Sunday Afternoon by the Eno River

Eno River State Park, Durham, NC *We have added Eno River State Park to our list of the best local places to hike in the Triangle Area. In fact, all things considered, sprawling Eno River might have the best overall experience of any park within an hour of the Raleigh-Durham area. We found ourselves with nothing in particular to do […]

Spring is Here, Time for Hiking…and Updates!

Updates to the Site Spring is the time when hiking season gets into full swing. In the Southern Appalachians you can actually hike any time of year, and summer is perhaps the LEAST attractive month. Spring is our second favorite season behind fall. It’s also time for some updates to the site. We have added some new prospective hikes to […]

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 […]

Fitz Roy Turns One Year Old!

The Domestic (Dog) Adventure: Fitz Roy Two months ago we introduced the fabulous Fitz Roy, the first four-legged member of the BecauseItzThere team. It has been a seriously new experience having Fitz aboard. Site Editor and Minister of Expedition Brian has managed a hiking expedition or two, most often with positive results, and he has had some past experience with […]

Back for Another Year!

The Holidays are Over and We’re Back Online We back from our holiday break and ready to embrace new adventures! In addition to hosting Sylvia’s family from Dallas, we spent much of this time bringing the new member of the team, future BecauseItzThere dogsled captain Fitz Roy, up to speed. It has been quite an adventure. The problem is not […]