Coast

Pretty sure we’ve recommended this before and that’s fine: it’s a trip we can’t recommend enough. It’s Saturday’s paddle on the coastal Scuppernong River portion of Pettigrew State Park. Pettigrew is noted for its record old-growth trees, which you’ll find along the Scuppernong as well. Here, you’ll find ancient Atlantic white cedars (known locally as junipers) that reach diameters of three feet and heights of 100 feet. The area is also a wildlife oasis, assuring lots to see on this paddle.

Logistics: Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. Free, but preregistration required by calling 252.979.4475.

Saturday forecast: High of 82, 40 percent chance of rain.

Piedmont

Like the idea of paddling big water with the kids but are a little tentative? Check out Sunday’s Family Kayak Tour on Lake Wylie, sponsored by Charlotte’s McDowell Nature Preserve. You’ll get to paddle along the border with South Carolina while taking in views of the Buster Boyd Bridge, Copperhead Island and more. Led by a guide who can help take the mystery out of paddling a larger body of water.

Logistics: Sunday, May 19, 1:30 p.m. at Charlotte’s McDowell Nature Preserve on Lake Wylie. $15 for a single kayak, $20 for a tandem. 704.588.5224 to register.

Sunday forecast: 50 percent chance of rain, high of 81.

Mountains

Looking for a good trail race in the high country? Newbies and veterans alike will find opportunity in Saturday’s concurrent Cradle to Grave 30K/Hunter Subaru Rock-A-Bye 5K trail races. Both begin at the Cradle of Forestry off U.S. 276 north of Brevard and offer prime scenery on the trails of Pisgah National Forest.

Logistics: Saturday, May 18, 30K starts at 8 a.m., 5K at 8:30 a.m. Both from the above-mentioned Cradle of Forestry outside Brevard. $35 for the 5K, $65 for the 30K. Register online and learn more here.

Weekend forecast: High of 79, 50 percent chance of rain.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

* * *
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Today’s 90-Second Escape: Neuse River Trail

On April 20, another 20 miles of the Neuse River Trail opened in Raleigh. That brings the trail to about 26.5 miles, about a mile shy of its eventual run, from Falls Lake Dam south along its namesake river to the Johnston County line. (The missing link is about 6.5 miles from the northern trailhead, at the WRAL/CASL Soccer Park and Horseshoe Farm Park. The mile or so is scheduled to open in early 2014.)

The recently opened 20-mile stretch is the longest continuos stretch of paved greenway in the state (it’s actually 25 miles of continuous greenway, meeting at the Johnston County line with a a 5-mile greenway into Clayton). The new 20 miles is marked by two suspension bridges over the Neuse (seven total pedestrian bridges over the Neuse will exist when the project is completed) and just one road crossing of any consequence. It is a remarkable trail that we will be writing more about over the next couple of weeks.

For now, enjoy a 90 seconds of greenway magic on the Triangle’s premier paved greenway. For more on exploring the greenway, go here.

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Kate, left, and Hana

Last night, Raleigh Parks & Rec. honored its top volunteers with the 2013 Fred Fletcher Outstanding Volunteers Awards. Ten volunteers and one agency were selected for recognition, no easy chore considering 9,000 people volunteered more than 140,000 hours last year to help Raleigh’s parks and recreational facilities exceed their budgeting constraints.

Before the ceremony at the Fletcher Opera Theater downtown, I had a chance to talk with one of the recipients, the Anderson family of east Raleigh, which collectively won the Outstanding Greenway Volunteer Award. When the Andersons moved into their new home in the Heddingham development in 2006, they discovered a great, unheralded amenity: the Neuse River Greenway. At the time, the greenway was natural surface (it has since been paved and is part of the now 20-mile, soon to be 28-mile Neuse River Trail), it was wild and surprisingly remote, and, to then 6-year-old Avery’s dismay, littered with trash.

“I’m a civil engineer,” father Sean Anderson told me, “and I know some people at city hall. So I used my connections to see what we could do.”

“Used connections" with city hall to see how they could pitch in and help — there's a novel concept.

Soon, the Andersons — including mom Aimee and other daughter Peyton — signed an Adopt A Park agreement and were making garbage patrol on their neighborhood trail part of their regular routine. They’ve been doing it ever since, for seven years now.
During the ceremony there were other great volunteer stories to tell.

There was coach Dan Dunn, who’s been coaching a variety of youth sports at a variety of parks around town for 35 years. Someone figured out he’s guided more than 700 kids during that time. The person who nominated him, Tonya McNeill, a recreation center supervisor, noted that not one parent had ever said anything even slightly negative about Coach Dunn. If you’ve ever had any connection with youth sports, you know what a remarkable achievement that is.

Ever wonder why the Raleigh Municipal Rose Garden is impeccable? You have Walter Bull, Outstanding Adopt-A-Park Volunteer, to thank, in large part. When the city needs extra help on a project, from planting trees to removing invasive plants, they frequently call on the folks at Haven House for a helping hand. Outstanding Specialized Recreation Volunteer Tony Flores was heralded for never saying “I don’t think you can do that” to any of the Special Olympics athletes he’s coached in 14 years, and Viola Bullock, Outstanding Program Volunteer, was praised for her perpetual positive spirit in five years of helping at the Worthdale Community Center. Outstanding Park Volunteer Mary Scott, Outstanding Project Volunteer Judy Morgan-Davis, Outstanding Senior Adult Program Volunteer Ken Long and Award of Excellence Winner Graham Smith are all folks you should thank for making Raleigh a better place to live.

It was two volunteers, though, that I was especially proud of, and I happened to be sitting between both of them. In fact, they both live in my house.

My stepdaughter, Kate Rice, was one of the finalists for Outstanding Teen Volunteer, an award won by her stepsister — my daughter — Hana Miller. Both are good students, both play on their respective schools’ sports teams. While good grades or a PR are great, those achievements do not compare to being recognized for giving back to their community. Hana was recognized for giving more than 80 hours of community service (a concept that’s changed in meaning since I was in high school) and for her four years on the Raleigh Youth Council. I’ve obviously been aware of her involvement, but over time I’ve come to recognize it less as something special, more as simply part of who she is. She’s set an example for me to follow.

So, a big thanks to all the volunteers recognized last night for making Raleigh’s Parks & Rec. system what it is. And a big hug to two volunteers in particular.

Coast

"Woman in Boat"

Renoir’s “Woman in Boat” is one of those classic impressionist paintings that you get lost in for a while before snapping to and thinking, “I should get Mom out in a boat. She’d like that.” OK, maybe that’s not necessarily what you think at the time. But now that the seed has been planted, it’s a good idea, no?

Yes. And it’s an idea you can act on this Sunday (Mother’s Day, btw) at Merchants Millpond State Park near Gatesville (up in the northeast corner of the state). The 760-acre Merchants Millpond is both enchanting, with its still waters peppered with Spanish moss-dripping ancient bald cypress and tupelo gum, and accessible. The latter all the more so this Sunday, when a ranger leads a guided Mother’s Day paddle.

Logistics: Sunday, May 12, 2 p.m. Free, but preregistration required, by calling 252.357.1191. All equipment — boat, paddle, PFD — is provided, you just need to bring mom. More about Merchants Millpond here.

Sunday forecast: Overcast early, clearing in the afternoon, high of 72.

Piedmont

"Springtime"

Even more than women in boats, women with flowers were a popular subject of the French impressionists. Monet, for one, was constantly capturing women with flowers: “Woman with a Parasol,” “Woman in a Garden," (not to be confused with “Women in a Garden”) and a personal favorite, “Springtime” (pictured). Once again, when you see one of these your thoughts may or may not turn to the need to take mom out and tip-toe through the tulips.

We don’t know about tulips, but we do know there will be plenty of other wildflowers in bloom Sunday when a park ranger leads the Mother’s Day Wildflower Hike at Hanging Rock State Park north of the Triad. The scenic mile-long saunter begins at 2 p.m.

Logistics: Sunday, 2 p.m. Free. More about the park here.

Sunday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 70.

Mountains

The wildflower display is in full bloom in the high country and, fittingly, Mother’s Day-related wildflower hikes abound. Because we’re running out of space as a result of our art history lesson, we refer you to a nice roundup of this weekend’s mountain hikes by Karen “Best Hikes with Dogs: North Carolina” Chavez, outdoors editor of the Asheville Citizen Times. Find it here.

Logistics: Again, find it here.

Weekend forecast: Sunday’s looking better than Saturday, with partly cloudy skies and highes in the upper 60s.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

* * *
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• It’s the longest trail in the state. Eventually, the trail will run about 950 miles, from Clingman’s Dome on the Tennessee border east to Jockey’s Ridge on the coast. At present, about 550 miles of the trail are complete (the remaining 400 miles are on temporary routes, primarily secondary roads).
• If you live in one of the state’s metro regions that starts with a “T”, you’re just a short drive from the trail. In the Triad, a 22-mile stretch of the MST piggybacks on the 22-mile Sauratown Trail, running from Pilot Mountain State Park east to Hanging Rock State Park. In the Triangle, a 60-mile stretch of the MST runs along the south shore of Falls Lake and another 10 miles is done along the Eno River, from Durham’s West Point on the Eno city park upstream to the Pleasant Green Access of Eno River State Park.
• It’s growing practically by the day. On May 18, for example, a volunteer workforce will strive to blaze a three-mile stretch of the MST near Penny’s Bend that will link the aforementioned 10 miles along the Eno with the 60-mile Falls Lake stretch, creating 73 miles of continuous trail. (More info on that workday, here.)
• It’s becoming more accessible.

It’s on the latter point that we write today. The Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, with assistance from GetGoingNC.com, has just completed in-depth trail descriptions to help you find and enjoy those completed stretches along Falls Lake and the Eno. In both cases, the trail has been broken down into easy day-hikes, complete with trailhead information, difficulty rating, connecting trails, maps, photos, a description and other helpful information. For those of you who like a detailed account of where you are on the trail, there’s a step-by-step account of each trail provided by FMST volunteer Mark Edelstein.

Specifically, for each section:

• Eno River: four day-hikes ranging from 2.2 to 2.9 miles (link them together for longer hikes). Details here.
• Falls Lake: 18 day-hikes ranging from less than a mile to nearly 7 miles. Details here.

Our ongoing cool weather makes this an ideal time to explore the MST. Check out these trail descriptions, then check out the MST.

One thing about all the wet weather — it sure makes for some green hiking.

We discovered that Friday while hiking a four-mile stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the Eno River in Durham and Orange counties. Tag along for a 90 Second virtual hike, then get details on how to hike this section yourself at the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website.

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The 2011 ride

Bike rides of the mama bear, papa bear and baby bear variety abound this weekend in North Carolina. Whether you’ve been riding a day or a lifetime, there’s a ride for you.

Coast

The thing that freaks some casual cyclists out about organized rides is the suggested competitive element. Sure, it’s billed as a ride. But you’d never guess that from jackrabbits-in-kits at the front of the pack. And the distances: 25 miles is considered the “fun” ride!?

Saturday’s 24th Annual River to Sea Bike Ride dispels the competitive notion right off the bat. First, it’s self-described as a “casual-pased bicycle ride from downtown Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach.” Second, it’s only 11 miles, following Wilmington’s River to Sea Bicycle Route. And who wants to ride fast, anyway, when you’re pedaling past the likes of Riverfront Park, the Children’s Museum, Empire Park, UNCW, the Arboretum, Airlie Gardens and the Wrightsville Beach Museum? Plus, you can either ride your bike back from Wrightsville Beach or  take the trolley!

Logistics: The ride is free, but registration is requested — just show up at 8 a.m. on Saturday (May 4), sign up and you’re good. The ride begins at 8:30. Helmets required. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Some clouds, high of 73.

Piedmont

Another sign of a mellow organized ride? It starts — and more importantly, ends — at a winery.

Such is the case with Saturday’s Bike MS: Gears and Cheers ride out of the Grove Winery in Gibsonville. Ride options of 20, 40 and 50 miles are available, registration includes lunch and wine from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Civil cycling at its best.

Logistics: Saturday, May 4, with check-in and day-of registration beginning at 7:30 a.m., the 50-mile ride at 8:45 a.m., the 20- and 40-mile rides at 9 a.m. $45 online through May 2, $50 day of. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 70.

Mountains

So the hard-core cyclists among you are probably wonder, “Where’s our ride?”

In Cashiers, site of the 21st annual Tour de Cashiers, where 300 riders are expected to tackle one of three mountain routes: The 25-mile (Quarter Century) route which heads out to Pine Creek Road, then hits North Norton and Norton Roads before returning via U.S. 64; the 62-mile Metric Century, which takes in Toxaway, Balsam Grove and Tuckasegee; and the 100-mile Century, which climbs a total of 10,500 feet. Post-ride meal provided by The Gamekeeper’s Tavern and The Orchard restaurant.

Logistics: Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. Pre-registration is from 4-6 p.m. Friday at Bucks Coffee Cafe in Cashiers. For more info and to register online, go here.

Saturday forecast: High of 55, 20 percent chance of rain.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

* * *
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1. Have a goal. I know, I talk about the importance of having goals, about how they’re essential to keep you motivated. And yet ... . Beginning last October, my goal was the Umstead Marathon, which was on March 2. I ran (mostly) the marathon, then, according to plan, took some time off. Of course, the plan was to take maybe a week or two before setting a new goal, signing up for a race and training anew. The goal was not to take a couple months, which is about what happened. Oh, I was running — every now and then. I needed a goal — I needed another trail race.

Action: I signed up for Race #3 in the River Bound Race Series in Charlotte, on the trail network at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Specifically, I’ll be doing the 15K. The race is July 20; I have 2 1/2 months to train.

Re-action: I ran 21 miles last week — about as many miles as I’ve run since March 2 — including a 10-mile trail run at Umstead.

2. Commute by bike. I’ve contemplated the bike commute for a while now; on Friday, it was time. My daughter wanted to use the car for a day-long school project. I tossed her the keys,

Action: Granted, I work mostly from home, but I also work a fair amount of the time from a collection of local coffee shops. I briefly scouted a map for secondary roads and greenways to one of my faves, gave the bike a quick tune, took 10 minutes to get my commuter gear together.

Re-action: Though it was only 5.6 miles to the coffee shop, I ended up logging more than 18 for the day, incorporating several errands into the mix. 18.6 miles, 1 hour 18 minutes on the bike, an average of 13.2 mph. Pretty good day on the bike.

3. Serenity now! Early in the week, I was stressed; lots of deadlines, lots of obstacles. I tend to withdraw when I get stressed, get glassy-eyed, pick at my fingernails, make odd clucking noises, scare the kids. Marcy is adept at spotting the early warning signs, and this time was no exception. She tried to get me to do deep breathing exercises; for whatever reason, I resisted. “You need Yoga,” she suggested.

Action: The next morning I woke up tight as Jimmy Conners’ tennis racket with an accompanying stress headache. Desperate, I tried the deep breathing exercises — and within minutes my neck and shoulders had downgraded from a T2000 to a plush Prince oversized  as forgiving as Mother Teresa (someone, please — call the metaphor police!)

Re-action: I signed up for a yoga class Thursday nights at Lake Johnson.

Act, people. Now.

You can test-drive a car before you buy it, so why not a boat?

Actually, you can. This Thursday (May 2), folks in the Charlotte area can pre-purchase paddle a boat on Mountain Island Lake, next Thursday (May 9), Trianglites can see what’s under the hood at Lake Crabtree , and on May 16 (yep, another Thursday), those of you in the Triad can evaluate a range of paddle craft for the purpose of purchase at Lake XXXXX.

The events are all courtesy of Great Outdoor Provision Co. If there’s a specific boat or two that you’re interested in, call your local GOPC store in advance and they’ll do their best to make sure it’s included in the demo fleet. A great way to determine the boat of your dreams, even if you didn’t know you were dreaming of a boat.

Also on hand: stand-up paddleboards. Check one out, you may be surprised at how easy they are to paddle. To give you a sense of their user-friendliness, here’s a clip from one of last year’s GOPC boat demos at Lake Crabtree.

* * *

Details

Although the demos are free, registration is requested in advance, at the numbers listed.

Charlotte
Thursday, May 2, 4-7 p.m.
Gar Creek Canoe Launch, Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, Mountain Island Lake, Huntersville
More info here, to request a boat call 704.523.1089.

Triangle
Thursday, May 9, 4-7 p.m.
Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville
More info here, to request a boat call 919.833.1741 (Raleigh store) or 919.933.6148 (Chapel Hill).

Triad
Thursday, May 16, 4-7 p.m.
Oak Hollow Lake, High Point
More info here, to request a boat call 336.727.0906 (Winston Salem store) or 336.851.1331 (Greensboro).

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Coast

My friend Jason did the Tough Mudder in Georgia earlier in the month and he did not take it lightly, training for the event by dedicating four months of his life to P90X. Surprisingly, though, not everyone approached the grueling event with the same dedication. “There were people who hadn’t trained at all,” Jason told me. It’s in that spirit of last-minute “What-the-hey” that we draw your attention to Saturday’s Combat Mud Run in Wilmington. The 5K course includes such obstacles as 4', 6' and 8' walls, mud crawls, a mud walk, a swamp run, tire climb, culvert crawl and “fallen trees” (presumably not felled whilst you’re running beneath them) and a “Foot Long Bungee Hall Way Obstacle.”

Logistics: Saturday, April 27, 8 a.m., at the National Guard, 2412 Infantry Road, Wilmington. $65, $260 for a team of four. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Overcast, high of 73.

Piedmont

The bike tour season is kicking in: on tap this weekend, the East Wake Bicycle Tour. Sponsored by the Knightdale Kiwaniz Club, the tour includes 50K, 75K and 100K tours of eastern Wake County. I’ve done a couple of tours in eastern Wake and there’s a lot to recommend riding the area: it’s flat, there’s minimal traffic and bucolic terrain is a nice distraction as it begins to dawn on you that you are woefully ill-prepared for a long tour this early in the season.

Logistics: Saturday, April 27, commencing at 9 a.m. from Knightdale High. $35. More info here,
to register, go here.

Saturday forecast: Overcast, high of 70.

Mountains

In addition to being the start of the bike touring-riding season, it’s also the start of the paddling season. In the mountains, things kick off with Saturday’s French Broad Classique Canoe, Kayak and SUP Race. Saturday’s events include an 18-mile downriver race, a 4-mile stand up paddleboard race and a 50-mile test race. Sunday’s races include a 16-mile downriver race and an 8-mile family friendly fun race.

“Test race,” you ask? Check out the website to find out.

Logistics: Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28. For more specifics, check the website here.

Weekend forecast: Overcast with a 50 percent or greater chance for rain.

* * *

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

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