This weekend recognizes two fundamentals of outdoor recreation: One, when it’s hot out, water is an essential element of any activity. And two, sometimes you just can’t wait until the weekend to have some weekend fun.
Coast
Guided canoe trips are great. Sometimes, though, they can be a little staid: Now if we all raft up and be still, we might see the alligator gar surface to feed. Usually doesn’t take more than a half hour, again, provided no one moves or speaks … .”
Last Thursday on a trip down east was my first day on the water and it put me of a mind to spend more time paddling. The quiet, save for the birdsong and the occasional gal-lump of a turtle inelegantly abandoning sunny log for murky water. The wildlife, including an alligator that was even more distracted by the sun and warmth. The emergence of spring, with the pastel buds of green, white and crimson giving the world a soft focus field. The unique calm that only paddling flat water can offer.
It’s paddler’s choice this weekend in North Carolina. Don’t like to get wet? Then make a run for the hills.
Coast
Pine Knoll Shores is the place to be along the coast this weekend is you like to paddle or pedal. The weekend’s Kayak for the Warriors highlight is a 3.2-mile kayak and paddle board race that begins in Bogue Sound, follows canals inland through town, then pops back out onto the sound at the finish. A little too intense for the kids? There’s a Family Fun Race that’s just “a few hundred yards” as well. For mellow cyclists — the beach cruiser crowd — there are family-friendly rides of 5K (3.1 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles). The event kicks off Friday evening with a reception at Town Hall, all races are Saturday. Proceeds benefit Hope For The Warriors, a non-profit whose goal “is to enhance quality of life for U.S. Service Members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty.”
If you like to paddle, plan on calling in sick for most of June. And if you think you might like to try paddling, plan to take at least a day.
This morning at 10 a.m., the Tour de Yadkin got underway on the Yadkin River, from the base of W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir. The Tour continues daily through the 23rd, with daily paddle trips led by Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks and various related events. It’s an event suitable for veteran paddlers as well as folks who don’t know their bow from their stern.
While a great paddling opportunity, the annual TdY’s primary goal is to expose the masses to the challenges the Yadkin faces, from fracking to fibrowatt.
“This is the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act,” Naujoks said before the event, “so we’ve made the annual paddle even bigger and better than previous years because we want people to discover the beauty of this North Carolina resource and ways that doing just a little can make our waters more fishable, swimmable and drinkable.”
Each day will include time on the river — and something unique as well.
Today’s 7.1-mile paddle, for instance, will be followed by a Historic Ghost Walk Tour on the Wilkes County Greenway led by Historian, R.G. Absher. Friday, there’s a 6.8-mile paddle planned, from Ronda downstream (we know, but we still feel obligated) to Elkin, followed by yoga, dinner and camping at Crater Park in Elkin. Saturday begins with breakfast and a one-mile hike on a freshly-minted stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Tail, followed by a 5.7-mile paddle to the Carolina Heritage Winery for a tour, wine tasting and bluegrass concert. I’m challenged to think of a better way to spend a Saturday.
Other highlights: