From Imbolc to Equinox - GetGoing NC! Spring officially is three weeks away; is it too soon to start the countdown? Actually, it’s a bit late. Here’s how my spring countdown unfolds, beginning with … Imbolc, Feb. … Continue reading From I...

Let the countdown to spring begin! getgoingnc.com/2026/02/from...

Don’t let the cold make you SAD - GetGoing NC! Here’s our annual note for when the temperature seems too cold to hike. Tomorrow morning the forecast calls for a temperature in the upper teens, rising to maybe 40. But … Continue reading Don’t let t...

So it's a little cold. Hitting the trail now will do you more good than usual ...
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10 Thoughts for a late-day off-trail adventure - GetGoing NC! It was coming up on 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day when I got the nagging feeling I’d forgotten something. Black-eyed peas, check. Resolutions for 2026, check. Sticky notes all … Continue reading 10 Thought...

Thoughts on a late day off-trail hike.
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A tip or two before you venture off (trail) - GetGoing NC! Last week we got ahead of ourselves with “5 Ways to Enhance Your Off-Trail Adventure,” a piece that assumed you might already have some experience venturing off trail. So this … Continue reading A tip...

A new year, a new way to hike. getgoingnc.com/2025/12/a-ti...

5 ways to add to enhance your off-trail adventure - GetGoing NC! I got into exploring off trail more than a decade ago because after a while, hiking the same blazed trails over and over became surprisingly routine. When I began veering … Continue reading 5 ways to ...

Yes, it's possible to fall into a routine with off-trail adventures. It's also possible to mix things up ... getgoingnc.com/2025/12/5-wa...

Dec. 7, and other dates to get you through winter - GetGoing NC! The days are growing darker by … well, by the day. And while most folks don’t see this situation improving for another 20 days until we hit the low point … Continue reading Dec. 7, and other dates to ...

There's reason to rejoice this Sunday ... getgoingnc.com/2025/12/dec-...

Warm up to Winter Hiking - GetGoing NC! All the leaves are gone and the sky is gray, meaning it’s time for our annual lecture on winter hiking. This is the tips for comfortable winter hiking lecture, not … Continue reading Warm up to Winter...

Don't put away that hiking gear just yet -- there's a whole winter of great hiking ahead. getgoingnc.com/2025/11/warm...

It's a Cool Time to Hike at the Coast - GetGoing NC! Editor’s note: Every year around this time — the time of cooling temperatures —  we revisit some of our favorite coastal hikes. We generally refrain from hiking at the coast … Continue reading It’s a ...

It's time to start looking at your winter hiking options ... getgoingnc.com/2025/11/its-...

Embrace Winter Hiking; Here's How - GetGoing NC! We’ve reached late fall, the transition between glorious fall hiking and winter, a period many see as a three-month hiatus from the trail. Why? Well, we know not why: for … Continue reading Embrace Wi...

Fall may be fading but the winter hiking season is just getting underway. getgoingnc.com/2025/11/embr...

Seize the moment, then live it - GetGoing NC! This post first appeared Nov. 23, 2022. It runs again now because of its timeliness, as we approach the end of one year, the beginning of another. It was the … Continue reading Seize the moment, then ...

As we approach year's end, remember: There's no time like the present ... getgoingnc.com/2025/11/seiz...

Fall back - and hike in the AM - GetGoing NC! Sunday morning we undergo that annual ritual of falling back. Meaning, when the clock strikes 2 a.m., we wind the hour hand back an hour, to 1 a.m. So when … Continue reading Fall back — and hike in t...

Set your clock back Sunday morning, then take an early morning hike!
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Don't let the sun set on your evening hike - GetGoing NC! Every year around this time we rerun the following post about night hiking, with a few tweaks. Granted, we don’t switch back to Standard Time for another week (Sunday, Nov. … Continue reading Don’t le...

Daylight may be dwindling, but your enthusiasm for an evening hike shouldn't ... getgoingnc.com/2025/10/dont...

10 Ways to Make Fall Hiking Even Better - GetGoing NC! Hiking Thursday on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake I suddenly realized I couldn’t see the trail. The colorful fall leaves that had lured me were now messing with me … Continue reading 10 W...

Could fall hiking possibly get any better? It can ... getgoingnc.com/2025/10/14512/

Lessons learned in the land of Pooh - GetGoing NC! The following piece first appeared in 2015, following author Kathryn Aalto’s appearance at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books to promote her then-new book, “The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh.” Aalto refle...

Who better to learn about the natural world from than a bear? getgoingnc.com/2025/10/less...

Grab a torch, it's time for a night hike - GetGoing NC! At the beginning of September we extolled the virtues of a passeggiata — an after-dinner stroll around the neighborhood. Good for digestion, good for winding down after a stressful day, … Continue rea...

Night hike season is upon us ...
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6 Hikes for Early Fall Color - GetGoing NC! Perhaps you’ve noticed we seem to have gotten a jump on fall this year. Especially along lakes and streams and where woods meet meadow, the colors of fall are starting … Continue reading 6 Hikes for E...

Get a jump on fall this weekend on one of these already colorful trails. getgoingnc.com/2025/09/6-hi...

10 of our Favorite Fall Mountain Hikes - GetGoing NC! We’ve run this post before. It’s what we call an “evergreen,” meaning, with a tweak or two, it stands the test of time: What held true when it first rain … Continue reading 10 of our Favorite Fall Mou...

Fall is the perfect time for a hike in the mountains ... getgoingnc.com/2025/09/10-o...

Explore Your Neighborhood with a Passeggiata - GetGoing NC! Passeggiata. It’s an Italian custom of taking a stroll, especially after the evening meal, usually in the neighborhood. Among other things, it aids digestion. But really, it’s just a swell … Continue ...

Sunset tonight -- in the central Piedmont of North Carolina, at least -- is at 7:24 p.m., meaning you still have time to get in a nice after-dinner stroll. It's a rite the Italians call a passeggiata, and it offers so many benefits...
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Explore Your Neighborhood with a Passeggiata - GetGoing NC! Passeggiata. It’s an Italian custom of taking a stroll, especially after the evening meal, usually in the neighborhood. Among other things, it aids digestion. But really, it’s just a swell … Continue ...

Sunset tonight is around 7:30, plenty of time for an after-dinner passeggiata! getgoingnc.com/2025/09/expl...

Fall is Nigh! Time to Ramp up your Hiking - GetGoing NC! The following first appeared at the start of Fall 2019. It appears again today, updated and tweaked, but relevant as ever as we head into the Fall 2025 hiking season. … Continue reading Fall is Nigh! ...

Fall hiking is around the corner ... getgoingnc.com/2025/09/fall...

Explore Your Neighborhood with a Passeggiata - GetGoing NC! Passeggiata. It’s an Italian custom of taking a stroll, especially after the evening meal, usually in the neighborhood. Among other things, it aids digestion. But really, it’s just a swell … Continue ...

The days may be getting shorter, but you still have time for a passeggiata ... getgoingnc.com/2025/09/expl...

5 Hikes that avoid fall crowds - GetGoing NC! Editor’s note: We run a tweaked version of this post every fall to help you avoid crowded trails in this, the most popular hiking season.  Astronomically, fall doesn’t start until … Continue reading 5...

Fall weather = crowded trails. But not everywhere ... getgoingnc.com/2025/08/5-hi...

A Pisgah doubleheader: John Rock and Pink Beds - GetGoing NC! The first time I hiked the area known as Pink Beds in the Pisgah National Forest, I was skeptical of reports that the 5-mile loop was nearly flat. Nearly flat? … Continue reading A Pisgah doubleheader...

It's been a while since I've led a mountain hike. Pretty excited about these two ... getgoingnc.com/2025/08/a-pi...

Rediscover Western NC with a week of great hikes - GetGoing NC! You’ve been wanting to get back to the mountains post-Helene, but you haven’t been sure of where to go, of what’s accessible, of where you can spread some of your … Continue reading Rediscover Western...

Itchin' to get back to Western North Carolina and do some hiking? North Carolina's Rediscover the Unforgettable campaign comes to Brevard and Sylva Sept. 9-14 with a range of adventures, including 7 hikes. getgoingnc.com/2025/08/redi...

When the heat returns -- and it will -- here are 5 trails where a summer hike is sublime. getgoingnc.com/2025/08/5-co...

How to survive summer hiking (and smell swell, too) - GetGoing NC! I used to love hiking in summer heat. The past couple years, though, not so much. Coming into this summer I got me to wondering why.  With the recent spate … Continue reading How to survive summer hik...

Embrace summer hiking with a lavender sachet. getgoingnc.com/2025/06/how-...

Return to Western NC with an Ashe Co. Hiking Weekend - GetGoing NC! When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina last September, we were awed by the destruction. How would places such as Lansing and Chimney Rock and Marshall, to name a few, … Continue reading Retu...

Who's up for some hiking in Western NC? Our series of Return to Western NC adventure weekends continues June 27-28 in Wester Jefferson and Ashe County. getgoingnc.com/2025/06/retu...

Celebrate National Trails Day This Saturday - GetGoing NC! Saturday is National Trails Day. OK, every day is trails day, or at least it should be. But things get in the way of us honoring trails on a daily … Continue reading Celebrate National Trails Day This...

Do you know where you'll be spending this Saturday? (It's National Trails Day!)
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No mystery with this snake - GetGoing NC! We’re getting to that time of year when the following debates occur on the trail: Is that a copperhead or a corn snake? A northern banded water snake or a … Continue reading No mystery with this snake...

The timber rattler makes perhaps the most distinctive sound in nature. I know. I heard it on the trail this past weekend.
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It's a great weekend to blitz Panthertown Valley - GetGoing NC! Panthertown Valley near Cashiers in western North Carolina has been called the Yosemite of the East. Even its most ardent supporters will acknowledge that’s a bit of a stretch. Which … Continue readin...

Already thinking about the weekend and our visit to Panthertown Valley for some stellar hiking. Join us!
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