Labor Day has come and gone, the summer with it. Now, we get down to the serious business of fall fun in North Carolina!

Coast | Coastal Plain

There’s something romantic about an open-water swim in the ocean: riding the swells, being buoyed by the salt water, sharing space with all manner of aquatic life.

Yup, it’s romantic, all right. Until you’ve done it and realize what an incredible challenge it is, battling current, keeping your bearings, trying not to swallow those swells.

That’s the challenge faced by competitors in Saturday’s Pier-2-Pier Swim Race at Wrightsville Beach. The race covers the two miles of open water between Johnny Mercer’s pier and Crystal Piers. (For the mile counters, yes, that total distance is 1.71 miles; the additional 0.29 includes “the swim to and from the ‘dry’ finish and start.”

Vital Stats: Saturday, Sept. 10, 8 a.m., Wrightsville Beach, $40-$60. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny, race-time temp of 75.

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Looking ahead: American Craft Walk, Saturday, Oct. 15, Wilmington. More info here.

Piedmont

Saturday, apparently, is Grandparents Day, and North Carolina’s state parks are celebrating. Hikes and nature programs are planned at Morrow Mountain, Raven Rock, Cliffs of the Neuse and Pilot Mountain state parks, among other parks statewide.

Make it an intergenerational Saturday, by seeking out details below

Vital Stats: Check out the list of Grandparents Day events, here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny throughout much of the region with highs near 90.

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Looking ahead: Centennial Celebration at Mayo River State Park, Mayodan, Oct. 8. More info here.

Mountains

What could be more fun than a 5K road race at Biltmore Estate? Maybe a 5K road race at Biltmore Estate followed by a 13.25-mile off-road bike ride at Biltmore? Now, that would really be cool, the best! Unless, that is, you were to tack on a 5K off-road run. That would truly be swell.

And that would be Sunday’s Asheville Duathlon at Biltmore. The riding is non-technical, and on trail not typically open to the public. All good reasons to do the Du.

Vital Stats: Sunday, Sept. 11, 7:45 a.m, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. More info here.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, race-time high of 66.

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Looking ahead: Take a Child Outside Campout, Sept. 24-25, Chimney Rock State Park. More info here.

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

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The post Your weekend: Make fall a labor of fun appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic

Head on down to Wrightsville Beach this weekend to participate in (or watch) the 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic! Lots of standup paddleboarders competing in different divisions: based on age, gender and height. Friday, there is a pig pickin’ and music fest, followed by the races on Saturday. Registration ends this Friday!

There are two races, a 3.5-mile recreational race, and a 7-mile elite race with cash prizes for winners! All racers must bring a USCG approved PFD in order to participate. Registration fees differ based on category.

Weather policy: there will be a weather call Saturday morning. Canceling will occur only if paddling conditions are unsafe.

Vital stats: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic, Friday and Saturday, more information here or here. ColdStroke@coastalurge.com or head here.

Saturday forecast: High of 42, chance of rain. Might wear a wetsuit. Or a dry suit.

Looking ahead: Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Madness; marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay, 5K, 1-mile run, March 18-20. More info here.

Piedmont: Mount Rogers Hike

Weather permitting, this Saturday the Piedmont Hiking and Outing Club is hiking the Mount Rogers Trail to intersect with the Appalachian Trail, Northbound, in the popular Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in southwestern Virginia. Before signing on, the club advises that you be prepared for cold temperatures, high winds and possibly deep snow!

If you can’t make this hike, the club is one of the more active outdoors groups in the region. Check their website for a schedule of activities; individual membership fees are $20 per year, family memberships are $30 annually.

Vital stats: Saturday, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, visit the club’s website for meeting time and additional information.

Saturday forecast: Snow starting Thursday evening will begin to taper Saturday morning, with accumulations of 18 inches expected. High temp: 30.

Looking ahead: Nature’s Notebook Hike, Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Saturday, Feb. 6. More info here.

Mountains: Icycle Mountain Bike Event

“The most fun you’ll ever have on two wheels, rain, sleet, snow or sunshine,” promises the event’s sponsors. Fontana Village Resort hosts the Icycle Mountain Bike Event Saturday. Cross-country races begin at 11 a.m. and go late into the night. If you’re looking for a challenging winter mountain bike race, the IBM should do it.

Registration takes place in advance and race day; fees vary, see website.

Vital stats: Icycle Mountain Bike Event, Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. into the night, Fontana Village Resort, Fontana Dam. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Snow throughout the day, high of 32.

Looking ahead: Swannanoa Rim Hike #3: Cherokee Boundary, March 19, 4.5-mile hike nearly all off trail. More info here.

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

The post Weekend Plans: Ice? Snow? Bah! appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

In recognition of the fact many of you have a good deal of flexibility through year’s end (no school, no work), we expand the definition of “weekend” to include the rest of the year. And, in accordance with Mother Nature of late, we expand the definition of winter adventure to include polar plunges where you’re more likely to need suntan lotion and a cold drink than a fleece blanket to warm yourself in.

That said …

Coast

Nature Tour, Bald Head Island. If you’re at the coast for the holidays, this two-hour tour of Bald Head Island is a good bet. Beach, maritime forest, salt marsh and the critters associated with these environments identified and explained by naturalists with the Bald Head Island Conservancy.

Admission includes ferry service and let’s you hang out on the island for the day.

Logistics: Monday, Dec. 28, 9-11 a.m., Bald Head Island. $40. More info and to sign up, here.

Monday forecast: High of 69 and overcast.

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Looking ahead: Polar Plunge, Wrightsville Beach, Jan. 1, 10 a.m. More info here.

Piedmont

Nothing like a good old fashioned forest bathing to —

Forest bathing?

Sure, from the Japanese Shinrin-yoku, “a visit to the forest for relaxation, a chance to stroll through nature and take in the atmosphere for one’s well-being; literally ‘forest bathing’,” according to the folks at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Hillsborough, who will host a forest bathing on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Logistics: Sunday, Dec. 27, 1 p.m., Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. More info here.

Sunday forecast: Sunny, high of 75.

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Looking ahead: Polar Plunge, Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m., Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury. More information here.

Mountains

Got visitors in town who’d like a taste of Appalachian hiking? Take ‘em on Sunday’s Carolina Mountain Club hike at Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Asheville. A mellow (for the mountains) 7.5-mile loop that starts at 9 a.m. Afterward, take your visitors into Asheville for exploring of a more urban nature.

Pretty good day, no?

Logistics: Sunday, Dec. 27, 9 a.m., Bent Creek State Experimental Forest, Asheville. Contact the Carolina Mountain Club here, for details and to sign up.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 74.

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Looking ahead: Lake Lure Polar Plunge, noon, Jan. 1, Lake Lure Beach. More info here.

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

The post This weekend: Hot Yuletide Fun appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Need to squeeze in one more 5K for the year (even if you aren’t currently be training for a 5K)?

Check out the Jingle Bell 5K Run out of the Wrightsville Beach Museum. (Already it sounds good, taking place on flat-as-an-by Wrightsville Beach). The race is around Wrightsville’s Loop, passing a mix of scenic distractions, from historic cottages to winter marshes. Additional distractions in the form of your fellow runners, who are encouraged to dress in holiday apparel (antlers, Santa Claus, Fred Claus, etc.). Proceeds benefit the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History

Logistics: Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 a.m., Wrightsville Beach Museum, 303 W. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach. $15-$30. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 60 at race time under mostly sunny skies.

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Looking ahead: Huggins Island History Hike, Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. More info here.

Piedmont

Jumpin’ Geminids!

Yep, it’s that time of year again, when the Geminids meteor showers streak the December night sky. If you’ve ever been frustrated by attempts to view the annual display on your own, or if you’re just into group meteor showers, head to Lake Rim Park in Fayetteville Saturday evening for an old-fashioned viewing. Cosmic experts will be on hand to discuss asteroids, meteorites and comets (and the differences between them). Brink a lawn chair or a blanket — and dig out the Hawaiian short and jams; it’s gonna be warm.

Logistics: Saturday, Dec. 12, 8-10 p.m., Lake Rim Park, 2214 Tar Kiln Dr., Fayetteville.Free. More info here. Check the Environmental Education Centers of North Carolina calendar, here, for more Geminids events around the state.

Saturday forecast: Mostly clear, highs in the upper 50s during the viewing period.

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Looking ahead: First Day Photography Hike, Friday, Jan. 1, 8 a.m., Umstead State Park, Raleigh. More info here.

Mountains

It’s a welcome sight on a winter’s hike. After miles of gray and brown, you suddenly find yourself immersed in green. It’s a welcome relief and you’d like to pay thanks to these forest dendrozens who maintain a cheerful palette of green no matter the season. Just one thing?

Who are they?

Find out who these standard-bearers of year-round green are on the Winter Plant Hike Saturday at Lake James State Park. Park Ranger Kevin Bischof presides.

Logistics: Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m., Holly Discovery Trailhead at Paddy’s Creek Area, Lake James State Park, 2785 N.C. 126, Nebo. More info at 828.652.5047.

Saturday forecast: High of 60 at hike time (on the way to 73 for the day) under mostly sunny skies.

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Looking ahead: First Day Hike, Jan. 1, 11 a.m., Elk Knob State Park, Todd. More info here.

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

The post This weekend: Warm days, streaking nights appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Have you been wondering how to combine your love of music, your paddling and Halloween? Probably not. But if you have, consider Saturday’s Spooky Sound PaddleFest 2015 in Wrightsville Beach.

Music: the event is sponsored by, and benefits, the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra. Paddling: the event itself is a non-competitive paddle open to canoes, kayaks, standup paddleboards and “other non-motorized craft,” starting and ending at Wrightsville SUP, with a turnaround at Palm Tree Island. Halloween: it’s on Halloween, with awards for best costume and strangest craft. If living to you requires a paddle in your hands, then this looks like a good way to launch your Halloween celebration.

Logistics: Spooky Sound PaddleFest 2015, Saturday, Nov. 31, 10 a.m. (check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., clinics and demonstrations at 9 a.m.), Wrightsville SUP, 96 W. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach. $15 ($5 for raffle tickets).  More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, high of 69.

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Looking ahead: 5th Annual Surf to Sound Challenge, Nov. 6-8, Blockade Runner, Wrightsville beach. More info here.

Piedmont

Another thought you may or may not have pondered: as you’re walking down a trail, have you ever wondered about all the living creatures, flora and fauna, visible and non, around you?

Saturday at Medoc Mountain State Park near Hollister (which is northeast of Louisburg, which is not far from Wake Forest) follow a ranger on a 1.5-mile hike along Bear Swamp Creek to learn what’s in the creek, what’s along the creek, and what’s all the way up to the adjoining ridge … . Really, to learn about everything around you. Or as much as you can learn in an hour or so.

Logistics: Bear Creek Swamp Hike, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2 p.m., Medoc Mountain State Park, Hollister. Free. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, high of 64.

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Looking ahead: Eno Quarry History Hike, Eno River State Park, Saturday, Dec. 26. More info here.

Mountains

Or, perhaps you’ve wondered if it’s possible to co-celebrate cycling and Halloween. Yes, Casper, it is possible. If you don’t mind heading to the high country.

The Asheville area has two such celebrations Saturday. Saturday morning, there’s the Bookwalter Binge Charity Gran Fondo in Black Mountain, with ride options of 30, 62 and 83 miles, while Saturday evening it’s the 9th Annual Asheville on Bikes Pumpkin Pedaller, a 9-mile ride in downtown.

Intrigued? Learn more in this article by Karen Chavez of the Asheville Citizen Times.

Logistics: Both rides are Saturday; again, for details consult Karen’s article, here.

Saturday forecast: Partly sunny with a high of 62, dipping down to 50 for the evening Pumpkin Pedaller

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Looking ahead: Naturalist Niche: Survival Skills, Saturday, Nov. 21, Chimney Rock State Park. More info here.

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

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

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The post This weekend: Trick or treat? Pedal or paddle? appeared first on GetGoing NC!.