North Carolina

After welcoming the new year just over the border of North Carolina, I made my way through the rest of the state. 

This leg of my journey was very special to me because I got to spend time with some truly incredible women.  My first stop was to a friend that I knew through Rodan+Fields.  I’ve always admired her but we had never worked very closely together and we had only met once before.  She reached out to me and told me to stop by if I was in town and within 24 hours we were sipping wine in her kitchen and exchanging our best theories about love, life, and loss.  That stop on my journey filled my soul right to the top. I’m so thankful that I’m living a lifestyle that allows me to connect with people I would never have a chance to spend time with otherwise. 

From there I went to see my aunt, who is another incredibly strong and inspiring woman.  I’m lucky to keep such empowering company.  I usually get to see my aunt about once a year, but it probably hasn’t been since I was a baby that I’ve spent time alone just with her.  Whenever I see her it’s at a family event where there are a million other people and not much time to connect.  I’ll always look back on these few days spent together and be thankful I had that time and that chance to get to know her a bit better. 

During this time, we had gone to the park and taken both of our dogs for a walk.  It was a beautifully sunny day and we were enjoying a perfectly normal walk when suddenly Dakota threw up.  Any dog owners out there will know that dogs throw up, it’s a part of life, but Dakota still had a shaved patch on her arm from her last stay at the vet and I was still very paranoid about her health.  Dakota threw up once, then again, and again, and by the fourth time I knew we had to get her to the vet.  Her stomach was swollen, and she kept stretching and laying down.  It was clear she was uncomfortable, and she was beginning to drool again.  She hadn’t been out of my sight in days and we hadn’t had any off-leash adventures lately, but she did get a mouthful of my aunt’s dog’s food, so I figured this was pancreatitis striking again.  We rushed Dakota to the nearest emergency vet (I feel like I’ve told this story already) and they took her back for bloodwork.  To my surprise, her pancreas was fine.  Instead it was her liver and kidneys that were a problem.  The vet said the bloodwork and symptoms were in line with what she’d see with an allergic reaction and that the treatment for that was an IV and another overnight stay so she could be monitored.  And there went the rest of my savings.

I wasn’t as scared leaving her this time because there was staff there 24 hours and if she suddenly got worse, someone would be there to do something about it.  I was sad though.  Sad that my baby was in so much pain again and being left alone in a strange new place.  I was sad that all the money I had in savings before I started this journey was now gone because of a very long string of tough luck.  But just like every time before (and just like every time yet ahead), I’ll just keep moving forward.

The vet wanted to have her on fluids for 12 hours before giving her another blood test, which would bring us to about 2am.  While I could have waited until a more normal hour, I asked them to call me as soon as she was cleared to come home, and I would come get her.  So at 2:30am I drove back to the vet to pick up my sweet girl. 

She came running to me from the back, looking healthy and alert, but with a new shaved spot on her other arm and a bandana around her neck.  The vet handed me a certificate too… Dakota earned her own “Certificate of Bravery” during her time at the vet.  It made the sting of the vet bills hurt just a little less because I couldn’t help but be proud of her (and of course be happy to be sleeping next to her again).

My next stop in North Carolina was to visit my sister, who lives in Charlotte.  She’s expecting a baby in June and it was really exciting to see her growing bump! Normally visiting my sister would involve a few wild nights, so things are definitely more mellow now with a little one on the way!  I’m incredibly excited to have a new little nephew and I was lucky enough to get two nights with her while passing through.  During that time, we also went to visit our nanny who watched us after school and during the summers for a few years while we were growing up.  She has big kids of her own now but hanging out with her was like no time had passed at all. 

I also managed to get a mountain bike ride in, finally.  I had spent most of my time in North Carolina searching for trails and arriving to the trailhead to find it closed due to wet conditions.  North Carolina had gotten some of the same rain that I had experienced in West Virginia and Virginia over the past month and nothing was dry yet.  I finally found an open trail and spent a little time doing a short loop of it.  I got brave enough to venture to the long loop, which resulted in me hiking my bike though miles of deep mud.  After my muddy adventure, Dakota and I enjoyed lunch in the parking lot, soaking up the first real sunshine we had seen in a while.

My birthday was right around the corner and I wanted to spend it in Asheville, North Carolina.  I had never been there before but had heard awesome things about it. I took my birthday off from work so I could spend it up in the mountains, and I headed out from Charlotte to the Pisgah National Forest, just north of Asheville.  We made a pitstop for a waterfall hike and then took Forrest up some questionable roads deep into the freezing cold forest.  I bundled up to enjoy the sunset and then got cozy in the van.  It was insanely windy and I had a hard time sleeping because I couldn’t stop worrying about trees getting knocked down on top of the van.  I played some music, buried my head under the covers, and hoped for the best. 

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When I woke up in the morning, the air was calm.  There were some small branches down, but Forrest was untouched.  The temperature had gotten down into the teens overnight and my water lines were frozen, but the sky was clear and the sun was beginning to light up the mountains in the distance.  I was able to get water from my big water jug to make coffee and enjoyed a nice, peaceful morning watching the mountains change color with the sunrise and listening to music while Dakota chewed sticks next to me. 

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I knew for my birthday I wanted to do a hike on the Appalachian Trail.  The hike I picked out was almost an hour away, but I had no reason not to drive for a bit of an adventure.  We drove steep, winding roads, testing Forrest’s capabilities as we pushed to the Grassy Ridge Bald trailhead on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in the Roan Highlands.  There was one other car in the parking lot and the hiker arrived back as soon as I pulled up.  He was bundled up in so many layers that only his eyes were showing.  I was thankful I had seen him because I planned my attire based on what he was wearing.  I threw on 3 layers of tops under my winter coat, my new hiking pants, gloves, a hat, and I covered my face with a buff.  The thermometer at the trailhead read 15 degrees and it was windy, but the sun was shining with only thin, wispy clouds in the sky.  I felt exhilarated as I approached the signs marking the Appalachian Trail.

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The trail started through a short section of forest, which had a light dusting of snow and a few unexpected patches of ice.  The way the light peeked through the trees and the quietness of being out there alone with my dog was pure magic.  I do my best to bottle up those feelings of magic and those secret moments that so few people get to have, and carry them with me forever. 

Once we cleared the forest, the trail was open and exposed all the way to the top.  We were getting blown by a freezing cold wind, but watching my dog run the trails warmed me from the inside.  The tube from my water bladder was already frozen and we had only been on the trail for 10 minutes.  I had a full water bottle in my backpack that would stay protected from the wind, but Dakota drinks easily from that tube and it keeps me from having to stop and open my backpack.  I decided to stick the tube down through my coat so my body heat would help keep most of it from freezing.  Soon I stopped at the first peak, Jane Bald, and braved the freezing cold to take a few pictures. 

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As I put my phone back into my pocket, I noticed a steady stream of water coming out from my jacket.  I pulled out the hose and saw the bite piece that you drink from was gone and water was pouring out quickly, all over my pants.  Luckily the end has an open/close valve that I was able to close but now I was soaked.  Most of the water seemed to miss the layers under my coat and hit my pants instead, but it was so cold that the water froze as soon as it hit my pants. 

I was a little worried about continuing on with wet clothes but my pants are AMAZING, and the water-resistant fabric did its job so I didn’t get too cold.  I had packed a can of wine (yes, they make that) in my backpack to enjoy a birthday drink at the top, but when we got to the top the wind was so brutally cold that I couldn’t bear to stand still long enough to drink it.  I don’t think the smile left my face the entire hike and I was filled to the brim with gratitude. 

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As I was out hiking, I was thinking about how truly lucky I am that I get to do this.  I knew I’d be alright spending my birthday alone if I did something incredible to make up for missing my friends, and while the hike WAS certainly amazing, it wasn’t any more special than what I do when it’s not my birthday.  And that realization was hard to wrap my head around.  I’m lucky enough that I get to do these incredible things without the excuse of a birthday. 

I spent the rest of the night at a Cracker Barrel parking lot, which has become my new favorite place to park because it’s so much quieter than Walmart and they tend to be just as easy to find.  I cooked myself some chicken curry, which I realize now should never be cooked on a day that’s too cold to cook with the doors and windows open. 

The next day we continued our Asheville adventures.  Upon mentioning that I’d be spending time in Asheville, I was almost always met with the question, “Are you going to see the Biltmore?”  I didn’t even know what the Biltmore was, but it’s a huge mansion built by George Vanderbilt and it’s surrounded by incredible gardens.  I hadn’t planned on going and I’ve been sticking to strictly free activities, so it wasn’t even on my radar and honestly, history and old houses isn’t really my thing.  I had been told by a friend though that she thought I could walk the gardens for free and that they were dog-friendly, so I figured I’d go do that before buying myself a birthday beer at a brewery in Asheville.  As I was driving up to the estate though I could see that this would definitely not be the case and I would need a ticket to access the garden.  I figured I’d go ask anyway though because it NEVER hurts to ask (as I’ve learned time and time again on this trip). 

As I’m walking up to the ticket office, a groundskeeper says, “hey, cool van!”  He seemed to be about my age, and we started chatting about the van.  He was in the process of building one out with his girlfriend and they would be making the trek out to Colorado with plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer.  At the end of our quick van chat, I asked him if I’d be able to access the gardens without a ticket and he said no, although he might be able to get me in after hours if I wanted.  It seemed like too much hassle for something I wasn’t even sure I wanted to do, so instead I asked him for some brewery recommendations and went back to the van.  I was in the van no more than a minute before there was a knock at the door and the groundskeeper was standing there.  He said, “Hey!  I didn’t catch your name, but I called my friend at the gate and told him my friend ‘Emily’ was in town and he said he could get you hooked up with a ticket.  Just go and tell him you’re Emily, Ryan’s friend.”

When people ask me if I’m scared being out on the road alone, I always tell them I’m not.  And this is why.  Because I truly believe deep down to my soul that MOST people are good.  I’m not naïve, I know bad stuff goes on in the world, but I also know that we hear those bad things so disproportionately to how often good things happen.  And I’m out there living in the world, not sitting in front of the TV watching what horrible things happened down the street today.  I’m out there meeting the incredible people that live in these interesting places.  The people who perpetuate that fear of the outside world, who I know have good intentions and care about my safety, tend to be the people watching these things on TV instead of going out to see for themselves what amazing people are out there.  The generosity I’ve been met with at every stop of my journey has shown me nothing but what kind, caring people there are if we just go out of our way to put down our phones, get outside, and talk to strangers. 

So I spent the rest of the day walking the gardens of the estate with Dakota, talking to more strangers, and touring the Biltmore thanks to Ryan.

The next day it was time to hit the road again as we were being pushed out by a storm that was supposed to bring snow.  We hadn’t made it to a brewery yet because I had picked up some extra classes in the evening so we (dog-friendly breweries only so Dakota can come too) ventured to Twin Leaf Brewery around lunchtime and enjoyed chatting with the bartender and several friendly locals.  I haven’t done a great job at self-promotion on this trip and it’s something I wish I was better at simply for the opportunity to keep in touch with the people I’ve met along the way.  If someone asks if I have a blog or Instagram, I always share it and it allows me to keep in touch as I keep moving along (that’s how I know many of you) but the times when information isn’t exchanged, I always leave kicking myself for not being a little more forward. I met some great people in Asheville and it always feels weird knowing I’ll disappear back to the road and probably never see them again.

After enjoying our beer, Dakota and I packed up and began the trek to South Carolina.

Good things happen when you meet strangers.

Yo-Yo Ma