Spring has arrived! And for those who wish to try their luck at completing the entire Appalachian Trail – the celebrated 2192 mile white blazed Footpath that links Springer Mountain, Georgia with Maine’s Mount Katahdin – Late March/early April is typically the time that most will set out. Winter has not yet left the Southern Appalachians by any means, but […]
The Evolution of a Hiking Dog!
Our Time with Fitz Roy: We’re So Glad to be Adopted by a Great Dog! Few things have proven more satisfying to us than the adventure of dog ownership. When Sylvia and Brian married in 2009, Brian committed on paper to a dog. But that commitment stayed on paper for nearly a decade. Many valid concerns and objections were raised, […]
Fun With Fitzroy: High Above Highlands
Cashiers and Highlands, NC: Part II Just down the road from Cashiers, NC is the town of Highlands. As its name implies, Highlands is quite high up there, being situated at 4118 feet above sea level. This makes it one of the highest elevation towns in the eastern United States. Tiny Beech Mountain, NC, is even higher (at over 5000 […]
Fabulous Fitzroy’s First Big Adventure!
Cashiers and Highlands, NC: Part I Having successfully completed our inaugural hike with new team member Fitz Roy, we decided that it’s time to take him out to the mountains to see how he does on real trails. Fitz is of course part Shiba Inu…a type of dog specially bred for hunting in mountainous conditions in rugged central Japan. The […]
A Day on the Mountain (Sort of)
Medoc Mountain State Park, Halifax, NC **We have added Medoc Mountain State Park to the list of our Best Hikes in the Triangle Area. Okay, so there’s no actual mountain here…it’s still one of the best and least crowded outdoor getaways within an hours drive of Raleigh.** For our first official expedition with new team member Fitz Roy, the captain […]
The Incredible Shrinking (and Late Arriving Fall) Color Show
Higher Temps and More Rain, Humidity Mean a Later Onset of Autumn How did this year’s fall color display in the Appalachian Mountains compare with those of years past? The short answer, at least when we were there to experience it, is…not that well. For the second straight year, fall colors came late to the Carolinas. Another year of record […]
There’s More to Stone Mountain State Park Than Stone (But There’s plenty of That, Too)
Stone Mountain State Park, NC What could be simpler to grasp than Stone Mountain State Park? It’s a state park with a mountain that has a lot of…well, stone in it. You gotta love simple. Of course, any mountain by definition has a bunch of stone in it. But rarely is so much of it so prominently on display. There […]
King Charles Town
Charleston, SC Part II After visiting Fort Moultrie Sylvia made Brian swear not to visit any more forts or historical sites for the remainder of the trip. Brian grudgingly agreed. However, this would not really be possible since Charleston — Travel and Leisure Magazine’s ‘World’s Best City” in 2016 — basically is one gigantic historical site. With apologies to the […]
A Weekend of Coastal Fortification in Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina ***Though BecauseItzThere is mostly a hiking blog, from time to time we will showcase travel of other sorts here, especially when it related to the outdoors, nature and history. As we’ve been hitting the mountains a lot lately, including two weeks of it in Europe, it was only a matter of time before Sylvia shouted “Enough” and […]
Standing Indian Loop Video
The Standing Indian Loop Hike via the AT In our newest video we hike the Standing Indian Loop in western NC…a very popular 3 day backpacking trip. It is one of the very few places where a long loop hike involving the AT is even possible without a great deal of logistical complication. It’s also a great option for anyone […]