Coast

1. Ever see “Little Shop of Horrors” (either the 1960 Roger Korman original or the 1986 Frank Oz remake)? A man-eating plant! How outlandish, you likely thought.

Not really, it turns out.

OK, so sundews, bladderworts, butterworts, pitcher plants, and the Venus fly trap may not cause you much of a threat. But be glad you aren’t a fly, because these carnivorous plants would gobble up your pesky six-leggedness in a heartbeat. You can find out more about these curious plants, which tend to reside within a 60-mile radius of Wilmington, on the ranger-led Carnivorous Plant Hike Saturday at Carolina Beach State Park. Starts at 10, lasts an hour or so. Meets at the Nature Trail parking lot.

More info: Call 910.458.8206 or go here.

Lake Waccamaw (photo courtesy N.C. State Parks)

2. I won’t tell you what happened the last time I paddled a Carolina Bay, but the odds of winds that strong kicking up this time a year are small. Tiny, even. Though I do see that to participate in Saturday’s Evening Paddle/Canoe Trip at Lake Waccamaw State Park you, “Must be able to swim.” Still, you’ll be wearing a pfd. Anyway, the best way to enjoy Down East this time of year is on the water, in this case from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in a canoe. No charge, but pre-registration is required, by calling 910.646.4748.

For more info on the park, go here.

Mountains

New River (photo courtesy N.C. State Parks).

1. Paddling a flat water coastal lake, you do all the work. On a mountain river, the river does the heavy lifting. Once reason to sign up for Sunday’s ranger-led canoe trip down the New River. (The other reason being the stellar scenery, of course.) This 12:30 p.m. trip at New River State Park is free (save for a “minimal fee for shuttling,” but limited to 8 paddlers, so sign up now, by calling 336.982.2587.

More about the park located near Jefferson here.

Mount Mitchell

2. Or maybe you just want to beat this blasted heat! No place better than atop the East Coast, at Mount Mitchell State Park. Several programs are on tap this weekend, the one likely to get you closest to Mitchell’s 6,684-foot summit: Small Wonders on a Mighty Mountain. A naturalist ranger leads a one-hour hike along the Balsam Nature Trail looking for what survives in this often-harsh environment. Commences at 11 a.m.

More info by calling 828.675.4611 or visiting here.

Piedmont

1. A personal favorite when it comes to state parks programs, Geology Hike at Occoneechee Mountain (pictured above; photo courtesy North Carolina State Parks). Occoneechee, near Hillsborough, tops 800 feet and is the highest point in the Triangle region. As the entry for this program proclaims, “Come to the mountain and see the geologic wonders and abandoned pyrophyllite quarry.” Sounds Barnumesque, but it is is pretty cool. Saturday at 10 a.m., only 15 hikers allowed, so pre-register before it’s booked, by calling 919.383.1686.

More on Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area here.

2. Another fave: The night hike. Walk on the wild side at night at Lumber River State Park. Look and listen for nocturnal critters by land, by sea by air. (The listening part is especially cool: What the heck was that!? Bring a flashlight (which you’ll probably use sparingly), starts at 8.

More info by calling 910-628-4564 or visiting here.

********

Interested in what else is going on statewide? We’ve collected some calendars from around the state for your consideration.

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.

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.

Saturday, Marcy and I went for a hike on the wild side of Lake Johnson. (That would be the nearly two miles of unpaved trail on the Raleigh lake’s west side.) As we crossed the footbridge toward the boathouse we took note of the $5-an-hour rental sit-on-top kayaks on the adjoining beach. A little hot right now — it was in the mid-90s at mid-afternoon — but an ideal way to spend the evening. Which we did, returning around 6:30 and taking out a tandem for an hour or so. We paddled west, checking out where we’d hiked earlier in the day. We paddled east down to the dam. We stopped occasionally, pulled our paddles and floated, watching the sky change from an oppressive haze-blue, to a muted yellow to blazing pink.

Paddles up, time to reflect.

The next day was Father’s Day, and Hana and I have a long-standing tradition of going on a long paddle. Last year we did the traditional Frog Hollow Father’s Day paddle on the Eno, the year before we paddled the Neuse for about 10 miles below Poole Road. We’ve gone to Beaverdam at Falls Lake, we’ve paddled the Robeson Creek area on Jordan Lake, we’ve done Lake Crabtree. This year, in our tradition of paddling somewhere different each Father’s Day, we headed down to Brice (or “Brice’s,” depending on your reference) Creek in the coastal Croatan National Forest.

Plantlife is abundant — and occasionally offers a flash of color — in coastal Brice Creek.

Brice Creek has been on my radar for years, but it seems every time I’ve taken the kayak to the coast I’ve had other destinations in mind: the White Oak River, the Black, island hopping in Bogue Sound, the paddle trail to Bear Island. I’d finally decided it was time to explore Brice Creek.

Before we put in, though, a quick plug for cross training. I may not bike every day, I may not run every day. But I do try to get in a daily 30-minute cross-training routine. I may just stretch and do ab work one day, I may throw strength training in every other day. At least five days a week I try to do something to benefit my core, my arms, my upper body. And when I decide to do something like paddle two days in a row after abstaining for six months, I’m glad I did. Unprepared, long stretches behind the paddle can cause a host of problems involving the shoulders, rotator cuff, upper back, wrists, elbows, lower back, hamstrings and neck. Thanks to my modest daily core routine I had no lingering effects from Saturday’s paddle. Now, back to the river.

A happy me, back with the paddle again.

Brice Creek proved an immediate surprise upon putting in at Craven County’s Creekside Park. This was no cozy passage shaded by Spanish moss-draped bald cypress: There were Spanish moss-draped bald cypress alright, but they were on banks 30 yards apart. Wide enough, we were to quickly discover, to accommodate jet skis and power boats (all of which cut their engines at first sight, sparing us their capsizing wake).

The boat traffic diminished significantly once we’d paddled past a wildlife resources boat ramp a mile upstream. Beyond that, a quiet set in that let us enjoy the nesting osprey above and contemplate whatever lurked in the creek’s opaque, tannic waters below. Banks lined with the aforementioned cypress, pines, red cedar and assorted bay trees passed slowly as we paddled lazily in the early afternoon heat. After two miles of paddling against a nearly negligible current we explored a half-mile-long channel that dwindled into shallows dominated by lily pads and downed trees. Here, as Marcy and I had done the evening before, Hana and I pulled our paddles and went adrift. Rocked gently by the shallow water, I vowed not to go a month, let alone several, before getting the boat wet again.

Perhaps some white water next time out?

* * *

The rental fleet beckons at Lake Johnson.

Cheap paddling fun: You don’t need a boat to paddle. Many local parks with lakes of consequence rent boats, from kayaks and canoes to jon boats (for fishing) and paddle boats, to Sunfish sailboats. No experience is necessary (except, at some parks, for the sailboats), and as noted above, the rates are cheap. Call your local parks district to see if and where it may have boat rentals.

The boards and paddles.

A couple weeks later I’m in the GOPC in Raleigh’s Cameron Village when I notice three rows of oversized surfboards in the back of the shop. “Hey,” I ask sales guy Chris Garrett, “aren’t those, um … ”
“Stand-up paddleboards,” he politely fills in.
Stand-up paddleboarding — begun by the Polynesians as basic transportation, converted to adventure sport by Laird Hamilton — is pretty much what it sounds like. You have a big — 11 to 14 feet in length — slightly puffy surfboard, you stand on it, you use a seven-foot long paddle for propulsion.
Garrett and I talk a little about the boards — the wider boards tend to be more stable and beginner friendly; the longer, narrower ones are built for speed and touring; some are built to perform in waves; some are good for placid lake and sound paddling; you can strap a dry bag to them; they don’t like rocks.
Garrett says he’s paddled several times and the way he describes it it sounds almost beginner friendly. I have my personal litmus test, however.
“Have you ever windsurfed?” I ask.
He laughs. “I’ve tried windsurfing,” he answers. Standing up on one of these boards is easy, he assures me. “It’s nothing like trying to stand on a windsurfer.”
Later, I talk to Chad Baird, stand-up paddleboarding’s Victor Kiam. Though he didn’t buy a SUP company after getting hooked on the sport, he did quit his job at GOPC earlier this year and begin selling SUPs full time.
“I’m an ex-whitewater paddler, I have a paddling background, I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding, and I spent four years surfing,” says Baird. “The stand-up paddleboard is the best of those worlds.” Better, he claims because with surfboarding you need waves, with other paddleboard sports such as windsurfing and kiteboarding, you need wind.
With stand-up paddleboarding, Baird and Garrett say, all you need are abs — which you’ll develop if you spend much time on a board.
“It’s a great core workout,” says Garrett, because you’re constantly working to maintain balance.
Working, but not too hard, promises Baird.
“It’s one of the easiest sports to pick up, period,” he says. With a 35-inch-wide board, he  says that practically anyone can get up on the board — on flat water, at least — and make it go. (The boards also have fins, further helping to keep them stable.)
Stand-up paddleboarding isn’t cheap to get into. Baird says a new board will run anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. Baird suggests starting with a board at least 30 inches wide; as you become more comfortable and crave speed and performance, you’ll likely want something narrower. (As a result, used beginner boards in good condition can be picked up for a decent price online.)
A lightweight (key, considering their length) carbon fiber paddle can run $150, and because a SUP is considered a boat in North Carolina, the law says you’ll need a pfd on board (Baird suggests an unobtrusive inflatable fanny pack pfd, activated by a CO2 cartridge, which runs around $100).
Garrett and Baird like the unique perspective a stand-up paddleboard offers.
“It’s kinda surreal,” says Garrett, “standing on water.”
Baird likes the view.
“It allows you to see so much more of what’s going on,” says Baird, who’s been stand-up paddleboarding for two and a half years. “In a kayak, you can only see what’s immediately around you. On a board, you can see all around.”
It’s easy, it builds six-pack abs, it’s the sport of messiahs (the “standing on water” part). I’m sold — when can I try it?
Turns out, tomorrow.

* * *

About tomorrow
That would be Thursday, May 20, when Great Outdoor Provision Co. will hold a stand-up paddleboard demo at Lake Crabtree County Park. It’s free, just show up between 4 and 7 p.m. at the first parking lot in the park for some quick instruction and a chance to paddle. More info, call (919) 833-1741.

Can’t make it tomorrow? Another demo day is scheduled for June 17 at Lake Crabtree.

Live in Charlotte? There’s a stand-up demo scheduled for May 27 from 4-7 p.m. at the Gar Creek Canoe Launch at the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve. Call the GOPC store at (704) 523-1089 for more information, here’s a map to the site

If you’re of a certain age — that being the middle one — more than once, no doubt. And no doubt when one of the above happened you took it as further proof that your brain continues its rapid descent into the abyss. Well, Ha! You’re wrong!

This according to a new book by New York Times science writer Barbara Strauch which reports that while it may seem like your brain is slipping, it is in fact getting better. In “The Secret Life of The Grown-up Brain” Strauch reports all sorts of good news for folks in the 40-65 age range. The brain may shrink a little in spots, but we don’t lose anywhere near the 30 percent of brain cells we were once thought to lose (in fact, middle-agers are actually capable of growing new brain cells). Cognitive skills improve with age, and there are things you can do to actually grow the brain — like exercise and listen to Rush Limbaugh!

Listen to this interview with Strauch on this morning’s edition of NPR’s Morning Edition.

Katie Spotz rowed her boat ashore after 70 days, 5 hours and 20 minutes crossing the Atlantic.

And while you’ve got the headphones on, give a listen to a short interview from this afternoon’s The World radio show with Katie Spotz. Not that you shouldn’t feel good about that charity fun run you did last weekend, but Katie’s most recent exploit definitely redefines the notion of sweating for a good cause. (Spoiler alert: She rowed a boat 3,038 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to raise money and awareness for clean drinking water worldwide.)

Give a listen here.

1. Paddle at Merchant’s Millpond

Merchant’s Millpond may be man made, but after 190 years the millpond has shed most signs of its civilized past. Today, the 760-acre millpond is much more coastal swamp than center of commerce. The pond’s dark, acidic waters meander through a forest of bald cypress and tupelo gums dripping with Spanish moss. Cooters, snapping turtles. water snakes and a host of vocal frogs add to this aquatic adventure, which is as easy as plunking down $5 for a canoe (for the first hour, $3 each additional hour). Easy paddling, no previous experience in a boat required.

More info, call (252) 357-1191 or go here.

2. Hike the Blue Ridge Parkway

The 469-mile scenic parkway connecting the Shenandoah’s in Virginia with the Smokies in North Carolina is known as a motorist’s dream. But there are hundreds of miles of hiking trail just off the parkway that offer the same guarantee of scenic satisfaction. A favorite trail: Bluff Mountain in the Doughton Park area. This 7.5-mile trail never wanders far from the parkway, yet it manages to escort you far from civilization. Start at Brinegar Cabin, a restored home from 1880s, hike through a mature white pine stand, stand atop Wildcat Rocks and check out the old Caudill Cabin far below and von Trapp your way through a high mountain meadow on your way to Bluff Mountain.

More info, go here.

3. Pedal the Railroad Grade Road

The Blue Ridge Brutal is a 100-mile bike race over some of the most brutal climbs in mountains of northwestern North Carolina. But there’s a 10-mile stretch of the BRB that even a tot on training wheels could do: Railroad Grade Road. This retired two-lane paved blacktop parallels the New River offering lots of scenery for precious little sweat. The road runs between Fleetwood and Todd, and runs atop an old railroad grade. Pick up the trail in Todd just off N.C. 194 (park at the Todd General Store, look for the red caboose near the church for the trailhead) or in Fleetwood off N.C. 221 just past the Fleetwood School.

4. Paddle the French Broad

Think of paddling in the mountains and you think of whitewater. Yet one of the most placid, peaceful stretches of river in the state is the headwaters of the French Broad near Rosman. Put in at Headwaters Outfitters on U.S. 64 and take a 3-, 4- or 7-hour paddle down the cozy French Broad. Need a canoe? Headwaters can put you in one, starting at $35 for the 3-hour trip. Shuttle service available if you have your own boat.

More info, call 828.877.3106 or go here.

5. Visit a theme park

A theme park? Isn’t this column about people power, not people being powered? Indeed, which is why this theme park — the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte (pictured) — is the perfect place to burn calories. Mountain bike on 14 miles of singletrack trail, take a leisurely paddle on the Catawba River, take a non-leisurely paddle on class II-IV rapids at the center’s man-made water park, climb at the massive man-made outdoor climbing center (including a 46-foot spire), take a hike or run on 14 miles of trail. Do it all for a $49 one-day pass ($29 for the 4-10 set); less expensive passes available for individual activities.

More info, call 704.391.3900 or go here.

Every couple of weeks, usually on a Saturday, Marcy and I pick a direction and drive. Whatever we discover along the way is what we do for the day. Yesterday, our compass pointed west.

“There’s a park out here I scouted for the book,” I said as we headed out I-40. And by “out here,” I meant Alamance County. South, it seemed, of Burlington. Maybe not to far from the Haw River? Through that Ouija board of the confused traveler (Google) we were able to determine the park in question was Cedarock Park. We were also able to get a better fix on where in this 435-square-mile county Cedarock Park was. Once there, since I was with my wife, we made a beeline for the visitor center for — Hey, look over there! Canoe rentals! — direction.

The Yellow Trail gains some elevation.

“We rent the boats daily, for $5 an hour,” Paige Fuqua, who was manning the center, told us. What was especially cool was that these boats, unlike most part boat rentals, weren’t on a lake, they were on a creek with minimal current. Paddle downstream to the Old Mill Dam, Fuqua told us, paddle upstream “to about the campground, maybe farther if the water’s up.” About a mile of paddling.

Paddling and hiking (the 2.5 miles I scouted for the book)  and camping. As Fuqua was about to explain, there was a lot more to do in this 414-acre park.

• 1.7-mile mountain bike trail, rated “Difficult.”
• 4.7-mile equestrian trail, which Fuqua said wasn’t closed to mountain biking, but wasn’t recommended for it, either. (Which lead me to believe it could be a lot of fun.)
• Not one but two disc golf courses: an 18-hole course in the open (Cedarock), another regulation course in the woods (Wellspring). The park, Fuqua said, holds a number of disc golf tournaments throughout the year.
• 

  My first wildflower — a trout lily — of the spring season.

  2.5 miles of hiking trail (aforementioned, but worth repeating).

• Canoe rentals (again).
• Fishing on a half-acre pond.
• Open fields for creative play.
• Playgrounds.
• Basketball court (ourdoor).
• Volleyball (sand pit).

The perfect sampler park, I thought. Paddle for an hour, hike for an hour, mountain bike for an hour, play a round of disc golf for — That’s when a potential problem emerged: Not enough hours in a day to put Cedarock Park through a thorough test.

Good thing they have a campground.

Cedarock Park
Hours: Opens daily at 8 a.m., closes at 7 p.m. March and October, 8 p.m. April and September, 9 p.m. May-August, 6 p.m. November-February.
Events: Go here.
More info: 336.570.6759, or here.
To get there: Go here.

If you aren’t familiar with Banff, it’s the Sundance of extreme adventure cinema. This year’s festival ran eight days at The Banff Centre and showcased the cream of the 277 videos submitted from 28 countries. The cream of those selected to run at Banff will appear at the North Carolia showings, which are part of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Most of the films are short, 10 minutes or less in some instances. “MedeoZ,” for instance, is a six-minute film about photographer/mountain climber Tony Lamiche’s effort to catch climbing, skiing, snowboarding, speed riding, paragliding and BASE jumping in one shot. Some stories take longer to tell. “Take a Seat” is the story of Dominic Gill’s two-year, 20,000-mile ride on a tandem from  the northern coast of Alaska to the tip of South America. That film is 46 minutes.

Enough yakking. Here’s where the tour will show in North Carolina, followed by quick synopses of those films and, where available, links to trailers (be sure to check out the trailers). For a quick overview of the festival, check out this 6 minute, 29 second video — and be sure to stick around until the end.

The towns

Boone
March 26, 27
NC Farthing Auditorium, Appalachian State University
Films showing: Revolution One, Mont-Blanc Speed Flying, Take a Seat, Azazel, Signatures: Canvas of Snow, Rowing the Atlantic, Project Megawoosh, MedeoZ, Finding Farley, Kranked: Revovle, African Revolutions Tour, Deep/Shinsetsu, First Ascent: Alone on the Wall.
Info & tickets: Outdoor Programs, Appalachian State University, 828.262.2475.

Brevard
March 19, 20

NC Porter Center, Brevard College

Films showing: March 19: MedeoZ, Deep/Shinsetsu, Take a Seat, Azazel, Kranked – Revolve, Revolution One, First Ascent: Alone on the Wall. March 20: Hunlen, Finding Farley, First Ascent: The Impossible Climb, Signatures: Canvas of Snow, Project Megawoosh.
Info & tickets: 828.884.8330, djurenja@brevard.edu

Charlotte
March 24

U.S. National Whitewater Center

Films showing: Africa Revolutions Tour, First Ascent: Alone on the Wall, Deep/Shinsetsu, Pick-up Sticks, Take a Seat, Project Megawoosh, Kranked: Revolve.

Info & tickets: 704.391.3900

High Point
March 28

Sponsored by REI – Greensboro, showing at High Point Theatre.

Films showing: Africa Revolution Tour, Take a Seat, Alone on the Wall, Pick-up Sticks, Rowing the Atlantic, Kranked-Revolve, Project Megawoosh

Info & tickets: 336.323.3117

The films

Africa Revolutions Tour
USA, 2009, 20 minutes
Director: Rush Sturges
A group of friends kayaks across Africa, enduring crocs on the White Nile and executing big-water first descents along the way.
Take a peek here.

Azazel
France, 2007, 22 minutes
Director: Guillaume Broust
Four friends set out to open a route up the Trango Pulpit, a 6,000-metre tower in Pakistan. Pictured at top.

Deep/Shinsetsu
Japan, 2009, 3 minutes
Director: Masaki Sekiguchi
Skiing powder, deep powder, in Japan.
Take a peek here.

Finding Farley
Canada, 2009, 63 minutes
Director: Leanne Allison
Filmmakers Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison, their 2-year-old son Zev and dog Willow trek, sail, poratage and paddle their way across Canada to retrace the literary footsteps of Farley Mowat. Winner of Banff’s Grand Prize Award and People’s Choice Award.
Take a peek here.

First Ascent: Alone on the Wall
USA, 2009, 24 minutes
Directors: Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Free climbing Yosemite’s Half Dome.
Take a peek here (of the First Ascent series).

Kranked: Revolve
Canada, 2009, 11 minutes
Director: Bjørn Enga
A highlight reel of dirt jump, trail, freeride, slopestyle and downhill. (Warning: coarse language.)
Take a peek here.

MedeoZ
France, 2008, 6 minutes
Director: Guillaume Broust
Photographer/mountain climber Tony Lamiche tries to orchestrate climbing, skiing, snowboarding, speed riding, paragliding and BASE jumping in one shot.
Take a peek here.

Mont-Blanc Speed Flying
France, 2008, 10 minutes
Director: Didier Lafond
Speed riding — that’s people launching off mountains in flying squirrel suits — in one take, from the upper slopes of Mont Blanc down to Chamonix, the crazysport capital of the world.

Pick-up Sticks
Canada, 2009, 9 minutes
Director: Julia Szucs.
A look at the effects of climate change on an Arctic seabird colony.
Take a peek here.

Project Megawoosh
Germany, 2009, 4 minutes
Director: Minh Duong
German engineering at its finest. (Just watch the clip.)
Take a peek here.

Revolution One
USA, 2009, 10 minutes
Director: Dan Heaton.
Offroad unicycling. Need we say more?
Take a peek here.

Rowing the Atlantic
USA, 2009, 26 minutes
Director: JB Benna.
What happens when a management consultant spends 11 years inside a London cubicle? She rows a boat across the Atlantic.
Take a peek here.

Signatures: Canvas of Snow
USA, 2009, 16 minutes
Director: Nick Waggoner
A thoughtful, nontestosterone-injected look at skiing, snowboarding and noboarding in Japan.
Take a peek here.

Take a Seat
UK, 2009, 46 minutes
Directors: Ed Stobart, Dominic Gill
Chronicles Dominic Gill’s two-year, 20,000-mile tandem bike ride from the north coast of Alaska to the tip of South America. (Note: The advisory warns that there’s nudity; the clip shows a butt-naked Gill skinny dipping. Not sure if that’s the extent of skin in this film).
Take a peek here.

Here are five videos I found when the boss wasn’t looking that may inspire you.

“It’s a Mountain Bike Thing,” Vesrah Suzuki Offroad Team, 4 minutes, 11 seconds. This first video comes recommended by Levi Leipheimer and his Team Radio Shack teammate Lance Armstrong. Despite the title, this video isn’t about mountain biking, it’s about North Shore mountain biking, a whole other animal — part singletrack, part flying.

“Beyond Gravity,” Black & White Productions. 49:19. “It all started with mountains and the desire to get to the top,” narrator Greg Child begins in this documentary video that covers mix climbing — some hard rock, some hard ice — sport climbing and more. (GGNC’s favorite is the route called Caveman that, well, that you just have to see to appreciate.

“Rivermen — Kayaking Highlights,” WetVirginia.com. 5:58. Extreme whitewater kayak videos are as common as Class V rapids during fall release on the Gauley. Most are quick clips of a single crazy descent or a dramatic rescue. This is one is a highlight reel of some of the crazy things kayakers do in playboats. Lots of wild drops to be sure, but lots of rodeo tricks — and the occasional dryland stunt — as well.

“Scuba Diving Devils Cave System,” The ScubaGuys, 8:36. Did this once, under north Florida. Probably won’t happen again. If you’re not claustrophobic and hydrophobic, though, enjoy.

Hang Gliding Championships 2006, 3:50. Did this once before as well, at Kitty Hawk. Eager to try it again. Includes the hang gliding culture as well as the dramatic moment of running off a cliff to take off, the grace (usually) of the landing, and the airborne moments in between. A good gateway for other hang gliding videos as well.

Run in shorts. I having nothing against running tights and I’m not an exhibitionist. But you can’t truly appreciate the freedom running offers unless you’re in shorts and a sweaty t-shirt. (And, to a growing number of runners, no shoes.)

Paddle Brice Creek. I’ve yet to paddle Brice Creek. Yet every year around this time, about the time the spring peepers loudly let us know that spring is coming — it really is! — I think about this 12-mile paddle trail that begins in the Croatan National Forest and meanders into New Bern’s riverfront. I think about slowly drifting through a coastal hardwood forest for a stretch, then navigating swampland. I think about how there’s no better way to spend a sunny, 65-degree day in early March than paddling a coastal creek. I think about what a great solo trip it is because of the multiple put-ins (five) and the fact that the minimal current means you can paddle upstream with relative ease, eliminating the need for a shuttle. Most of all, I think about that sunny 65-degree day and how, at some point, I’d find an opening in the canopy, tie up the Loon, lay back and catch some nice, warm rays.

Take a long bike ride. I took a 23-mile ride earlier this week and by the end of the ride had almost warmed up. Almost. If I concentrate really hard, I can almost remember that feeling of riding out in the country on a warm, sunny day. Of effortlessly pedaling past farm fields, past old barns, past patches of healthy Piedmont forest, past lakes and cows and fields wavy with some kind of grass. Watching these things flash by on the flat screen while sweating away on the trainer is not the same. Sigh.

Trout lily (top photo: hepatica). Photos courtesy Eno River Association.

Search for spring’s first-responder wildflowers on a hike. When the temperature has been what it’s supposed to be, rather than unseasonably cold, right about now is the time you start spotting spring wildflowers that can’t wait to get out of the ground. The dainty-but-vibrant purple leaves of hepatica, the shy flower of the mottle-leafed trout lily. Even more than Sir Walter Wally’s prediction, even more than pitchers and catchers reporting, those first wildflowers breaking through the forest’s brown carpet are assurance that spring really will happen. Really looking forward to that first hike.

Stretch out in the grass in the sun and take a nap after doing all of the above. Probably goes without saying. Thought I’d say it anyway.

Tame the Tyger River Race and Festival
7.75-mile race/recreational float on Class II water
April 10
Spartanburg, S.C.

The Tyger River is a mix of flat, Class I and Class II water.

Here’s the perfect carrot to get you behind the paddle of your boat: a longish race on Class II water (defined in Paul Ferguson’s “Paddling Eastern North Carolina” as such: “Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers.” Racing is in five categories: 10-foot and under kayak, over 10-foot kayak, single canoe, double canoe, women’s open, with awards going to the top three finishers in each category. Plus, it’s part of a festival, which means boat demos, live music (the Jug Factory Road Band), BBQ, prizes and more. If you’re not familiar with the Tyger River, Spartanburg Parks has put together a helpful guide scouting the rapids. Plus, Eric Davis, outdoor recreation coordinator with the Spartanburg Parks Commission, tells us there’s good camping nearby and some good mountain bike trails, so you could make this a multisport carrot. $25 to race.
More info here.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail 12-mile Challenge
12-mile trail run
April 10
Raleigh

I mentioned this last week but it bears repeating, in part because the $35 registration fee benefits a good cause — continued development of the 1,000-mile work-in-progress Mountains-to-Sea Trail, about half of which is finished — but also because timing-wise it’s perfect for the short-distance runner looking to up the ante. The run is along 12 miles of singletrack trail along the south shore of Falls Lake; if you run 10Ks or 5Ks, you may be thinking, “Shoot, that’s twice as far as I run,” — or four times as far! There’s something about trail running, though, that somehow makes 12 miles seem shorter. Perhaps it’s the scenery, perhaps it’s the fact that because you must focus on the trail, to avoid rocks and tree roots, you lose track of the time. (The latter also forces you to run a bit slower.) 5Ker today, on January 28th, a near-half-marathoner come April 10.
More info, go here.

Fit-tastic spring program
Running program for beginners
March 10
Raleigh

Run like Minnie Mouse in just 13 weeks!

Maybe you’re intrigued by the MST 12-mile Challenge but have never run a 5K or 10K, let alone a near-half-marathon. If you’re not a runner but have toyed with the idea of becoming one, check out the spring edition of the Fit-tastic program, sponsored by The Athlete’s Foot. The program is tiered to help a variety of folks, but its emphasis is taking non-runners and training them to run a 5K in 13 weeks. The $60 entry fee includes twice-weekly training sessions from The Athlete’s Foot store in Cameron Village, pre- and post-program fitness screenings by Rex Healthcare, informational lectures, coaching and a T-shirt. A quick testimonial: I ran back in my 20s, became hobbled by back and knee problems when I hit 30 and took a break. Twenty-three years later, at age 53, I decided I wanted to run a 5K. I signed up for Fit-tastic with a stated goal of running a 5K in 25 minutes (pretty ambitious, I thought). Thanks to the coaching of Tim Clark and the support of my training group, I ended up running last fall’s Monster Dash, the fall program’s graduation ceremony, in 22:09. Better still, the program revived my love of running. The spring Fit-tastic* graduation: the June 12 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
More info, go here.

*Corrected from the original “Fat-tastic,” as suggested by alert reader Patrick Mueller.

Iron Hiker
24-mile hike
March 20
Raleigh

I mentioned this one before as well, but if you don’t like to paddle or run, if long walks in the woods on a spring day is your thing, then check out the Iron Hiker. It’s a day-long assault on all 24 miles of hiking trail at Umstead State park on March 20, the first day of spring. May be too cold to paddle, may be too cold to run, but it’s never, IMHO, too cold to hike. So start training now.
More info, go here.