Tag Archives: skills

The joy of figuring out what went wrong

Earlier in the week I realized I haven’t had a good adventure in a good while. And by “good adventure,” I mean one in which I haven’t been lost in the woods. (“Lost,or “momentarily misplaced”?) In any event, it occurred to be I haven’t had to work my way out of a jam in longer than I care to remember. And to me, being “misplaced,” at least temporarily, is a key element of a true adventure because it gives me a chance to test my outdoor skills. And that reminded me of one of my favorite adventures, a group hike with the Carolina Mountain Club in 2011 that didn’t happen — for me, at least. read more

GetOut! A Fall-like Weekend Awaits

Now’s the time our thoughts begin to turn toward catching some color on the trail, even in the Piedmont. 

Though conditions haven’t been ideal for spotting early fall color — warm, sunny, dry days followed by cool nights — we are beginning to see some change. Last weekend, we saw sourwoods and dogwoods aflame at South Mountains State Park (a popular and close destination for Charlotte hikers), and even this week we’ve seen those first responders of fall start to light up the woods along the Eno River in Durham and Orange counties. With fall color in mind, we offer our thoughts on the weekend.  read more