Take a Hike or a Bike!
By Kimberly Duncan
Biking offers far-reaching benefits. It’s easy on the earth, and the only fuel it burns is the wicked calorie. Moreover, there’s lots of evidence that a leisurely bike ride boosts levels of euphoria-producing hormones called endorphins. Biking is also a great way to meet like-minded friends. So not only is it good for the atmosphere, it’s good for your body and mind, too!
Kick up your kickstands and let’s get started! Fortunately for our readers, there’s no better place to enjoy this low-impact sport than our own Waccamaw Neck Bikeway, also known as Bike the Neck.
Bike the Neck is a paved, multi-purpose thoroughfare – for runners, bikers, rollerbladers, and hikers – that runs roughly parallel to Highway 17 from Garden City through Pawleys Island. Over marsh, through Huntington Beach State Park and south, the pathway weaves its way through some of the Lowcountry’s most beloved landscapes. It currently encompasses twelve scenic miles, but will eventually stretch over Winyah Bay into Georgetown.
“The most beautiful stretch is the part across Huntington Beach State Park,” said Linda Ketron, chair of the Bike the Neck committee, the grassroots volunteer group behind the effort to build the Bikeway. “You’re riding through a maritime forest of pines and oaks and pristine wetlands.”
The Bikeway – which is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile trail system being developed from Maine to Florida – is a non-profit organization. Donors are always needed, as are volunteers to help to monitor and maintain this fabulous amenity. If this cause speaks to you, please contact Linda Ketron at linda@classatpawleys.com.
To find a trail map on the information highway, surf to www.cyclopedia.com and click on “paved bike paths on the Waccamaw Neck Bikeway.”