What’s up in the GetHiking! and GetExploring! worlds this week and beyond
GetHiking! Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
GetHiking! Triangle
When: Tuesday, July 12, 5:45 p.m.
Where: Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, 2616 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary
Starting to get the weekend withdrawals? Not sure you can make it another four days until your next adventure fix?
We’ve got you covered. Tonight, at 5:45, our crew takes a mid-week, after-work outing on the trails at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary. The trails are foot-friendly and well-shaded, minimizing the summer heat. A great opportunity to keep your wits until the weekend.
Hike leader: Anne
More info here
GetHiking! at Pilot Mountain State Park
GetHiking! Triad
When: Sunday, July 17, 9:30 a.m.
Where: Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle
Think of Pilot Mountain on a nice weekend and you think of traffic jams as cars snake their way to the top of the mountain and, frequently, wait for a place to park. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Sunday morning, our GetHiking! Triad group beats the heat, the crowds and the traffic with a 6-mile hike on the Mountain and Grindstone trails. Those trails are off the radar of most Pilot Mountain visitors; couple that with the fact we start from the base of the mountain (from the Corridor access trailhead) and that we’re heading out early Sunday and our hikers will likely have the mountain — at least their part of it — to themselves.
Hike leader: Joe Miller
More info here
GetExploring! Full-Moon Paddle
GetExploring! Greenville
When: Tuesday, July 19, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Town Common, Greenville
What a great way to wind down the day: on a mellow paddle down the Tar River in downtown Greenville. We’ll put in at Town Common and take a leisurely paddle to Port Terminal, about 3 miles downstream. Rental boats available from Knee Deep Adventures, 252.714.5836.
Hike leaders: Andrew and Lindsey
More info here
There’s more on our calendar; for details, go here
On the horizon:
Greenway Bike and Brew, Thursday, July 28, 6 p.m., Five Points, Greenville
GetHiking! Greenway PowerWalk
GetHiking! Charlotte
When: Wednesday, July 20, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Cherry Berry, 1100 Metropolitan Ave., Charlotte
Wonder how you trail for those big weekend hikes? With a midweek PowerWalk! This one will last a little over an hour.
Hike leader: Lisa
More info here
GetHiking! Summertime Fitness Hike
GetHiking! Charlotte
When: Sunday, July 24, 8:30 a.m.
Where: Crowders Mountain State Park, 522 Park Office Lane, Kings Mountain
Got a summer vacation hike you need to train for? Our summertime fitness hikes are designed for all fitness levels; hike at your own pace, cover as much distance as you like. “Whether your goal is to become stronger, fitter, faster, or simply to get in a mile or two before lunchtime, you will enjoy these hikes!” promises hike leader Lisa.
This hike repeats on Aug. 6.
Hike leader: Lisa
More info here
GetHiking! Trading Boots for Boats
GetHiking! Triangle
When: Saturday, July 23, 9 a.m.
Where: Beaverdam Recreation Area of Falls Lake, Wake Forest
Every once in a while we need a change of pace. Ironically, while we will be trading hiking boots for paddling boats, the pace remains about the same — 2 to 3 miles per hour. Anyway …
We’re partnering with the folks at Frog Hollow Outdoors for a morning on the water at Falls Lake. Got your own boat? Swell, bring it. No boat, we’ve arranged for you to rent one through Frog Hollow.
We’ll be paddling a remote wetland area of the lake, an area verbotten to power boats.
Trip leader: Anne
More info here
GetHiking! Southeast’s Classic Hikes: A Smokies Weekend
GetHiking!
When: Friday, Aug. 19 – Sunday, Aug. 21
Where: Smokemont area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Our August Classic Hike takes us to a nationally recognized Classic: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Saturday, we’ll have two hikes: a 15-mile lollipop loop probing deep into the Smokies, and a 10-mile out-and-back along much of the same trail. Sunday, we’ll hike 5.5 miles on the Smokemont Loop Trail.
This hike is part of our 2016 GetHiking! The Southeast’s Classic Hikes series, sequel to 2015’s inaugural GetHiking! North Carolina’s Classic Hikes series
Hike leaders: Joe Miller, Anne Triebert
More info here
GetHiking! Southeast’s Classic Hikes: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (Virginia) Weekend
GetHiking!
When: Friday, Sept. 23 – Sunday, Sept. 25
Where: Beartree Campground, Mount Rogers
Partial as we are to North Carolina’s mountains, you can’t have a Southeast Classic Hike Series without including the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area of southwest Virginia. Basecamp for the weekend is the Beartree Group Camp on the north flank of the Mount Rogers massif in the George Washington National Forest.
Saturday, we will hike on the Appalachian Trail from Elk Garden north (east) past Mount Rogers to Rhododendron Gap. From there, we head south and pick up equestrian/hiking trail to return to Elk Garden. This hike will be in the 15-mile range; a shorter option of around 10 miles will also be available. The terrain is some of the most exposed in the southeast, with open meadows and rock outcrops dominating. It’s a slice of the western U.S. in Appalachia.
Sunday, we will break camp and drive to Scales for about 5 miles of hiking in similar terrain.
This hike is part of our 2016 GetHiking! The Southeast’s Classic Hikes series, sequel to 2015’s inaugural GetHiking! North Carolina’s Classic Hikes series
Hike leaders: Joe Miller, Anne Triebert
More info here
GetHiking! Southeast’s Classic Hikes: Appalachian Trail at Hot Springs Weekend
GetHiking!
When: Friday, Nov. 11 – Monday, Nov. 14
Where: Laughing Heart Lodge (basecamp), Hot Springs, NC
Love to hike, but not camp? You’ll be cheered to hear that our last weekend hike of the 2016 Southeast’s Classic Hikes series will be based out of the Laughing Heart Lodge in Hot Springs. We’ve blocked out the lodge for Veterans Day Weekend, for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. First, about Laughing Heart …
You will need to make your own reservations. The main lodge has 7 guest rooms, all with private baths. There’s a cabin with kitchen, and, for the budget minded, there is a hostel with rates starting at $20 per night. Learn more about Laughing Heart, which is on the Appalachian Trail, and make reservations starting here. Mention you are with GetHiking! when making your reservation. Laughing Heat can accommodate about 30 people.
Now, the hiking:
Saturday, we will have two hikes. The longer hike, 14 miles, will begin at Max Patch and head north on the AT to Garenflo Gap. The shorter hike will begin at Lemon Gap and head north on the AT to Garenflo Gap. The Max Patch hike starts atop an impressive bald, meanders downhill and along creeks for 5 miles before a climb up Walter Mountain and a longer climb up Bluff Mountain, from there it’s a 4-mile descent to Garenflo Gap. The shorter hike follows the same path from Lemon Gap to Garenflo Gap.
Sunday, we also have two hikes. The longer, 13 miles, heads north on the AT from Hot Springs up Lovers Leap Ridge (great views of the French Broad River and Hot Springs below), to Rich Mountain, then returns on the Roundtop Ridge Trail. The shorter hike, 6 miles, follows the same AT route up Lovers Leap Ridge and ends at Tanyard Gap, on US 25.
Monday, we will catch a shuttle up to Garenflo Gap on the AT and continue heading north for 7 miles back to the Laughing Heart Lodge.
This hike is part of our 2016 GetHiking! The Southeast’s Classic Hikes series, sequel to 2015’s inaugural GetHiking! North Carolina’s Classic Hikes series.
Hike leaders: Joe Miller, Anne Triebert
More info here
Backpacking
GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking (Triangle)
GetHiking! Triangle
When: Four-week session starts Wednesday, Aug. 3, 6 p.m..
Where: Training is at Umstead and Eno River state parks, and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake
Our Intro to Backpacking course consists of three training sessions focusing on a key skill each week. Week 1: Gear and packing; Week 2: Setting up (and breaking down) camp; Week 3: Rustlin’ up a meal. Each session includes a training hike of increasing length: 2, 4.5 and 6 miles. Then, in Week Four, we take a two-night graduation trip to South Mountains State Park.
Learn more about this fee program here.
GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking (Triad)
GetHiking! Triad
When: Four-week session starts Wednesday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m..
Where: Training is at three locations, tbd, in the Triad
Our Intro to Backpacking course consists of three training sessions focusing on a key skill each week. Week 1: Gear and packing; Week 2: Setting up (and breaking down) camp; Week 3: Rustlin’ up a meal. Each session includes a training hike of increasing length: 2, 4.5 and 6 miles. Then, in Week Four, we take a two-night graduation trip to South Mountains State Park.
Learn more about this fee program here.
Gear, Tips, Resources
Gear: FitKicks
With backpacking, the goal is minimalism. You take the minimal gear, the minimal clothes, the minimal (within reason) food. So it’s a bit of a conundrum when it comes to footwear: sure, you’ve got your hiking boots/shoes. But what about the more comfy shoes for kicking about camp? Or shoes for water crossings? Or the shoes you have to quickly throw on in the middle of the night to investigate what the heck that noise is where you’d securely hung your food? Or thought you’d securely hung it.
As I was mulling this dilemma, the folks at The Grommet sent me a pair of FitKicks. They’re described as “active lifestyle footwear,” and “the perfect slipper … perfect run, walk, dance, go-to-the-gym, beach shoes.”
We don’t know about all that, but on a recent weekend camping trip we discovered the stretchy spandex upper and thin-and-grippy rubber soles were great for knocking around camp, and slipped on and off quickly for those pesky creek crossings that are just a bit too deep for boots. They weigh but a few ounces (how many, I’m not able to find, but they are light). You can also toss them in the wash with your other stinky clothes after a trip.
Learn more about FitKicks here.
Tip: Maps: Use ‘em
On July’s Southeast Classic Hike this past weekend at Standing Indian Mountain, three of our hikers went … astray. They’d taken off from the front of the pack on a route that was fairly simple and spelled out on a custom map, with written directions, created specifically for the hike. After ascending the Kimsey Creek Trail, the plan was to go left/north on the Appalachian Trail. Instead, without consulting the map, the adventurous threesome went south — for three miles.
“We weren’t sure which way to go,” one said upon their eventual return.
“Did you look at your map?” I asked.
“They were in our packs,” one answered.
All turned out fine, and the trio was more than happy with their extra credit mileage. The weather was gorgeous, they returned with four hours of daylight to spare. It was a best-case scenario.
But that’s not always the case. Thus, a reminder: 1. Never venture out without a map. 2. When in doubt, never hesitate to consult it.
Even if it is in your pack.
Resource: How to Use a Map
A bit rusty on your map usage? Two options.
This quick tutorial on wikiHow.com serves as a great introduction and refresher for map usage.
We offer a GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods class that shows how to use a map and compass in theory, then takes you into the woods to test your newfound skills. You’ll also learn to stay on the trail and recapture it should you wander off. In short, it makes you feel more confident about being in the woods, on your own. Learn more about our next session, at Umstead State Park, on Aug. 7, here.