Winter Hike Series Archives - GetGoing NC!

This weekend: Polar Plunge, History Hike, Nature Hike

JoeMiller — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 17:40:16 +0000

Is this the weekend you take your first dip of 2017 in the Atlantic? Perhaps you’re more interested in a hike into history. Or maybe it’s when you take a class and learn not to bark up the wrong tree (so to speak).

Coast

A previous Plunge

Did you miss the chance to jump into an icy pool — the classic polar plunge — on New Year’s Day? Do you feel your year isn’t off until an official start until you’ve had the wake-up call that only baptism in 55-degree water can confer?

If so, head to Kure Beach Saturday for their 11^th Run-N-Plunge at the Kure Beach Pier. Live music by the Prime Time Band, silent auction, costume contest, art, food, and more. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics New Hanover County. And to warm up, there’s also a 5K and 1-mile fun walk. (And yes, the temperature of the Atlantic at Kure Beach is currently 55 degrees.)

Logistics: 11^th Annual Polar Plunge, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m., Kure Beach Pier. More info and to register, here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a high of 60 at plunge time.

* * *

Looking ahead: BNP Trail Jam (3.5-mile, 9-mile and 18-mile races), Saturday, Feb. 18, Brunswick Nature Park, Wilmington. More info here.

Piedmont

The Pump Station area is also a good place to catch the early signs of spring, including daffodils planted by farmers years ago.

Like a little history on your hikes? Then join the Eno River Association this Sunday on its weekly Winter Hike Series. Each week, the hike visits a separate section of the Eno River Valley: this week, it’s the Pump Station Area, home to Durham’s first public drinking water source. Much of the brick structure remains, which makes for some great exploring. Adds the ERA: “Portions of the hike will be off-trail, some sections may be steep, muddy, or on rough terrain. you may want a walking stick, and sturdy shoes are a must.”

The hike will cover about 1.5 miles and last two hours.

Logistics: Eno River Association Winter Hike Series: Pump Station Trail, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m., Eno River State Park, Pump Station Access off Rivermont Road. Learn more here.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 78!

* * *

Looking ahead: Polar Plunge Splash-n-Dash, Saturday, Feb. 18, Randolph-Asheboro YMCA, Asheboro. More info here.

Mountains

Deeply veined bark … sourwood!

Can’t tell an oak from an ironwood in winter. Leaves do make a difference, but so do bark, limb, bud and branching pattern. Learn to read the more subtle signs that identify our trees on a Winter Tree ID Hike Sunday at 1 p.m. At Grandfather Mountain State Park. Specifically, the hike will cover the lower reaches of Grandfather Mountain, departing from the Profile Trail parking lot and stick to the lower reaches of the mountain.

The hike will cover 2 miles and last about two hours.

Logistics: Winter Tree ID Hike, Sunday, Feb. 12, 1 p.m., Grandfather Mountain State Park, Banner Elk. More info here.

Sunday forecast: High of 61, chance of rain.

* * *

Looking ahead: National Trails Day Hike to Mt. Craig, Saturday, June 3, 11 a.m., Mount Mitchell State Park. More info here.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of coastal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Great Outdoor Provision Co.
Calendar includes three weekly events for each of its seven markets: Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem. Search by market.

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

* * *

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This weekend: Spring from winter

JoeMiller — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 15:29:52 +0000

They look excited! Photo courtesy CarolinaBeachToday.com

The pending changing of the seasonal guard is evident this weekend. At the coast we have a sweaty 5K that ends with a bracing dip in the brisk Atlantic Ocean; in the Piedmont, the Eno River Association’s weekly Winter Hike Series is drawing to a close; and in the mountains there’s the opportunity to hike in snow — in 50-degree temperatures.

Coast

Imagine a 5K where a major shock awaits at the finish. And we’re not talking about glancing at the clock and seeing you’ve shaved a minute off your PR. We’re talking about suddenly finding yourself up to your waist in 45-degree water.

That’s the deal with Saturday’s Polar Plunge 5K at Carolina Beach. Run a 5K through town, finish in the Atlantic Ocean. The good news? The air temperature is supposed to approach 60 Saturday afternoon and the race starts at 2 p.m. The even better news: your frigid finish benefits Special Olympics of North Carolina, New Hanover County. (FYI, you can dispense with the run and go straight for the 45-degree water if you can’t wait.)

Logistics: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m., Carolina Beach Boardwalk. $50 race day (you also have the option of just doing the race and stopping short of the Atlantic, or $30, but who wants to do that?). More info here.

Saturday forecast: Partly sunny, high of 58.

Cable bridge crossing the Eno and connecting with the Cox Mountain Trail.

Piedmont

Time is running out to take advantage of the Eno River Association’s Winter Hike Series. Once a week on Sunday afternoons, from January into March, the ERA conducts a hike of a different section of the Eno River Valley. A knowledgeable naturalist leads each hike, shedding light on the wonders of the Eno.

The wonders being explored this Sunday are those on the Cox Mountain Trail in the Fews Ford Access of Eno River State Park. The Cox Mountain Trail is just under four miles (tack on another mile to get there and back from the parking lot). The hike offers exceptional natural beauty along the Eno and remnants of the pre-park’s human past.

Logistics: Sunday, 2 p.m., Fews Ford Access of Eno River State Park. More info here.

Sunday forecast: High of 68, partly sunny.

Mountains

This weekend promises the best of both worlds for hiking in North Carolina’s high country: there’s still a fair amount of snow in the high country, yet the forecast is for mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s.

All of which bodes well for the Carolina Mountain Club’s hike Saturday in the Pisgah National Forest north of Brevard. The CMC plans a 9-mile trek up Kagle Mountain that includes a portion of the Art Loeb Trail. High country hiking, some of which is on trail you may not be familiar with (but the hike leaders are). Lunch stop at the shelter at Butter Gap.

Logistics: Saturday, Feb. 22, 8:30 a.m.(carpool meeting time from Asheville). More info and to register: Vance Mann, 828.273.7592, hvancem@icloud.com; more info on the route, here.

Sunday forecast: Highs in the low 50s, partly sunny.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

* * *

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This weekend: Enjoy the warmth

JoeMiller — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 16:08:50 +0000

Palmetto boardwalk (photo courtesy N.C. State Parks)

After a week of cold and snow throughout much of the state, the swing continues, with unseasonably warm temperatures returning to North Carolina. Get out and warm your bones with a nice hike.

Coast

After a week of snow and cold, doesn’t it sound appealing to spend some time in a warm, muggy swamp? Sure it does, and you can, Saturday, at Goose Creek State Park near Washington (our Washington). As the event notice explains, on the Palmetto Boardwalk Hike, you’ll get to, “See the Palmetto swamp as it transitions to a saltwater marsh without getting your feet wet.” (The later in reference to the “boardwalk” portion of the clinic name.)

Even if you do get your feet wet, the hike is worth it. Goose Creek is a well-preserved marsh along the Pamlico Sound, where giant oaks dripping with Spanish moss and a mix of swamp shrubbery make for a good escape.

Logistics: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m. Goose Creek State Park, Washington, N.C. More info by calling 252.923.2191 or by going here.

Saturday forecast: High of 56, cloudy with fog developing.

Exploring the Cabe Lands along the Eno River.

Piedmont

We tend to push the Eno River Association’s Winter Sunday Hike Series, but for good reason: the hikes explore a different portion of the Eno River Valley every week, are lead by a knowledgable guide, and always result in you taking away a much better understanding of the natural world around you and the cultural world that was here before you. This week, there’s added incentive: there might even still be some snow on the ground, provided you don’t believe in forecasts (see “Sunday forecast,” below).

This week’s hike is at the Cabe Lands Access off Howe Street, and will explore the Fish Dam Road, once an important trading path between villages of first Americans, and the Cabe Mill. ERA board member Joe Liles leads. And, for those of you for whom this is an issue, the hike should over in plenty of time for you to get home and watch the Broncos beat the Seahawks.

Logistics: Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m., Cabe Lands Access, Durham. More info here.

Sunday forecast: 40 percent chance of rain, high of 62.

Looking east, toward Shining Rock, from the Hill Top area.

Mountains

Several winters ago, I hiked to High Top Tower in the Shining Rock area in the snow. It was one of those memorable days: close to a foot of snow on the ground, nothing but sun overhead and lots of great views.

Sunday, you may get a chance to replicate my experience with the Carolina Mountain Club. They’re doing a 10-mile hike from Camp Daniel Boone up to the ridgeline, where you’ll find great winter views of Shining Rock Wilderness to the east and the Middle Prong Wilderness to the west.

Logistics: Sunday, Feb. 2, 8 a.m., Camp Daniel Boone near Waynesville. To register, call hike leader Brent Martin at 828.524.7400 or email brent_martin@tws.org.

Sunday forecast: 56 degrees, 30 percent chance of rain.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

* * *

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

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post This weekend: Enjoy the warmth appeared first on GetGoing NC!.