North Carolina Week 2
“Practice listening to your intuition, your inner voice; ask questions; be curious; see what you see; hear what you hear; and then act upon what you know to be true. These intuitive powers were given to your soul at birth.”
Week two: This week I took myself on some more gorgeous hikes (AND painted—see below)! My favorite hike of the week was called Pickens Nose Trail. I failed to read the review that mentioned “the drive up is a little scary” before setting out on this adventure. I wondered why my map app said 45 minutes for a 12 mile drive. Ope! So, the drive up was a little scary, actually a lot scary. I wondered if at any moment Sedanleigh (my Altima’s name) would give out and I’d be stranded, a tire would burst, or worse, I’d see a bear and swerve off into the pits of the mountain. THANKFULLY none of those things happened, but I do feel I used my one pass at a drive like that and will not do that again. I considered turning around a few times. I could hear my mom in my head saying “NO WAY!”, but there really wasn’t anywhere to turn around, and I had already come so far. And the view at the top of the short 1.4 mile trek on foot was WORTH IT! You’ll see (below). At the top was a couple that were playing Gaelic music, smoking cigarettes (odd after a short but steep hike), and eating snacks. Their strange company and music made it all the more magickal. They were kind enough to offer to snap some shots of Finley and I, and the rest I took myself. The other two hikes in the photographs were Rabun Bald and Lookoff Mountain. They were longer and more strenuous than Pickens, but still had amazing views. I was fussy AF on my hike up Lookoff Mountain. I didn’t intend for it to be as strenuous as it was, and more so than the day before (I loathe inclines, which doesn’t bode well for a girl in the mountains.) But I did it anyway, and was thankful to be done, and rested on Sunday. I told a friend that hiking a bunch is super cute in theory, and ouchy in reality.
Week one was the getting to know you phase of the trip. I didn’t look too much into where I was going, just came for the views, and have learned that life is a lot different than I imagined on top of a little mountain. Decent grocery is 30+ minutes away, internet is slow and spotty, I have to drive my trash, recycling, and Finely’s poop to the dump each week (no outside bins because, bears), roads are long and winding, and there’s not a super happenin’ town to get to too quickly. (Yes, Highlands and Cashiers are 10 miles away, but they are expensive and bougie mountain money traps so they don’t count.) It’s a little more isolating than I anticipated and I’ve quickly realized the life of convenience I have been taking for granted. But I have stupid pretty vistas, endless walks in nature, books, paint, tv, 30+ minute drives to Clayton or Franklin, messages and calls from friends (see Zoom screen capture below!) and family that make it all ok. And I’m never one to shy away from alone time. So far, so very, very good. Week 2 has me feeling settled and happy. Also, check out Pito’s new gear!
I’ve officially hiked 27.2 miles since leaving Avon Lake on the 30th of October. I wanted to hit 30 miles at the end of week 2, but my body said no. More to come…
Love, Jessica, Finley, and Pito
