If you were to get on Pinterest right now and search for Asheville, you would notice that, alongside posts telling you where to eat and shop, there are also hundreds of pins with hiking advice. Among these, you can find everything from packing list ideas to lists of the top five waterfall hikes within an hour drive.
Today’s post is going to be a little bit different. You see, I believe that beauty can be found in Asheville with every turn of the head. I have found that every nature path is inspiring, and none more-so than any other. My advice to tourists for years has been to simply pick a path on the side of the parkway, and see where it takes you.
What we often see online, is that a hike is all about the destination, the view at the end. I’ve personally never needed that. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great mountain vista as much as the next person; but hiking, for me, has always been about something much deeper: connection. Connection to nature. Connection to self. Connection to others.
Solo-hiking affords one the opportunity to truly enjoy the communion of their spirit with the natural world. There’s something so primal about simply existing in wide open space; it recharges our attitudes in ways nothing else can.
Today though, I want to talk about the connection we can experience with others, simply by taking a walk in the wilderness. Over the course of the last month, I had the joy of making two different forays into the mountains that allowed me to share fresh air and community.
DATE NIGHT:
As a rule, I try not to wax poetic about my best friend and partner-in-crime, Jason. The frozen smiles on my friend’s faces have taught me to attempt to keep my gushing to a minimum. Sometimes though, his ability to help me regain firm ground and remember fundamental truths forces me to give him a bit of limelight.
In pursuit of a different kind of date night, Jason and I hiked Catawba Falls. The pleasant stroll through the woods was the perfect warmup for our arrival at the waterfall. We played like children. We climbed to the top, drank from the falls, we even took our shoes off and splashed in the water.
With hearts fluttering like hummingbirds, we held hands as we laid on our backs on a boulder at the top to catch our breath. From there, we could just see the highest trees with sunlight dancing through the branches; and beyond that, it was only sky. It was here in our natural sanctuary, hidden from all other eyes, that we started to talk. We talked about everything, literally. We giggled about funny videos we had seen online, pondered the upcoming NFL season, and even got serious about issues like house-hunting and our short-term goals. We asked each other questions, a few lighthearted, but many that had teased us for days.
Since our first date, we have always had the ability to really TALK to each other. Of everyone I have ever met, his talent of taming the tornado of intentions, passions, and to-do lists that swirl inside me is unique. By the time we climbed back in our car, I was like putty in his hands. Filled with fresh perspective, I also felt more peace, optimism, and inspiration.
PICNIC
Anyone that’s following us on Instagram or Pinterest, probably already knows about my second adventure seeking communion in nature. A few weeks ago, a beloved friend of mine was forced to celebrate a birthday she wasn’t necessarily over-eager to crest. In years past, she and I would have found ourselves among a gang of our favorites, parading all over town until the wee hours of the morning. This year, we had to find something a bit slower-paced. The solution: a birthday picnic in a gorgeous spot.
Thankfully, we live in Western North Carolina so beautiful places aren’t hard to find. We chose one of my (and everyone else’s) favorites, Max Patch. As a bald, it provides fantastic scenery, as well as some flattish space to post up and enjoy that view.
Our group totaled five in all, women only. We took our time finding our nest. Once there we let the pups run free, threw down our blankets, and popped the champagne. We chatted and giggled over a yummy potluck-style picnic, complete with cucumber tea sammies and chocolate chip cookies.
The atmosphere on top of the mountain was light-hearted and hopeful. As a small group, we were able to speak more freely. We took the chance to share news, express wishes and be silly, without feeling a need to censor ourselves. For just a few hours, we shed our obligations and responsibilities, our fears and stresses. There’s something not just empowering, but restful about being in the company of women – at least, that’s how it feels to me.
Though these experiences were quite different in motivation and execution; both left me feeling more deeply connected with the world around me. I felt more acutely the tenderness of my affection for my loved ones, my commiseration with strangers passing through life around me, and the similarities of my own existence to that of the stars, flowers, and bees.
Taking time to cultivate connection in this way has reminded me that we are all miracles, just in the simple fact of our being. The power of that miracle is not lessened by the fleeting nature of our existence; yet made even more precious. To share these moments with others, especially ones who are so close to my heart, opens me in ways I am only beginning to comprehend.
We’re coming to the end of our summer here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and so the end of “Get Out AVL”. Exploring our favorite ways to embrace summers in Asheville has been an unspeakable pleasure, and we hope that you have made some time to get out yourself. Let us know how you filled your summer, and what you thought of ours. As always, let us know how we’re doing!