Tag Archives: short hike

The virtue of the short hike

It was a cloudless 50-degree late fall day, a day that was intended only for being outdoors. We dream of days like this, days when every minute of sunlight — and there were 607 and change on this particular day — should be spent outside. Alas, I was bushed: low biorhythms, iron-poor blood, ennui? I didn’t know and it didn’t matter, because I barely had 60 minutes in me., let alone 600. And if I could only get in a couple miles on a day meant for 10, what was the point. Which brings me to the point. read more

Pack light for a short hike

The bridge connecting Wake Forest's Smith Creek Greenway with Raleigh's Neuse River Trail.
The bridge connecting Wake Forest’s Smith Creek Greenway with Raleigh’s Neuse River Trail.

One reason you take a short hike: you don’t have time for a long one, which is especially true as we enter the hectic holiday season.

If you don’t have time for a long hike, you certainly don’t have time to deliberate over packing. For a short hike — an hour or less — you don’t need a big pack, anyway. Pass on the extra socks; you can live with cold or damp feet for 15 minutes. No need for a litany of layers; even if the temperature does drop, you can weather the difference for a few minutes. A big lunch? Eat when you get off the trail. read more