The standup paddlers takes to the chilly waters of the Intracoastal Waterway, runners take to the trails of the National Whitewater Center, and nature lovers learn a thing or two at Grandfather Mountain. There may be a little rain in the forecast, but that’s no reason to stay inside on an active North Carolina weekend.
There’s a team run (5K or 10K, your choice) at the coast, a colorful run in the Piedmont and a run to register for limited space on a Lake James waterfowl tour.
Coast: St. Patrick’s Day Lo Tide Run
The 12th annual Steve Haydu St. Patrick’s Day Lo Tide Run on Saturday offers an intriguing twist for both the 5K and 10K: team competition. Each team must have five or more runners, teams will be scored based on their top five runners. The hardest part of this event could be coming up with a worthy team name; teams so far include Shaggers for a Cure, Love is Bald and Fat and Stinky. Registration lasts until the morning of the race, so you’ve got time.
Celebrate your independence this July 4 weekend by exercising your right to pick the adventure of your choice. And in this free market of North Carolina adventure, you’ve got plenty of options, from a walk celebrating history at the coast, to mountain firecracker 5Ks, to an adventure of your choosing to the beat of live music.
Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.
Water is the theme this Labor Day weekend, with a 5K you can jump into a lake after finishing, a festival that lets you take your chances on Class III water in a boat you build, and a triathlon that kicks off with a swim in a 72-degree mountain lake.