Ultimate Hike Archives - GetGoing NC!

GetOut! Your Weekend Nudge — and a call to Ultimate action

JoeMiller — Fri, 10 May 2019 09:37:55 +0000

We begin our thoughts on weekend adventure with an adventure three weeks out that you can start training for this weekend.

Raleigh/Umstead CureSearch Hike, Saturday, June 1, Umstead State Park, Raleigh. I started leading hikes in 2011 after being contacted by an endeavor called the Ultimate Hike, a new fundraiser benefitting a group out to end childhood cancer. The deal was this: lead at least six training hikes in preparation for a 28.3-mile hike (in one day) on the Foothills Trail straddling the North Carolina/South Carolina line. I’d been telling people where to hike through books and newspaper columns for 15 years, why not actually take them, I thought. So I did.

I did five Ultimate Hikes, often starting with newbies who’d never set foot on the trail. Yet whipping them into shape in 12 weeks for the Foothills hike was a walk in the woods compared to the more daunting challenge they faced: raising $2,500 for CureSearch in their battle against pediatric cancer. For those five hikes I only had one hiker who failed to meet the goal — and had to cover what he didn’t raise.

Face it, not all of us are good at asking people for money. And with a fundraising goal of $2,500, that’s a lot of asking. That requirement, I’m afraid, kept a lot of aspiring Ultimate Hikers away.

But what if you only had to raise $500? Seems a lot less intimidating, no?

A couple weeks ago, my buddy Mike Owen, called saying he’d succeeded in getting CureSearch to sponsor a mini Ultimate Hike at Umstead State Park. (Mike, I’m proud to say, was in the second group of hikers I coached; he has now hiked a total of 10 Ultimate Hikes, and is one of their top ambassadors.)

Here’s the deal:

Distance. Rather than 28.3 miles, the Umstead hike has options of 5, 6.25, 9.25 and 13.3 miles.

Cost. $20 to register. That goes against your ultimate fundraising goal for this event, which is …

Fundraising goal: $500.

Family plan: There’s still a registration fee of $20 per person, but the overall fundraising goal is reduced: $500 for the first hiker, $100 for each additional hiker.

Pretty doable, even for the fundraising averse, right? And it’s a great excuse to get some hikes in over the next three weeks.

Learn more about the Umstead mini-hike and sign up here.

Wildflower Walk, Sunday, 1 p.m., Elk Knob State Park, Todd. Spring wildflowers are coming into bloom at 5,000 feet; this hike will check out the action on the first mile of the 2-mile Summit Trail, one of the prettiest trails in the state, with a rugged, but somehow tamed, feel. At the end of the program, continue to the summit for great views, especially to the north, from Elk Knob. Learn more and sign up here.

Basin Hike, Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. A very cool hike, starting on the beach and passing through a maritime forest, and back dune and salt marsh habitats. Pays a visit to a World War II bunker that housed munitions in the 1940s and the First Fisher Hermit in the 1960s. Learn more and sign up here.

GetHiking! this weekend

What are we up to this weekend? Lots!

GetHiking! Charlottesville: Wilderness First Aid, Saturday, May 11, 8:30 a.m. to Sunday, May 12, 6:30 p.m. Mountaintop Montessori, Charlottesville. Hands-on training to survive injuries in the wilderness. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Triad: Townsend Trail, Saturday, May 11, 9 a.m. 6100 Southshore Road, Browns Summit. Easy to Moderate. 7-mile hike leading to Lake Townsend. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Charlottesville: Chessie Trail, Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. Fontaine Research Park, Charlottesville. Moderate. 7-mile hike through flat terrain along the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Learn more here.

Live the video

This week’s video covers a lot of ground, including the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake, at Jones Lake State Park, and on Mount Mitchell. Discover how you can discover these stretches of the MST by going here.

The post GetOut! Your Weekend Nudge — and a call to Ultimate action appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The Ultimate in a hike

JoeMiller — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 14:22:56 +0000

Looking for a challenge in 2015?

How about hiking 28.3 miles? In one day.

Ultimate Hike is the chief fundraiser for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. CureSearch is a nonprofit that traces its roots to 1987. Though its name has changed over the years, its mission has not. The nonprofit funds research efforts to fight children’s cancer. If there’s a more noble effort to support, I’m pressed to think of it.
The Ultimate Hike

And if there’s a better way to support the cause — hiking to raise money for children’s cancer research — I’m hard-pressed to think of it, either.

The 2015 Ultimate Hike season is about to get underway. This year’s hike, on the last 28.3 miles of the 77-mile Foothills Trail straddling North and South Carolina, is May 16. You don’t, however, just show up on May 16 and expect to hike 28.3 miles (at least most of us don’t). As part of the program, there’s a 12-week training program. The key component of the training program is a series of every-other-weekend hikes that will grow increasingly longer. Start with a getting-to-know-you short hike of 2 or 3 miles and build from there. Most hikes are local, but there’s also an elevation training hike at Hanging Rock State Park and and endurance hike of 20 miles in the Uwharrie National Forest. There’ll also be one or two mid-week hikes designed to get hikers used to hiking in the dark. (Why? Because to hike 28.3 miles in one day you have to hit the trail pretty early — 4:30 a.m., to be exact)
Want to find out more? Then make plans to attend one or UH’s informational sessions next week, in Cary and Durham:

Wednesday, Feb. 4, REI in Cary, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 5, REI in Durham, 7 p.m.

And if you’re thinking, “I’m not really much of a hiker, this probably isn’t for me,” then cease that line of thinking. This hike and the 12-week training program is exactly for you: that’s what the training is all about. If you’re curious about what hiking 28.3 miles in a day is like, here are some scenes from the first Ultimate Hike on the Foothills Trail, in 2011.

* * *
Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post The Ultimate in a hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

90 Second Escape: A wet ‘n’ wild Ultimate Hike

JoeMiller — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:28:27 +0000

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.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: A wet ‘n’ wild Ultimate Hike

Saturday was the first Ultimate Hike Alumni Hike — a stepped-up version of CureSearch for Children’s Cancer’s epic fundraising hike to help battle childhood cancer. The hike is for hikers who have done the regular Ultimate Hike and are looking for an even greater challenge. Though Saturday’s hike was three miles shorter — 25.1 miles vs. 28.1 miles — it was on a much more rugged stretch of the Foothills Trail straddling North and South Carolina. For instance, the last 0.7 miles gained 1,100 vertical feet! Adding to Saturday’s challenge: it rained almost all day — and this was a day that started with a 2:15 a.m. wake-up call and ended, for the last hikers to finish, at 8:20 p.m.

Here’s a taste of one long day on the trail for a great cause.

* * *

Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post 90 Second Escape: A wet ‘n’ wild Ultimate Hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Ultimate Hike: the journey begins Saturday at Umstead

JoeMiller — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:42:47 +0000

Two weeks ago, I told you about the Ultimate Hike. I may have written a reminder as well. In either event, here’s another, this one to remind you that the 2013 Ultimate Hike season begins Saturday at 9 a.m. at Umstead State Park.
Ultimate Hike is the chief fundraiser for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. CureSearch is a nonprofit that traces its roots to 1987. Though its name has changed over the years, its mission has not. The nonprofit funds research efforts to fight children’s cancer. If there’s a more noble effort to support, I’m pressed to think of it.
And if there’s a better way to support the cause — hiking to raise money for children’s cancer research — I’m hard-pressed to think of it, either. Tomorrow marks the start of a 12-week training program that will culminate with us hiking 28.3 miles on the Foothills Trail straddling North and South Carolina. The key component of the training program is a series of every-other-weekend hikes that will grow increasingly longer. Tomorrow at Umstead, will start with a short hike (of 2, 4.5 or 6 miles, hiker’s choice). We’ll be back on Aug. 24 with an 8-mile hike along the Eno River. Subsequent hikes will be at Raven Rock State Park, on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through the Triangle, at Hanging Rock State Park and in the Uwharrie National Forest. We’ll also do a series of shorter mid-week hikes designed to get hikers used to hiking in the dark. (Why? Because to hike 28.3 miles in one day you have to hit the trail pretty early — 4:30 a.m., to be exact)
Want to find out more? Then come out tomorrow and test-drive the Ultimate Hike. We’ll gather at 9 a.m. at Picnic Shelter #2 at Umstead State Park’s Harrison Avenue entrance (off I-40). We’ll have bagels and coffee, we’ll talk hiking. Then, around 10, we’ll hit the trail.
And if you’re thinking, “I’m not really much of a hiker, this probably isn’t for me,” then cease that line of thinking. This hike and the 12-week training program is exactly for you: that’s what the training is all about. Again, come out and we’ll talk.
And remember: we won’t just be talking, we’ll be hiking.

* * *

Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post Ultimate Hike: the journey begins Saturday at Umstead appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

An Ultimate reminder

JoeMiller — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 14:14:46 +0000

A gorgeous fall training hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Friday, I told you about an opportunity to make this fall truly epic by taking the Ultimate Hike.

Yes, it sounds like the title of a bad reality TV show (oxymoron?) about five people who go on a hike — and only one comes back. In reality — real reality — it’s an opportunity to test yourself and help a bunch of kids in the process. Ultimate Hike is a fundraiser run by CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. CureSearch promises to put you through a 12-week training program, at the end of which you’re able to hike 28.3 miles in one day. In return, you raise $2,500 to help the fight against childhood cancer. Pretty good deal.

You can read more about Ultimate Hike in Friday’s post. I’m back today to remind you that you can learn more about the Ultimate Hike at our five informational meetings throughout the Triangle, which begin this evening at the REI in Raleigh’s North Hills and run through next week. Here’s a rundown of thoe meetings:

Tonight, July 30, 6:30 p.m. — North Raleigh: REI, 4291 The Circle at North Hills (Six Forks Road at the Beltline/I-440).
Wednesday, July 31, 7 p.m. — Durham: Bull City Running, 202 W. NC 54 (just off Fayetteville Street north of I-40)
Monday, August 5, 6:30 p.m. — Cary: REI, 1751 Walnut St. (off US 64 at Walnut).
Tuesday, August 6, 7 p.m. — Chapel Hill: Great Outdoor Provision Co., 1800 E Franklin St. (Eastgate Shopping Center).
Wednesday, August 7, 7 p.m. — Raleigh: Great Outdoor Provision Co., Cameron Village.

Preregistration is encouraged. Make it happen by going here.

I’ll be at each meeting. In fact, I’ll be running each meeting: I’m the hiking coach and local contact for the Triangle Ultimate Hike. We’ll be doing training hikes over the next three months on some of the region’s best trails: Umstead and Eno River state parks, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake, Raven Rock State Park, Hanging Rock State Park, the Uwharrie National Recreation Trail. We’ll also do a night hike or two, as well as a couple of early morning hikes. The program culminates on Nov. 9 with a 28.3-mile hike on the Foothills Trail straddling the North Carolina/South Carolina line. Expect to challenge yourself. Expect to have a lot of fun.

If you’re interested but can’t make the meetings, drop me a line at joe@getgoingnc.com and we’ll talk. Otherwise, I hope to see you at one of our UH gatherings.

The post An Ultimate reminder appeared first on GetGoing NC!.