Man! This weather, huh? The refreshing breeze, the 70-degree sunshine. Okay, okay, there was a tornado watch too, but this IS springtime in North Carolina. Right now all I'm thinking about is getting out from behind this computer and taking a nice long walk or maybe heading to a park and taking a hike. We live in a beautiful state.

In fact, we live in such a beautiful state it's sometimes tough to decide where to go and what to do. Enter the Internet. Stay online just long enough to make some great plans, then get out there and have a great weekend!

When starting your looking around, make North Carolina Outdoors  your first stop. Here you'll find points of NC interest divided into three areas -- mountains, Piedmont, and coast -- and lots of amazing photographs. There are also links to other sites concerned with outdoor activities, though some of the links are deprecated. Note to self: head out to Raven Rock Park...

Trails.com has a North Carolina area at http://www.trails.com/findarea.asp?state=NC , but be warned, this is a paid site. If you want to buy maps or hikes, you'll have to get an account. A free 14-day trial is available or you can buy membership for $49.95 a year. In addition to hiking, Trails.com covers a whole lot of other outdoor activities too, including snow sports, fishing, and biking.

If you're interested in heading to the mountains, don't miss http://www.hikingthecarolinas.com/. Here you'll find information on hiking a variety of mountains and trails in the Southern Appalachians. Hikes are divided into several categories including short hikes, day hikes, and overnighters. Don't miss the photo section -- the winter sunrise/sunset pictures are amazing!

From the mountains to the coast -- if you're thinking more about the beach, check out The North Carolina Birding Trail, which is a site dedicated to creating birding trails across the entire state. Currently the coast is the focus of its efforts. Here you'll get maps and information on over 100 birding sites and trails on the coastal plain (not just on the coast itself.) Site nominations for the Piedmont part of the North Carolina Birding Trail end on April 1; see the site for more details.)

Can you imagine what it would be like to actually hike the entire length of the state? The folks at The Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail are working to make that a reality, working on a trail that would stretch from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park. The progress already has been considerable; visit the site for maps, plans, and information on how you can help. You can get a complete list of the trail's sections here; the Triangle area is, roughly, sections 28 and 29.

Happy hiking!