Blog
Take the MST 42-Mile Challenge
One hiker registered to take the MST 42-Mile Challenge is nearing the midpoint of section-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Another registered hiker hikes 4 or 5 miles on weekdays, 10 on...
Celebrate the Mountains-to-Sea Trail's 42nd birthday on a hike in the Mountains or at the Coast
The Cascades is on a hike sponsored by Ashe County on Saturday, Sept. 7 (photo: hdcarolina.com) On Sept. 9, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail celebrates its 42nd birthday, and your favorite statewide...
Help the Mountains-to-Sea Trail celebrate its 42nd birthday on one of these Piedmont hikes
Hike the MST along the base of Pilot Mountain On Sept. 9, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail celebrates its 42nd birthday. Now, if you were a prestigious trail running 1,175 miles across...
Charlotte Store Manager Rudy Hayden on what to wear for a 16-hour day on the trail
Our Rudy Hayden at the gateway to the Shining Rock Wilderness, on the Art Loeb Trail. When Rudy Hayden, manager of our Charlotte shop, isn’t camping/climbing/hiking or otherwise exploring with...
Mark Synnott on Alex Honnold and his "Impossible Climb"
Mark Synnott, right, and Alex Honnold In the chicken-or-egg conundrum, there’s a third possibility that’s rarely debated: that neither came first — they evolved separately. That’s essentially the theory put...
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail: a year of growth, and more to come
Volunteers like these drive (and build) the statewide trail. My, how you’ve grown! It’s a sentiment expressed frequently around birthdays, usually by great aunts to 8-year-olds they haven’t seen in...
Trail Family - (By Guest Authors "The Dower Duo.")
“Trail Family” When my wife and I set out on our adventure to hike the Appalachian Trail, some things had to be left behind. Most of it was easy to...
Gear up for the Festival Season
Rumpl blankets The summer festival season is much like the summer camping season in that you’re essentially living outside. You’re eating outside, you’re sitting outside, you’re drinking outside and in...
Our Top 10 Secret Summer Adventures (that are still secret)
Atop Pond Mountain Two years ago we published a list of our Top 10 Secret Summer Adventures. But you know what? Once you publish a secret, it’s no longer a...
Seven reasons we love Wilson Creek (though there are a lot more)
We’ve been visiting the Wilson Creek area for more than two decades, and every time we return it’s like visiting an old friend who has, somehow, become an even better...
Yadkin Riverkeeper: Protecting central North Carolina's "Hidden River"
Edgar Miller surveys the Yadkin from atop the Will-Cox Bridge at Yadkin River Park. Note: The Yadkin Riverkeeper is one of several organizations dedicated to protecting the environment that Great...
Shoes (or are they sandals?) for amphibious summer fun
Our Wall of Amphibious Footwear We were eating lunch on day two of our backpack trip to Wilson Creek when I noticed Brandon eyeing my shoes, which were surprisingly dry...
Thru Hiker Approved Sections that Won't Disappoint
-Submitted to GOPC by Tara & Jonathan Dower in June of 2019- Greetings from mile 790 of the Appalachian Trail. My husband and I began our thru hike attempt of...
Blue Ridge Discovery Center Inspires Appreciation for Mount Rogers Area
Cade Campbell, left, shows a ringneck snake to Lisa Banish and Aaron Floyd. Cade Campbell walks across the yard holding a ringneck snake he discovered a few moments earlier in...
Men: Keep cool, look cool on your summer adventures
Kuhl Renegade pants Heat, humidity, sun. When it comes to summer clothing, these staples of summer weather don’t always work in concert with style, function and fun. Sometimes, however, they...
Women: Be active, look cool on your summer adventures
It’s the summer clothing travel dilemma: you want to have an active vacation, but you also want to look good having it. Time was that could be a challenge. The...
Gear up for the backpacking merit badge
Cullen McMillian’s backpacking experience includes a 30-day National Outdoor Leadership School trip in Scandinavia. Your scout has done the 5-mile hike, three 10-mile hikes, a 15-miler and the big 20-miler....
Earth Day - Catching a Buzz for the Environment
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find itself hitched to everything else in the Universe.” – John Muir Keep Durham Beautiful Pollinator Project Every year our...