Sunday, March 4, 2012

The Lake Is My Gym

Yeah, I know...a cheap copy of "The Gorge is My Gym". It's more of a testimony to just getting outdoors as well as a shout out to that great web site.

In the last 10 days, as if I was in the Gorge, I've:
- Had a windsurfing dawn patrol session in warm & strong SW wind while watching the sunrise and still got to work on time that morning.
- Flat water SUP workout
- Downwind SUP workout (paddled a good distance upwind, then back downwind...but the drop off downwinder is certainly possible)
- Single track mountain biking on 14 miles on some of Charlotte's finest trails at the US National Whitewater Center (& located just off the Catawba River which Lake Norman is part of)
- Wrapped it up today with a fun 5.5 windsurf session in strong NW wind.

And...
- If there was more snow this season, we'd be skiing 2.5 hr drive away.
- Waves are 4 hrs+ away. SUP surfed a few weeks ago and might go next weekend.
- Going hiking & camping in the mountains in a few weeks.

If you're really into Hood River, Maui, and the Bay area, then you'll be disappointed in Lake Norman. Otherwise, we've got it pretty good here. It's not epic (although we do get a couple of really epic windsurf days per year here), but it will satisfy most outdoor adventure enthusiasts and multi-sport athletes. I haven't been in a gym in close to 15 years.

Skip the gym, use the lake.
(With apologies to Temira!)

P.S. I've still never been to Hood River. That might have to change in 2012.


A fun windsurf day on the lake last year...




A pic from a laid back summer day on the lake...



A couple of pics apres trail riding at the US National Whitewater Center - River's Edge Bar & Grill patio and one of the tallest climbing walls on the east coast...


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is definitely the place to be this time of year through May, but beyond that you can have it. :-) By June-July the air's stagnate and the temps and humidity soar. By October we get a reprieve and it's good through December. But, as far as July-September, awful. Actually, pretty unhealthy since you're taking in so much smog at that time.

While it's sailable about 30% of the time here now...sub 6.0...it'll be sailable 90 % of the time in The Gorge for 5.5 or better.

I do like it here in Spring, and if we move out west, no doubt I'll return here just for the springs before going back. ~Alan W.

George Markopoulos said...

count me in for the Gorge guys.
Alan, that was such a magical day for me-just the whole thing of hooking up with friends on the other side of the country when i was alone there, and having such an awesome sesh at a new venue-The Wall..man can't wait

Anonymous said...

George,

Nothing else as "magical" as The Wall on a big day. It'll be up to you to show Mac what that's about this summer if your skeds' coincide. I'm out this year. Got my first kid on the way...due about that first week of August. (our lucky week).

Will definitely be out there summer of 2013 again though.
~Alan

rdm said...

I agree with you Mac. Make the most of what you have and enjoy it with the friends right there around you. Some folks have the patience to wait for those once or twice a year vacation trips but for the other 11 out of 10 of us a Bermuda high in summer is a special event too.