While Mike Metcalf never does quite “rough it” on camping trips with his family, a trip not long nearly got very rough.
Metcalf, 35, and his family were camping with friends on an island at Lake Lure when torrential rain began to fall and flood conditions set it.
“We checked out the bridge, and it was up to the bottom,” Metcalf said, adding that if he didn’t act quick the bridge would be underwater and the family stuck on the island.
Metcalf is one of three candidates vying for two open seats on the Mount Pleasant Town Commission.
Metcalf and crew made it off the island, but were forced to stay at a nearby inn when all the roads out of the area were flooded.
“When there’s a drought, people always ask us to come camping, because we always bring the rain with us,” Metcalf joked.
For this very reason, Metcalf’s wife Tracey saw to the purchase of a camper to replace their tent.
“The tent will only take so much,” he said.
Metcalf, former paramedic crew chief for Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Service, also said he enjoys other outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.
He said staying active, through outdoor adventure or coaching youth sports teams, is part of practicing what he prescribes at his job as a cardiovascular technologist.
“I like helping people and seeing the results,” he said. “You’re really helping with their quality of life. But it’s a big responsibility for me to adhere to that lifestyle — eat right, work out.”
Metcalf, who moved Mount Pleasant from Kannapolis about eight years ago, said the best thing people can do to keep healthy hearts is activities that keep the heart rate up and steady, like biking or running. He also said it helps to eat lighter meats such as chicken or pork.
Harry Turner, president of Cabarrus Senior Democrats, met Metcalf several years ago through Metcalf’s volunteer work with the party and became friends with him.
“I think he’s just a great guy, and would do a great service to the town of Mount Pleasant,” Turner said.
— Eric Deines
