountain bike trails take up some territory, making urban trails happen isn’t as easy as it sounds. Postage stamp-size urban parks tend to have their turf eaten up pretty quickly with playgrounds, basketball courts and a ball field or two. Often, though, there are scraps of unused parklands that can be put to recreational use. That’s why the International Mountain Bicycling Association started its Gateway Trails program, a program that last week added it’s first Triangle entry, at Durham’s Solite Park.

By big-boy mountain biking standards, the Solite system is small. There’s about a half mile of trail as well as a “pump track” — a series of bumps and berms designed to be ridden on sheer momentum and body movement (hence, the pumping), alleviating the need to pedal. Pump tracks are seen as a good introduction to mountain biking for kids who sometimes don’t have the attention span or stamina for a three-hour ride on a 20-mile trail. What’s particularly genius about the Solite Park network is the park’s location — along the northern section of the American Tobacco Trail. This nearly 7-mile stretch of paved greenway links downtown Durham with NC 55, and ties in several neighborhoods and Hillside High School along the way. Kids, several of whom were at last Thursday’s grand opening, can easily and safely bike to the trail. Adults, too.

The trail came together quickly. It was announced earlier in the year, and was funded with a $7,000 grant from REI and $5,000 from Trips for Kids, an international non-profit with a Triangle branch whose goal is to get at-risk kids on bikes. The Triangle Off Road Cyclists shepherded the project; Durham Parks and Rec. played perhaps the biggest role by turning a blind eye to bureaucracy and letting the system proceed post haste. A good public/private/non-profit/corporate partnership: Bravo to all.

For a better sense of what a pump track is about, check out the video.

The post Durham’s Solite Park: a Gateway to inner city mountain biking appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

“I raced for about 13 years and found early on that I was a much better mechanic than racer,” says Dobbins. Save for a brief stint in Hawaii a couple years back, Dobbins has spent most of the last two decades as a mechanic at REI’s Cary and Durham stores. During his time here he’s become something of a cycling legend, a legend who’s about to embark on a third cycling passion that’s been simmering for years. Curt discusses what’s next in this GGNC e-interview.

GGNC: So what’s this passion about to come to the fore?
CD: During this time I had a keen interest in frame building … . I met McLean Fonvielle who was building custom frames in Durham and had him do some upgrades to the frame that I was then riding.  We became friends and discussed my becoming his apprentice. This didn’t come to be as McLean passed away in early 1983. I floundered for a bit and without a good way to really learn the trade put it on the back burner for a bit.

A few years later I had another friend who had an interest in frame building so we decided to teach ourselves as much as we could.  About 15 to 20 frames later life got in the way of frame building.  Two children, McLean and Maggie “Magpie,” and the need to provide for a family kept me away from frame building for a long time.”

GGNC: When did you decided to start building frames again?
CD: Skip to the recent past and flame continued to burn. I always felt that I could build quality frames and still wanted to try and give it a go. I had an acquaintance in Massachusetts who has been building and painting frames for about 20 years.  He offers a week-long course so I decided to see if I still had my chops.  Toby Stanton owns Hot Tubes in Shirley, Mass., and in February of 2009 I made the trek up north and spent a week with Toby.  He not only confirmed the idea that I could be a frame builder but became my mentor and true friend.  After I had been home about six months with my new Magpie cyclocross bike I was itching to be building frames more regularly.  I was speaking to Toby and before I knew it I had been invited back up to Massachusetts to build another frame. This time not for the instruction, but to make use of the well equipped shop, I built a touring frame. … Now I am trying to get my business up and going

GGNC: You’re focusing on cyclocross and touring frames — any particular reason?
CD: The reason I chose to build the cyclocross and touring frames is two-fold. First, because I was lacking these in my quiver of bikes. And second because I feel that both of these bikes will be tools for selling my frames.  Cyclocross has become very popular here as well as the rest of the country and I feel that I can tap into a little of that market.  I also have some short tours planned and need a touring bike to show off.

GGNC: What’s your goal? Is there a niche you hope to fill?
CD: I hope to sell custom, hand-built steel bicycles. I will offer fully lugged, fillet brazed, tig welded or a combination of methods for frame construction. I think that right now there is a resurgence in hand-built bicycles and there seems to be a void in this part of the country. New England and Portland seem to be the hotbeds currently, but there is no reason that I can’t get a little piece of the pie.

GGNC: Why do you think there’s growing demand for hand-built bikes?
CD: I think people want a bike that is special. There are few downsides to having a custom steel bike. You may have a little weight penalty but for most people I think this is a non-issue. I think that potential customers also like the idea of having some input into their bike frame.

GGNC: How does one order a hand-built bike?
CD: The ideal way would be to meet with the client, take body and current bike measurements, discuss the type of frame and take a deposit.  This could also take place over the phone or with email.  When I get within a few months of the promised delivery time, the client and I would discuss the details.  This could include lug designs, braze-ons, paint etc. I will be offering complete bikes as well and will also build custom wheels to go with your new ride.

GGNC: How much will your bikes cost?
CD: The fork and frame will run about $2,000.

GGNC: You were going to name the bikes Magpie — but there’s a problem?
CD: Magpie has been my daughters nickname since before she was born.  She and I suit this name very well. [He includes the entry for “magpie” from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which includes these definitions: a person who chatters noisily; one who collects indiscriminately.] This was the perfect name for my bikes, so I thought.  The short story is that First Bicycle Component from Taiwan applied for a trademark for Magpie in September. The Magpie is the national bird of Taiwan. I imagine that their lawyers are better paid than my lawyers so I have decided to call my company Cycles Marguerite.

GGNC: When do you expect to start selling your Cycles Marguerite?
CD: I have not really offered up frames for sale yet, though I already have about 29 potential orders. I am inching ever closer to taking deposits, which means that I will be setting deadlines for delivery.  Optimistically, I will be taking deposits within two to three months and it will take about a year or so to complete the frames in my queue.  As I get my shop better equipped and increase my speed, I hope to be building between 40 and 60 frames per year.

There is, however, one prototype Magpie/Cycles Marguerite already in existence. For some reason, Curt has allowed me to test ride that bike, a crossbike, for a week or so. Follow how the bike and I are getting along at JoeAGoGo on Twitter.

Photo: Curt Dobbins and Magpie No. 1 in the Durham REI bike shop.

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