Outdoor Journal

Fight buyer’s remorse: On Tuesdays through August 29, Diamond Brand Outdoors is hosting paddling-craft demonstrations at Lake Julian in Skyland. Paddlers of all experience levels are welcome to try their hand at a variety of whitewater and flatwater boats. The sessions go from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. They are free, but pre-registration is required — call 684-6262. Participants should bring a towel and water, slather up with sunscreen and plan on getting wet.

The frizz that isn’t: Disc golfers should be able to return to their local mecca later this month. The old course at Richmond Hill closed in June, but a total revamp at the north Asheville park is very much in progress; one 18-hole course is practically done and another is 75 percent there, according to WNC Disc Golf Club chairperson Meredith Nichols. Her husband, James, designed the courses, and dedicated club members have done most of the work. To get updates on the courses’ status, visit www.wncdiscgolf.com. For the time being, local disc golfers’ best bet is the 18-hole course on the Mars Hill College campus. Directions to the course, which is open to the public, can also be found at the club’s Web Site.

Taking it for granite: If you believe everything you read, WNC will soon be empty of paddlers because of the irresistable tug of the U.S. National Whitewater Center. The center, located along the Catwaba River in Charlotte, opened last month. We’re betting a mass exodus won’t happen, but who knows? The place has all the bells and whistles, including a 40-foot climbing tower that “looks and feels like real granite.” For a gander, check out the center’s Web Site at www.usnwc.org.

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