Coast: Wrightsville Beach Biathlon

The Wrightsville Beach Biathlon: get ready for the only race of its kind on the East Coast. A typical biathlon includes swimming and running, but what makes the Wrightsville Beach Biathlon stand out is the replacement of swimming with paddleboarding. The other unique feature: the run portion takes place entirely on the oceanfront sand. The event lasts two day: Friday, there’s a paddle technique clinic and packet pick ups, Saturday, is the race, fat bike demos and more.

Two-day forecast: high of about 56 each day, sunny on Saturday.

Vital stats: Friday and Saturday, Blockade Runner Beach Resort. For race fees, contact Beth Todd at beth.todd@blockade-runner.com or call 910.256.2251; go here for more info.

Looking ahead: U.S. Open Fat Bike Championship. Open to beginner, sport, and experts. Saturday, March 12. More info here.

Piedmont: Winter Walkabout

Come out to Great Bend Park in Burlington this Saturday to hike the Haw River and Island Trails. Dogs and children are welcome on this journey through the woods, that will satisfy your need to get out, to adventure, to explore. No matter what your reason, it feels good to go walk around. The hikes are free, but registration is required at least 24 hours in advance.

Saturday forecast: 58 degrees and mostly sunny.

Vital stats: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.- noon, Great Bend Park, 350 Greenwood Dr. Burlington. Sponsored by Burlington Recreation & Parks. Contact: 336.222.5135; for more info go here.

Looking ahead: 2nd Saturday Outing at Flat Shoals Mountain near Walnut Cove. Sponsored by Piedmont Land Conservancy, Saturday, March 12. More info here.

Mountains: Wilderness Skills Institute

Although the Wilderness Skills Institute is not until the end of May — May 23 to June 3 —  the deadline to apply is this Sunday. At this two-week institute, you’ll learn such skills such as sustainable trail building, land stewardship practices, axe-slinging and tree felling by cross-cut saw, wilderness first aid, bridge construction using traditional tools, wilderness interpretation and education, and more. The focus of the institute is on basic to advanced skills needed to work in a wilderness, where motorized equipment is prohibited.

Vital stats: Wilderness Skills Institute, May 23 – June 3, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest. Apply online by March 6 here. Free camping is available. Contact: Leanna Joyner with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy at 828.254.3708, or Brenna Irrer with SAWS at 828.226.4320. To learn more about the program, go here.

Looking ahead: Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, April 19-April 23, more info here.

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Coast

Ah, that first post-Labor Day weekend at the coast, when the crowds have thinned and it’s safe to go back in the water. For, say, a bit of competitive standup paddle boarding!

Sunday is the Second Annual Carolina Beach SUP Challenge benefiting Ocean Cure, a non-profit that provides free surf camps and lessons to medically-fragile at-risk youth and adults. The Challenge includes two races — 3 and 6 miles — on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Been paddling for a while and like a good challenge? Race organizers say this event is for you you. New to SUPing? Again, grab your board and paddle and come on down. Really new to the sport? There’s a 1-mile Family Fun Race in which pets are encouraged to participate. (Pets? We can see a dog digging the surf scene, but a cat? A ferret?)

Logistics: Sunday, Sept. 13, 8 a.m., Carolina Beach Yacht Basin and Marina, 216 Canal Dr., Carolina Beach. $25. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 85, chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

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Looking ahead: Curious about the coastal environment? On Sept. 25 join UNC Wilmington faculty from the departments of biology, marine biology, geology and geography for a Campus Nature Tour. More info here.

Piedmont

Fall means the return of hiking to the Piedmont, and our GetHiking! crew is rarin’ to go.

Saturday at 1 p.m., we’ll hike a section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake, from the Upper Barton Creek boat ramp to NC 98 and back. We’ll hike 2.1 miles out, 2.1 miles back, through a rolling riparian woodland. At the turnaround is one of the biggest white oak trees around. For a preview, check out this description of the hike on the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website.

Sunday at 1 p.m., we’ll head to northern Durham County to explore the 708-acre Horton Grove Nature Preserve. Here, the Triangle Land Conservancy has built eight miles of trail exploring bottomland forest, mature hardwood forest, deep ravines and Piedmont prairie. Our hike will cover about five miles.

Logistics: For more information on both hikes and to sign up, visit our GetHiking! Triangle Meetup site.

Weekend forecast: Saturday, high of 83 with a chance of thunderstorms; Sunday, high of 78 and mostly sunny.

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Looking ahead: Take a Child Outside Week commences the week of Sept. 21. Find a rundown of TACO happenings at your local state park, here.

Mountains

Again, the passage of Labor Day signals the start of the fall hiking season, to us, at least. The prospect of hiking in a light fleece only heightens our three Es (enthusiasm, excitement, expectations).

That could be the case Saturday when the Carolina Mountain Club hikes a 6.4-mile stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the high mountains just south of Mount Mitchell (at 6,684 feet the highest point along the East Coast, in case you’re new to the region). This stretch of trail runs through old-growth balsam and spruce forests, with several scenic overlooks along the way.

And that fleece? You’ll want to pack it (and a rain suit, just in case) after reading the forecast below.

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 12, 10 a.m. (meeting time to shuttle from the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382. For more on the route, go here.

Sunday forecast: High in the mid 60s, chance of rain.

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Looking ahead: Tsali Adventure Triathlon, Oct. 3, featuring 3-mile paddle, 5-mile run, and 12-mile bike. Individual $45, team $95. Details here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

The post This weekend: Labor Day is past, let the festivities of fall begin appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Volleyball used to be the thing to do at the beach. And people still play volleyball, it’s just been supplanted as the thing to do. The new the?

Standup paddleboarding (or SUP, as those in the know call it).

The place to do the thing this weekend: the Carolina Beach Yacht Basin and Marina, site of Saturday’s Carolina Beach SUP Challenge. Both a three-mile race and a one-mile family fun challenge, both benefitting Ocean Cure.

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 5, Carolina Beach Yacht Basin and Marina, Carolina Beach. 919.539.3490, sandy_mitofsky@yahoo.com for more information.

Saturday forecast: High of 83, chance of thunderstorms.

Piedmont

The heat lingers, the desire to be active diminishes. Must we wait for the revitalizing dry breezes of autumn for motivation to move?

No. Not when you can take a kayak tour on the cool waters of Mountain Island Lake in Huntersville. This guided paddle includes all pertinent equipment — kayaks, paddles, pfds — you bring the appropriate clothes, sunscreen, water and snacks. Easy, no?

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m., Mountain Island Lake, Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, Huntersville. $15 per boat, $20 for a tandem. Ages 6 and up. More info: 704.875.2312.

Saturday forecast: High of 90, chance of thunderstorms. 704.875-2312

Mountains

Sunday, the Carolina Mountain Club leads a past-into-present hike along the Appalachian Trail straddling the North Carolina/Tennessee line.

This trek begins from Jones Meadow and follows the original path of the Appalachian Trail north past Blackstack Cliffs. On the return, the hike will follow the current AT path, completed by the Carolina Mountain Club in 2003. Lunch at Jerry’s Cabin. Total distance: 7 miles.

Logistics: Sunday, Sept. 7, 8:30 a.m. For more info contact hike leader Lenny Bernstein at 828.450.1325, lennybernstein41@gmail.com.

Sunday forecast: High of 75, chance of thunderstorms.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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Coast

Today’s suggestion isn’t an event; rather, an opportunity.

New adventures can be had up and down the North Carolina coast for a relatively modest sum. For instance, if you find yourself in the Wrightsville Beach area, swing by the Blockade Runner and you can experience any number of water-related adventures: rent a single kayak for just $20 an hour (or a tandem for $35), take out a standup paddleboard for $25 an hour, take a two-hour guided kayak tour for $50 ($90 for a tandem).

You’ll find opportunities likes this just about everywhere you’ll find someone taking a beach vacation. (See Logistics for direction.)

Logistics: Learn more about the Blockade Runner rentals here; check out our “53 Places to Rent a Canoe, Kayak or Standup Paddleboard in North Carolina,” here.

Weekend forecast: The coast is looking at highs in the low 80s, a chance of thunderstorms.

Piedmont

You haven’t played ball in longer than you care to remember. And yet, you still feel you can take it to the hole, sink a three-pointer at the buzzer, execute an alley-oop or elicit an enthusiastic “Rejected!” from Marv Albert on your stellar defensive play.

OK, maybe you’re dreaming. But aren’t dreams made to be fulfilled? Check out the current state of your game this Saturday at the 30 & Over Open Play at the Sugaw Creek Recreation Center in Charlotte. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., adults over 30 can see if they still have what it takes to achieve basketball glory, even if for just an afternoon. Or one play.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug. 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Sugaw Creek Rec Center, 943 W. Sugar Creek Road, Charlotte. $2. Need more info? Call 704.596.0107

Saturday forecast: It’s always bright and comfortable in the Sugaw Creek gym.

Mountains

One of our favorite hikes in the mountains is the Pink Beds area of the Pisgah National Forest. Pink Beds itself is a rare mountain swamp. As such, the six-mile loop trail at Pink Beds is relatively flat, also unusual for a mountain hike.

Sunday, the Carolina Mountain Club is adding a little elevation to the Pink Beds hike by adding the South Mills River Trail sections on Soapstone Ridge and Club Gap. Total distance for this hike is nine miles, total elevation gain 1,700 feet.

Logistics: Sunday, Aug. 3, 8:30 a.m. carpool meet-up at in Asheville. Space is limited, contact hike leader Dave Wetmore at 828.577.0648 or dwetmore@citcom.net to reserve a spot or for more information.

Sunday forecast: High of 79, chance of thunderstorms.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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Coast

Standup paddleboarding: you’ve been thinking about it, but for whatever reason you’ve yet to give it a try. I don’t know where to rent a board, I don’t have anyone to teach me how, I don’t know the good places to go.

If any/all of those excuses sound familiar, then head to Wrightsville Beach early Saturday and take part in Survivor SUP: Paddle Boot Camp. Offered by Wrightsville Stand Up Paddle Board Co. and Shore fitness, the two-hour clinic includes equipment, instruction, a workout and “island experience.” Beginners welcome.

Logistics: Saturday, July 12, 6:30-8:30 a.m., Wrightsville Beach. More info and to sign up: 910.777.4979 or jkraz00@gmail.com.

Saturday forecast: High of 84, chance of thunderstorms.

Piedmont

When it’s 90 in the Piedmont, our outdoor thoughts tend to change from land to sea — or at lease a local lake or river. A local lake, Lake Wylie, is where our thoughts are turning this weekend, when the McDowell Nature Preserve is sponsoring a Family Kayak Tour.

The two-hour trip on this lake bordering the Carolinas includes instruction and equipment, and includes views of Copperhead Island and Buster Boyd Bridge.

Logistics: Saturday, July 12, 9:30 a.m., Waterfront Deck Programming Area, McDowell Nature Preserve, Charlotte. $15 for a single, $20 for a tandem, ages 5 and up (ages 5-9 must share a tandem with an adult). More info and to sign up, go here.

Saturday forecast: High of 90, sunny.

Mountains

To beat the summer heat in the South, you have to get high — elevationwise, of course. The Carolina Mountain Club will help you do just that Sunday on a 7.5-mile hike in the Sam Knob area of the Pisgah National Forest. All of the hike is above 5,000 feet, topping out on 6,214-foot Black Balsam.

In addition to cool temperatures, there are open meadows, mountaintop views and passage through balsam woods. A great hike on all fronts.

Logistics: Sunday, July 13, 10 a.m., Black Balsam Access off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest. Space is limited; to sign up call 828.606.1490 or email jqs290@gmail.com.

Sunday forecast: High of 84, chance of rain.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

The post This weekend: Cool fun on the water, on the mountain appeared first on GetGoing NC!.