That transition underscored how quickly fall color comes and goes. Meaning there’s no time to tarry: get out this weekend and enjoy the show. Incentive, too, is the fact that daytime temperatures throughout the Piedmont are forecast to offer something for everyone: Saturday, in the Triangle area, don your shorts and t-shirts and enjoy temperatures in the upper 70s under mostly sunny skies; Sunday, get out the fleece and hike in temperatures ranging from the 40s to upper 50s, also under mostly clear skies.

Where to hike? We offer 5 Piedmont favorites:

1. Triangle: Mountains-to-Sea Trail/Falls Lake Trail, 60 miles. Is there a better way to check out fall than on a 60-mile-long hiking trail that hugs a shoreline most of the way?  From the Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve in Durham County to the Falls Lake dam in Wake County it’s possible to hike non-stop on the Moutains-to-Sea Trail. If that’s more than you have time for this weekend, worry not: the trail is broken down into 24 day-hikeable sections ranging from less than a mile to nearly 7 miles in length. The Falls Lake MST ducks in and out of coves along the lake, briefly brushing backyards in spots, and escaping civilization entirely in others. Learn more about the trail here.

2. Charlotte/Triad: Sugarloaf and Morrow Mountain Trails, Morrow Mountain State Park, 5.4 miles. This 5.4-mile hike bags two peaks at Morrow Mountain State Park. And yes, I say “bags two peaks” without reservation. Both the climb up 843-foot Sugarloaf and 906-foot Morrow Mountain are legitimate climbs. The first climb gains more than 350 feet in a relatively short distance, the second even more. And while the views are minimal from Sugarloaf, you’ll have numerous Kodak moments from the top of Morrow Mountain. You’ll also have company: your summit celebration is tempered slightly by the fact the peak is covered by a very large parking lot. Details here.

3. Greensboro: watershed lakes, 42 miles (short hikes of as little as a mile). Triad residents have numerous good options around the three watershed lakes — Brandt, Townsend and Higgins — north of town. Forty-two miles of watershed hiking trails take you through a variety of environments. The 1.6-mile Palmetto Trail, for instance, features some interesting geology; the 3.6-mile Nat Greene Trail offers a smorgasbord of Piedmont ecology. Details here.

4. Roanoke Rapids/northeast: Medoc Mountain State Park, Discovery/Stream/Summit loops, 6 miles. You aren’t the only one in North Carolina with hiking on his/her mind come the cool, colorful days of October, which brings up the one downside to hitting the trail this month — with the exception of Medoc Mountain, which sits happily off the beaten track in Halifax County. Ten miles of trail meander through the park, which sits on the eastern fringe of the Piedmont; this recommended 6-mile trek takes you through a good portion of it, including a climb up Medoc’s 325-foot summit and a stroll through what was once the first wine operation in the country. More info here.

5. Triad: Sauratown Trail, linking Pilot Mountain with Hanging Rock north of the Triad, 35 miles. A total of 35 miles make up this trail network that was designed primarily with equestrians in mind, but the actual link between the Tories Den portion of Hanging Rock State Park and the Surry Line parking area of Pilot Mountain is 21.7 miles, making for a nice, long day hike, if you choose. The advantage to Sauratown is that it takes in some of the same scenery as Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain (though, granted, without the aerie vistas), but with a fraction of the people. Plan your trip through the helpful Sauratown Trails Association website.

Great color, great weather — the yard work can wait. Get out and enjoy!

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Today’s 90-Second Escape: Backpackers for Life

It was the fall weekend you dream about on the trail, and we knew it the second we got out of the car: cool air but warm sun, dry, not a cloud to be seen. We all stood for a few moments, soaking it in before turning to one another and smiling.

This past weekend, our GetBackpacking! Triad class from September took their graduation trip to South Mountains State Park. As an instructor and trip leader, as someone eager to share the joy of extended life on the trail, the weather was a godsend. As an instructor and trip leader, your only job on a weekend like this is to stay out of the way and let nature cast her spell. Which is just what happened.

No more words. Just visual evidence to show you why the grads from this class are now backpackers for life. Click on our hikers and enter their world this past weekend.

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Here’s our lineup so far for fall:

BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina / GetHiking! Fall Hiking Series. This new program is aimed at the beginner hiker, those of you who have been intrigued by the idea of hiking, but intimidated by the prospect of going alone. We will be launching a 10-week series of weekly hikes in six North Carolina metro areas — Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Raleigh, Wilmington, Winston-Salem — starting Sept. 18. Stay tuned for details.

GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking program. Backpacking is a bit like space travel: in both cases, you’re headed into a foreign environment with a life-support system on your back. Thus, since astronauts don’t learn space travel from their buddies, you shouldn’t learn backpacking from acquaintances, either. In three local training sessions, you will learn about the necessary equipment and develop the skills necessary to venture into the woods. The class culminates with a three-day, two-night graduation trip to South Mountains State Park. From beginner to bonafide backpacker in three weeks. Fee: $85 for Triangle, $75 for Triad (introductory offer), includes $35 gift card to Great Outdoor Provision Co. and 10 percent GOPC discount during the course of the session. Class size limited to 12.

• GetBackpacking! Triangle: first session, Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m., Umstead State Park, with subsequent training sessions on Sunday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 17. Graduation trip is Friday, Oct. 14 – Sunday, Oct. 16. More info and sign up here.
• GetBackpacking! Triad: first session, Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m., Hagan Stone Park, Pleasant Garden, with subsequent training sessions on Sunday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 17. Graduation trip is Friday, Sept. 30 – Sunday, Oct. 2. More info and sign up here.

GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods. Been following others on the trail and are uncertain how you’d fare in the lead — or on your own? In this three-hour class, you’ll learn basic map and compass skills, then head into the woods to test those skills as well as learn to read the trail and the terrain. See something off trail you’d like to explore? You’ll have no qualms about getting there — and more importantly, getting back — after this class.
Fee: $35, includes compass and map for the program. Class size limited to 6.

• Saturday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m., Umstead State Park. More info and sign up, here.
• Saturday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m., Umstead State Park. More info and sign up, here.

Intro to Family Camping. Did camping skip your generation? Did your parents think you were “roughing it” by staying in a motel without room service? Now, here you are, pining to spend the night in the woods with your own kids, but have no idea how to make that happen? Make it happen with our Intro to Family Camping program. Session 1 is an introductory session: get to know your fellow campers, learn camping basics, do some fun camp activities. Then, we take an overnight trip to a nearby state park and camp out.
Fee: $85, includes dinner, campfire treat, breakfast, loaner tents and sleeping pads (if you need them), program materials such as packing guides, journals for recording nature experiences, $50 credit toward the purchase of any tent at Great Outdoor Provision Co.

• Sunday, Sept. 11, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.; Umstead State Park; overnight camp out, Saturday/Sunday, Oct. 1-2. More info and to sign up, here.

GetHiking! Southeast’s Classic Hikes. Each month, our Classic Hikes series visits one of the region’s more renowned trails. In September, October and November, we will be engaged in hiking weekends, which include a group camp experience.
Fee: $35 for camping weekends, includes camping, swag bag, enewsletter subscription, $25 for one-day hikes

• September — Sept. 24/25, Grayson Highlands / Mount Rogers, Va.
• October — Oct. 22/23, Panthertown Valley, Sam Knob
• November — Nov. 11-13, Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs
• December — Dec. 30, Mount Mitchell and Mount Jefferson

More info and to sign up, here. http://www.meetup.com/GetHiking-Triangle

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We’re looking to expand our offerings and are curious about what classes you’d like to see. What skills would you like to develop? Plant and critter ID? Photography? Drop us a line at joe@getgoingnc.com and let us know.

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That breath of fresh air you inhaled coming out of the house Monday morning — a breath devoid of hot, of wet, of recreational despair — convinced our GetHiking! crews that there’s no need to wait for fall in order to take a fall-like hike. Let’s do it now, our hike leaders declared. Or at least this weekend.
So we will.
This weekend, GetHiking! Charlotte, GetHiking! Triad and GetHiking! Triangle will all exceed the 10-mile mark, a distance typically not contemplated by most until it’s time to toss a fleece into the daypack. Fleece be danged, let’s hike!
Here’s what our three hiking groups have planned for the weekend:

• GetHiking! Charlotte, Crowders Mountain State Park. Hike leader Lisa is going the instant replay route with a four-hour hike Saturday at Crowders Mountain State Park, and another four-hour hike Sunday at Crowders. The plan is to depart at 8 a.m. both mornings from the park’s Boulders Access and hike two-hours north on the Ridgeline Trail. At 10 a.m., hikers will about-face and return to the Boulders. Depending upon a hiker’s pace, Lisa estimates they will cover anywhere from 6 to 12 miles. The trail is through rolling terrain. Learn more and sign up here.

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  GetHiking! Triad, Doughton Park. Hike leader Jean loves hiking, but she absolutely adores this hike: the 16-mile loop at Doughton Park beginning from the Longbottom Road Access. This Saturday hike begins with a 4.3-mile climb up the Cedar Ridge Trail. The good news? Cedar Ridge constitutes about 80 percent of the climbing on this hike. From there, it’s a memorable 7.5-mile hike on the Bluff Mountain Trail, through vast meadows offering great views, then a 5-mile descent down the Flat Rock Trail. Learn more and sign up here.

• GetHiking! Triangle, Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake. Whoa! you may be thinking: doesn’t the MST run for

  

  60 miles along Falls Lake? This statewide trail does indeed spend 60 of its roughly 1,100 miles hugging the reservoir’s south shore. Our GetHiking! Triangle group will tackle about a sixth of that total: the 10.6 miles from NC 50 west to the Rollingview Recreation Area MST Access. A good kickoff hike for the fall: not too hilly, considerable tree cover, some quality time with the lake. This hike begins at 9 a.m. Learn more and sign up here.

Starting temperatures for all hikes should be in the low 70s, under sunny skies.
Join GetHiking! in getting a jumpstart on fall.

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Why do I push hiking?
For one, it’s accessible. North Carolina is blessed with great hiking trails. No matter where you live, from the coast to the mountains, there are great trails a short drive away. (We even have a trail, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, linking the coast and the mountains.)
Hiking is social. Of all the ways you can get your heart rate up, hiking is perhaps the most amenable to doing so with friends. The movement, the fresh air, the surroundings regardless of where they are, all contribute to a convivial atmosphere.
It’s soothing. For a lot  of us, being in the woods is a sedative. That’s not just me talking, there’s science to back that up (see below).
It doesn’t feel like a workout. Sure, there may be times at the end of a long day where you realize your body is working, but typically that realization doesn’t occur until later on — when you try to get out of the car, for instance.
All of which is why last September GetGoingNC, with support from Great Outdoor Provision Co., launched the GetHiking! program. GetHiking! focuses on two audiences: Folks who have long been interested in hiking but, for whatever reason, have yet to take their first step into the woods. And more experienced hikers who would hike more if they knew more places to hike.
For the former, our hikes are lead from the rear, meaning you’ll never hike alone. A guide will always be at the back of the pack. For the latter, we try and hit new trails every week, ensuring that you expand your universe of hiking options.
The program launched in the Triangle in September. To date, we now have more than 500 members. Our weekly hikes can be intimate, with as few as 15 hikers, or they can be events, with upwards of 70 participants.
Based on our response in the Triangle, we are expanding GetHiking! into Winston-Salem and Charlotte, with hikes scheduled to begin in both regions later this month. You can learn more about the Triad program here, GetHiking! Charlotte here.  And you can find out about our hikes and other events, and join up, by visiting the following:

• GetHiking! Charlotte, go here. We have a kickoff event scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 16 at  6:30 at the Great Outdoor Provision Store in the Park Road Shopping Center.
• GetHiking! Triad, go here. We have a kickoff event scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Great Outdoor Provision Store in the Friendly Shipping Center in Greensboro.
• GetHiking! Triangle, go here.

There’s another big reason I started the program, one especially pertinent to folks interested in living healthier in the new year:
It’s good for you. Consider:

• Hiking reduces your chances of heart disease.
• Hiking on a regular basis can lower blood pressure by 4 to 10 points.
• A frequent walk in the woods can help reduce your chances of getting diabetes. If you already have the disease, hiking, combined with proper diet, can reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin therapy.
• As a weight-bearing exercise, hiking can help stave off osteoporosis.
• A regular exercise program centered around hiking, coupled with a sound diet, can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Depending upon your pace and other factors, you can burn up to 500 calories per hour hiking.
• A walk in the woods can clear your head — and that’s not us talking, that’s your endorphins, according to recent studies. Hiking is also effective at reducing stress and relieving anxiety.
• Hiking improves muscle fitness.
• Hiking lowers your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• Hiking can lower the risk of colon and breast cancer.

Hiking is a well-rounded activity. If you’ve been reluctant to hit the trail because you’re fretful of going alone, or you don’t know where to go, then you no longer have an excuse. You have GetHiking!
So get going, join your local club and we’ll see you on the trail.

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