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October: made for hiking
Mount Jefferson (photo courtesy N.C. State Parks)Some rue the passing of summer, some despair over the approach of winter.Others — hikers — revel in the fact it's October.With cooling temperatures,...
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Last call for fall, weekend winter advisory
Some quick notes for the weekend:Saturday, will be cool (50s) and rainy in the Piedmont. If you’ve got stuff you need to get done (yardwork excluded), this would be the day to get it done because...
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Give the Gift of North Carolina’s Classic Hikes in 2015
Plum out of ideas for the adventurous person in your life?How about the gift of North Carolina’s best hikes?Round Bald on the Appalachian Trail, near Carver's Gap.In 2015, our GetHiking! program will...
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2015: Hike in the New Year
First Day Hike at Carvers Creek State Park (photo courtesy of N.C. State Parks).We all resolve to be healthier and more active at the start of the new year. What we don’t always realize is that a...
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GetBackpacking! Launches Monthly Weekend Trips
On our latest GetBackpacking! graduation trip, to South Mountains State Park.When Great Outdoor Provision Co. and GetGoingNC started the GetHiking! program in September of 2013, we did so on a hunch...
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Put some zip in your summer
Photo courtesy French Broad RaftingMove over whitewater rafting, there’s a new “extreme” family adventure that’s fast become the thing to do for families with a taste for adrenaline.Ziplines — most of...
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Trails for walkin’ in the rain
Hiking along the EnoTo the glass-half-empty crowd, this weekend’s forecast of rain followed by more rain topped by a dash of drizzle (and more rain) may seem discouraging. But if you don’t mind seeing...
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This weekend: Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count
We depart from our traditional format this week, in part because outdoor activities are sparse the weekend before Christmas, in part because it’s time for the Christmas Bird Count, one of the biggest —...
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This Friday: Welcome the new year with a First Day Hike
Basin Trail, Fort FisherIt’s long been tradition to welcome the new year with an athletic feat: a bike ride, a run, a dip in the ocean or other suitable frigid body of water. The most popular way — in...
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Connect NC would strengthen, expand State Parks
Lake James State Park would benefit from funding to build a 26-mile greenway around the lake.Tuesday, North Carolina voters go to the polls to vote on, among other things, a sweeping $2 billion bond...
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Your Weekend: Learn your snakes, spot eagles, whitewater
You have no excuse not to learn about snakes the next couple of months, thanks to Lake Waccamaw State Park. Meanwhile, on Sunday morning there's a good chance to spot eagles at Jordan Lake State...
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Hiking: Where to beat the heat
The following is a rejiggering of a piece that originally ran Aug. 6, 2014, titled, "Summer Hiking: Beat the Heat."Some of us don't mind hiking in the heat. Switch to cotton, freeze your water bottle...
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Your weekend: Frightful? Delightful!
Answer the following: The weather forecast for this weekend is: a) Frightful b) Delightful If you answered a), then you’ve already resigned yourself to spending the weekend indoors. Here’s a list of...
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An evening of Peak Experiences
Chip Sometimes we listen to the tales of others for inspiration, sometimes for same flat-out vicarious living. Thursday evening, you’ll get both at Peak Panel: a Night of Stories at the Great Outdoor...
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This weekend: Celebrate your Outdoor Independence
Volunteers work to clear trail at Vade Mecum. Coast Since this is a special weekend, extending to Wednesday for many of you, we’re throwing the 4th into the mix — and one of the best displays of...
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10 Especially Appropriate Independence Day Hikes
Nt Greene Trail in Greensboro (photo by gsogeek.wordpress.com) As you contemplate your plans to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow, contemplate this: what would be the most appropriate way to...
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Celebrate the Dark of Day!
The event poster reads like that for a rock extravaganza a la Lalapalooza or Coachella: Get Here Early! Gates open at 5 a.m.! Stay All Day! Food trucks! Vendors! Live streaming! Don’t you dare miss it...
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This weekend: Embrace the approaching gloom
Don't forget your eclipse-viewing safety glasses! Based on dire warnings from N.C. Department of Transportation message boards statewide ("Plan Ahead"!), we’re guessing that pert near everyone is...
View ArticleWhen you’re hiking, every day’s a holiday
People sometimes shy away from hiking thinking it’s all work and no play. To those we have two words: Holiday Hiker. Holiday Hiker is both a series of hikes we’re doing in December and an overriding...
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Escape with us into the Outdoors in 2018
Hiking is a gateway activity. You start with a hike along Umstead’s Sycamore Creek after a rain, maybe hike the Little Mountain Falls Trail at Virginia’s Fairy Stone State Park on a cloudless winter...
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