If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know that given the choice I most always prefer to be outdoors – hiking, walking, gardening, dining, listening to music and whatever else I can do outside.
Bond Park and Umstead State Park in Cary, NC are a couple of local places that I go to hike, walk and run that are easy to get to and always deliver a really good experience.
Minimum driving, maximum time on the trail is what I’m usually looking for.
Entry sign at Bond Park in Cary, NC
I’ve been using the trails and other park amenities both on my own and with my kids since I first moved to the area in 1996.
Like all of us, the park has changed over time and also – I hope like all of us – has improved with age as well.
Actually, I recently took an afternoon break to walk Bond Park’s Lake Trail, and found significant improvements to all of the the walkways and bridges along the way!
Updated bridge on the Lake Trail in Bond Park.
Read on to learn about the Lake Trail and other trails and combined routes inside Bond Park.
Working remotely doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors – in fact, it’s healthier for you to take breaks and get outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine!
Being stuck indoors by yourself – or with your kids – with no end in sight could make you nuts.
Paved trail beside Big Lake in Umstead State Park
Getting out on the trail on your own, or with 10 or fewer members of your family or friends, could help bring you back from Crazy Town.
If you’re a hiker local to Cary or Raleigh, NC, you know the nearby hiking places, and have been on the trails.
They’re beautiful, have varied terrain and are easily accessible.
Great! Like any other event outside of your normal daily routine – hosting a party, having a night out, or even creating a special meal – it starts with planning and research.
Don’t know where to start? I’ll help.
Let’s begin by figuring out what your perfect trip would look like….
These days, it’s more important than ever to maintain good health and fitness, no matter what your age.
But you’re busy, and can’t possibly squeeze in time for fitness training around your demanding job, family and household duties. I get it.
What’s on your bucket list?
Inundated with things that we have to do, it’s easy to put off optional activities – including taking better care of ourselves physically.
But if you (like me and many other older adults) want to enjoy bucket list adventures that include active travel and hiking in remote places, it’s time to start training!
Each year, starting January, I do an 8-week hike training program to get ready for upcoming Spring hikes – and beyond!
View at Hanging Rock State Park
It’s really to get fit for outdoor adventures in any month after weeks of Winter hibernating and celebrating 🙂
Read on to learn how you can personalize your training, with our without my 8 week plan, to help you get ready for adventure at any age!
It could be due to health considerations, or maybe you don’t enjoy all of the setup and planning – or you could just really appreciate modern conveniences on your vacation.
Whatever the reason for your preference, there are some good options to camping available, even in more remote places.
Some people think that you always have to camp out if you want to do any really interesting hiking.
Camp with bath house and dining hall at Torres del Paine
That’s really only true for some very wild or undeveloped areas, where you need to backpack for more than a day to get to your final destination.
There are similar longer remote stretches on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail, where you may have to camp for a night or two because you’re so far away from civilization – which is kind of the point for those kinds of trips 🙂
That said, there are a wide variety of beautiful and interesting day hikes – in and out in the same day – that may be found both in the US and internationally, with opportunities for lodging other than camping out.
Have you suddenly become a home-schooler and/or a remote worker because of the new social distancing requirements?
Hopefully, this won’t last forever.
Meanwhile, you could take the kids outdoors for a hike to make it feel a little less oppressive.
Running a 5k with my five year old.
In spite of my asthma, I’ve always been an active person.
Becoming a mother didn’t change that, or my desire to be outdoors in Nature.
But it did change how I could participate if I wanted (or needed) to include little ones.
Here’s how I did it!
When I first discovered recreational hiking, I was working at a full-time tech job, a single mother of a toddler with few babysitters around, and my closest family was 1500 miles away.
So most of my activities (outside of work) included the company of my little Mini-Me, and hiking was no exception.
Going for a hike in a park or Nature Reserve could be a solitary pursuit or an activity you engage in with other people (as on a group hike).
I’ve listed below some basic Hiking Etiquette 101. You should follow these simple rules of the trail to keep from being stalked by Rangers and irritating others on the trail.
We are serious about defending our lawns…
I’ve also included some peeves that are my experienced-hiker version of “Get off my lawn!”
Umstead State Parkhas been my go-to hiking place for at least the past ten years. I hike in the forest, or with the forest as a starting place, at least twice per week.
Umstead State Park has a long history: initially a wild hardwood-forested area inhabited with bison, bobcats and elk, it later became the site for indigenous peoples homes and trade, was part of a land grant for farms in 1774.
Finally, in 1934 – through a joint effort of Federal and State agencies – 5,000 acres were purchased to create a public recreation area.
The Civilian Conservation Corp and the Works Progress Administration helped with construction, and the park was open to the public in 1937.
There are so many reasons to love this park, it’s hard to fit them all into a single post. So I’ll just start with my Top 3.
