Want to help the Outer Banks recover financially post-Irene while recovering your own lost youth post-childhood?  Go hang glide on Jockey’s Ridge.
 
I tried hang gliding for the first time this summer. It was awesome.  Actually, I tried it five times; five “attempted” flights that is, which is what you get when you sign up for one session with Kitty Hawk Kites.  I say “attempted” because flight number one was none too pretty.  Here’s the video, courtesy of my son Jackson, who was stellar from the get go:
 

 
As woeful as the first effort was, I found the “Wright Stuff” eventually.  Here is an effort that would have made Orville and Wilbur proud:
 

 
 
Whether you bite the sand once or twice as I did, or soar every time like Jackson “You Can Call Me Icarus on a Cloudy Day” Dellinger, hang gliding at Kitty Hawk is a blast.  And our fellow North Carolinians on the Outer Bank would be grateful for any and all tourist-generated income given the mess Hurricane Irene made of Labor Day Weekend.
 
Here are two other OBX trip tips:  (1) Whether you hang glide or not, Jockey’s Ridge is a magical place to take kids.  And its the best place to fly a kite I’ve ever been.  You could nearly fly a brick on the top of the East Coast’s tallest sand dune.  (2) Climbing Jockey’s Ridge — whether to hang glide, kite fly, or just enjoy the view — is a workout so fortify yourself first with a great breakfast or lunch at Stack’em High.
 
If you have ever hang glided at Jockey’s Ridge (or elsewhere), love to hear about it in the comment section below.

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill Jeweler Contributes 'Blue Crown' Prop to Latest Season of Netflix's 'Outer Banks'
Chapel Hill jeweler William Travis Kukovich was hired to create the Blue Crown, a featured prop, for Netflix's new season of "Outer Banks."
Claudette Regains Tropical Storm Strength After 13 Deaths
Written by JEFF AMY and AMY FORLITI Claudette regained tropical storm status Monday morning as it neared the coast of the Carolinas less than two days after 13 people died — including eight children in a multi-vehicle crash — due to the effects of the storm in Alabama. The children who died Saturday were in a van for […]
Local Lore: Old Christmas
The Christmas holiday has more or less been the same for the past couple hundred years, drawing celebration inspiration from Christian and pagan tradition alike to create the season as we know it today. But in coastal North Carolina, you’ll likely find a few people still celebrating Christmas as it once was — before the […]
Weakened Dorian Strands People on North Carolina Island
Hurricane Dorian howled over North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Friday — a much weaker version of the brute that wreaked havoc in the Bahamas — flooding homes in the low-lying ribbon of islands and throwing a scare into year-round residents who chose to tough it out. Hundreds were feared trapped on one flooded island, the […]
North Carolina's 'Frying Pan Tower' Showing Hurricane Dorian's Approach
Last year, once of the most resonating images of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina was the gradual destruction of the American flag flying high on “Frying Pan Tower” off the Outer Banks close to Cape Fear. This year, as Hurricane Dorian approaches the North Carolina coastline while moving up the Eastern seaboard, the cameras at […]
Impacts Growing From Federal Govt Shutdown
Farmers applying for hurricane relief are being delayed by the closure of a key federal agency - and national park officials say vandalism is on the rise.
New Exhibits Part of Updated Wright Brothers Visitor Center
When the visitor center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina reopens next month, changes will include new interactive exhibits that highlight life along the Outer Banks in the early 1900s. The National Park Service says in a news release Wednesday that the visitor center in Kill Devil Hills will reopen Sept. 29 […]
Island Stores, Cafes Prep for Tourist Return
Stores and restaurants were chopping vegetables and stocking their seafood counters to get ready for tourists returning to two North Carolina islands after a massive power outage. Buxton Seafood owner Nicholas Wolosuk said he went fishing Friday morning so he could offer fresh seafood as visitors return after noon to Hatteras Island. He also made […]
Company Blamed for Outer Banks Power Outage Facing Lawsuits
Lawsuits are pending against a construction company blamed for a power outage on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, forcing visitors off the beaches and leaving tourist-dependent businesses without income. At least three lawsuits filed this week seek compensation from PCL Construction. Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday he believes the company responsible should pay for damages once […]
N. Carolina Islands Go Dark, Ending Vacation for Thousands
A dreamy summer vacation turned into a messy, sweaty nightmare for 10,000 tourists on the Outer Banks when the power went off and air conditioners stopped humming, and officials ordered visitors to leave Friday because the outage could last days or perhaps weeks. People and cars lined up to get on ferries, the only way […]
›