Brian and I took a one evening pit stop in Asheville after camping in Pisgah National Forest to dry out our gear and shower before our next camping trip. We stayed in a single room cabin at the Log Cabin Motor Court. It was cozy and quaint but also close to downtown! During that time we also met up with our friends from Indiana that were also visiting Asheville.

The next morning we hopped in the car and headed towards Virginia! Our plans were to take the Blue Ridge Parkway, but with the tropical storm moving through, many parts were closed due to debris on the road. As bummed as we were, there was nothing we could do about it so we chose another route and got on the road! Our drive took us through two trail towns on the Appalachian Trail. One of them was Hot Springs, a town Brian had hiked through before when he did a portion of the AT years back. The other town was Damascus, known as ‘Trail Town USA’. Both towns were quite small but there were plenty of hikers walking the streets with their large packs and muddy boots.

We pulled into the visitors center of Grayson Highlands State Park to grab a map and refill our water bottles. Much to our amazement, there were 5 wild ponies grazing on grass right in front of the doors. I hoped that we would stumble across some ponies, but I didn’t think they would be hanging out right by the visitors center!

With the clouds moving in, we drove to the trailhead and strapped our packs on, ready to summit Mount Rogers. The hike up to camp was 5 miles with a small additional hike to the summit. The trail began inside of Grayson Highlands State Park but eventually became part of the Appalachian Trail. The terrain was rocky and quite rugged at some points. Thankfully the skies cleared up here and there, and we got glimpses of spectacular views! Nearing the end of our hike, we ran into a group of wild ponies. I was beginning to think the ones at the visitors center were planted there and we wouldn’t see any other ponies! They were grazing right on the trail, we hiked carefully around them, it hardly seemed like they noticed us at all. Once we reached camp, near the Thomas Knob Shelter, we made dinner. After dinner we still had some life left in our legs and decided to do the quick one mile summit hike to Mount Rogers.

The half mile out and back trail lead us up into a foggy temperate rainforest. I have never done a summit hike where the top wasn’t rocky, craggy, and exposed. This was a totally new experience! When we reached the summit, we searched for the golden geological marker, finding it atop a rock. Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia, standing at 5,729 feet above sea level. The darkness started to creep in so we headed down to camp through the fog and called it a night.

At 7am we were up, caffeinated, and packed up. Brian and I like to start our days early for two reasons; one being the likelihood of seeing wildlife and the other being hopes of seeing fewer people on the trail. This hike we lucked out and got both! During our hike down to the car we ran into a whopping 36 wild ponies, and 11 of them were babies! Every time we came up to another group of ponies we were just as surprised and in awe as the last time. The hike down was truly amazing. The fog was rolling over the hills making it feel eerie but also beautiful and then the sun would pop out, bringing with it bright blue skies! The icing on the cake was not seeing anyone on the trails. When we reached the car we packed up our stuff and immediately headed for some fast food before our 8 hour drive home, the hike hunger had struck!

I cannot recommend visiting Grayson Highlands enough! There was a point when we almost didn’t go, thinking we had packed too much into our Asheville trip already. I’m so glad we decided to go because it was an unforgettable time!

Straight away from Asheville we headed to the forest with our friends for some camping!  The Pisgah National Forest was originally a part of the Biltmore Estate but was sold by Edith Vanderbilt in 1914. Sitting at over 500,000 acres, there’s plenty of exploring to do! Our drive to Pisgah included more of the same tropical storm we experienced in Asheville. I’ll be the first to admit it, the mood heading out for Pisgah was less than stellar. One of the couple’s hadn’t done much camping and we couldn’t have asked for worse weather to do it in!

Thankfully when we arrived Wednesday early evening the rain had let up for a moment. We quickly grabbed our gear and headed for our campsite, about .25 miles from the car. There was quite a bit of rushing around to get the tents set up, as we knew the rain would be approaching again any minute. Tropical storm Alberto opened up it’s gates right as we finished setting up camp. I wish I was exaggerating when I say it was the hardest rainfall I had ever witnessed! Our little tarp shelter we set up needed the roof cleared of water about every 60 seconds. At first, we sat and watched the rain, smiling at our poor luck, trying to make the best of it. Then Brian and I realized our tent pretty much had a small river running under it. We decided that we had to move the tent, even in the pouring rain. Once our tent was situated on a bit dryer ground, we went back to the tarp to cook dinner.

Our dinner consisted of ready rice and salmon. We cooked in silence as the downpour was a little difficult to talk over. It was really nice to have a warm meal though! All of us went to our tents after dinner to try and dry out and get some rest.

The following morning we had some sunshine, making breakfast a way more enjoyable meal than the previous nights dinner! After coffee and food, we drove a short distance in the park to the Looking Glass Rock trailhead. The hike was nearly 7 miles through the forest, the trail winding up to a gorgeous sheet of granite that drops off into the vast forest below. Due to all the rain, the granite was pretty wet and slippery. We sat in a safe place and enjoyed our lunch while soaking in the sunshine that we hadn’t seen in the past week! After hiking down we drove back to our parking lot which also happened to be the trail head for John Rock, the hike we were doing next!

The start of our hike was sunny and warm, but we stayed cool underneath the cover of the trees. There were a couple creek crossings that gave us a bit of trouble, I think it would have been much easier if it hadn’t rained so much in the past few days. There were some distant rumbles of thunder, but we kept pushing on because the hike was a bit shorter than our previous one. About halfway into the hike I nearly stepped on a 4-foot rat snake that was in the middle of the trail. How does one nearly step on a snake you ask? I thought it would have been impossible also but this trail was covered in roots, so the snake looked just like the roots all over trail! Surprisingly I didn’t scream, but I was a bit shaken up just at the sheer surprise! We got to the top of John Rock, sweaty but ready for some more amazing views! Our group stepped out onto the rock, another sheet of granite, just as a huge lightening bolt struck a little too close for comfort. As bummed as we were about having to leave the views so quickly, we knew we needed to get down to safety.

Even with all the thunder and lightning, it never rained! We enjoyed dinner outside of the tarp shelter and sat and chatted well into the evening. The following morning we packed up camp and headed out! There was so much more to see in Pisgah, but for a short visit I was really happy with all that we did! Next time we will come and stay a bit longer!

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Tropical storm Alberto didn’t stand a chance when we came into Asheville with our friends. We met up with two other couples, one coming from the Philadelphia area and the second from Roanoke. Our AirBnB was in the heart of Asheville, allowing us to walk pretty much everywhere we wanted to go. Our first evening braved the rain and walked to Bhramari Brewing Company for a beer before our dinner reservations at Bartaco. We got an assortment of tacos and churros for an appetizer (obviously).

The next morning we woke up early for our food foraging tour that was outside the city. No Taste Like Home has been in business for the past 23 years. Asheville has the second richest temperate ecosystem on Earth with over 300 wild edibles, so, there was plenty to eat! Our friends from Virginia told us about the tour and we were instantly hooked on the idea! How cool to be able to walk around in the wild and find edible plants with a trained guide?! The weather was dreary and drizzly but that didn’t get our group down! Our guide, Jillian, led us lazily through fields and forests talking about each plant we passed, nibbling here and there on leaves and twigs. It sounds like a joke doesn’t it?! But that’s truly what we did! We drank tea made from Sweet Birch twigs and snacked on Wood Sorrel (which tastes like sweet tarts!). At the end of the tour we came to a covered barn and Jillian sautéed us up some of our foraged finds paired with black walnuts and wrapped in a Sassafras leaf. I highly recommend this amazing experience, it was so interesting!

After we dried off from our rainy foraging tour, we explored downtown Asheville on foot, getting to as many breweries as we could! We went to Green Man Brewing, Wicked Weed Funkatorium, Burial Beer, and Bhramari Brewing Company (linked above). Our group wandered back home and put our feet up after a long afternoon of walking .. and drinking. It was ‘boys night’ to cook dinner at the AirBnB, so the ladies sat back and watched both the Stanley Cup game and the NBA finals while yelling at the guys to bring us snacks and drinks while they yelled back about the scores to the games. Dinner was pork chops with roasted veggies and a salad made from our foraged greens that we got on our tour!

On Tuesday we had a brewery tour at Sierra Nevada. This was by far the most beautiful brewery I have ever set foot in. The building is Platinum LEED Certified, meaning its about as eco friendly as it can get when it comes to buildings! Learning about all the amazing things the engineers thought of to make the place to green was probably my favorite part of the tour, well, and the 12 beers we tasted. We ran to the car in the pouring rain and headed for .. wait for it.. the Biltmore.

The rain let up for about an hour and a half, which was just enough time to walk around the gardens looking at the first ever art exhibit at the Biltmore. Chihuly graced the vibrant green scene with his colorful orbs and squiggly firework-esque sculptures. Being a Chihuly fan since I could practically walk (his work stands 43 feet high in the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, and has for as long as I can remember) , I was over the moon getting to see his works in such an amazing space! We hurried back to the Biltmore Estate huddled under our umbrellas so we could explore the many rooms inside! We opted to purchase the Daytime ticket as well as the audio tour. To save on money, each couple opted for 1 audio tour. We thought we were being smart by thinking we could all just share a set of headphones, one bud in one ear and walk close together. Turns out the audio tour is on a phone like device.. so just imagine all of us head to head walking through the house. It was quite the scene. After the first few rooms my neck started to hurt so Brian listened and just paraphrased the information he heard. My most favorite rooms were the gym and the pool which were both in the basement.

Even for such a short amount of time, we had a blast in Asheville! I felt like we explored a lot of the city, plus the ‘must do’s’, and experienced some unique things as well! We left on Wednesday afternoon after enjoying a coffee at Trade & Lore and walking around the city, peeking into shops and bookstores that looked interesting! Brian and I will certainly be heading back to Asheville, maybe the sun will join us for that trip!

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With our packing list for the next adventure begging for my attention, I figured it was time to write a bit about our time in Louisiana! We traveled to New Orleans with a couple of our dearest friends from Vail; Kat & Kevin. They were both born and raised in Louisiana so we couldn’t have asked for better ‘tour guides’ during our time there! 

Upon landing we quickly re-learned how to breathe in the humid air that sometimes felt thick enough to eat. Kat’s dad, Bruce, picked us up from the airport and we headed to their home. As soon as we walked in the door Bruce served us up some gumbo he prepared just for our arrival. Looking back, it was probably my favorite thing I ate the entire time there! After lunch we quickly settled our things at the house and got back in the car for a trip to the New Orleans City Park. The park was stunning, huge Oak trees with Spanish Moss dangling from every branch. It looked like some kind of Mardi Gras celebration gone ‘au naturel’. We stopped at Morning Call before exploring the park so we could have some cafe au laits and beignets. Morning Call rivals Cafe Du Monde, serving up the classics while also staying open 24 hours a day. I think I actually prefer Morning Call, as they serve their beignets sans powdered sugar but have shakers at the table.

The following day we hung around the house, resting up after our travel day. We went out for sno balls in the afternoon. I tried to relate sno balls, snow cones, and water ice to one another but was harshly scolded by Kat because ‘they’re completely different’. I’m secretly still trying to figure out what exactly the difference is. Brian chose ‘King cake’ flavor and I went with chocolate and almond. Kat got strawberry stuffed with ice cream that looked pretty delicious.. and also stained her lips for hours afterwards. We ended the evening heading to Bourbon street to see Bruce. He plays on Bourbon 3 nights a week with his cajun band, he’s the lead singer and accordion player! Bourbon street on a Tuesday evening was just as busy as any other town would be on a Friday. The streets were filled with wildest array of people I’ve ever seen. We spent most of the evening at Tropical Isle, where Bruce plays, and couldn’t pass up the chance to have a hand grenade, THE drink of Bourbon Street! 

On Wednesday went on the Swamp tour which was out of this world! I wrote about it in a previous post. I won’t go in to too much detail again but I highly recommend going on one if you’re in Louisiana! After the tour we helped Kat’s sister move out of college and then went on the hunt for some Boudin. If you’re like I was, you’ve got no idea what Boudin is. I learned that it’s a mixture of sausage and rice in a casing (like sausage links). You kind of suck the meat and rice out? I couldn’t quite stomach the idea of it.. so I went with some deep fried Boudin instead, same ingredients, minus the casing part. It was super tasty! Kat’s family all agreed it was a little on the spicy side for what boudin typically is, but I thought it was great. 

Thursday was a true ‘exposure therapy’ moment at the crawfish boil we went to. As a kid I didn’t eat much meat with bones in it and only recently learned to not hate it. I barely held it together when 3 pounds of crawfish were set in front of me. Kat & Kevin taught us how to properly shell a crawfish which goes a little something like this. 1) Tear the tail from the head 2) Suck the juice directly from the head 3) Stick pinky into head to scoop out the yellowish goo and eat it 4) Peel a small portion of the tail shell off and pinch out the tail meat 4) ) Optional* crack the claws open and slowly wiggle out the meat. And that’s how you eat a crawfish. Brian and I took our sweet time trying to crack into our miniature lobster looking dinner. Kat and Kevin blew through theirs at record speed. I haven’t seen anyone peel crawfish before but they were so fast! Then we met up with Brian’s childhood friend, Ryan, and all went down to Bourbon street to see Bruce play again! 

Our Friday was spent at Jazz Fest! Kat’s dad has been playing at Jazz fest for the past 38 years and we were not passing up the opportunity to see him on stage! We all piled in the family van and drove to the festival together. One bonus about ‘being with the band’ is the air conditioned trailers and the free food/booze situation. Bruce played 2 sets on 2 different stages  and we saw both. I love that his music encourages ‘real’ dancing instead of the foot tapping and clapping or bumping and grinding most modern music calls for. Kat & Kevin waltzed among the other fans while Brian and I soaked up the moment from the sidelines. I love to dance but I truly enjoyed watching everyone else, their smiles were contagious! After watching Bruce play we wandered the grounds making our way to the Gospel tent to listen to the loudest gospel choir I’ve ever heard. We went to quite few other stages and listened to a song or two before moving on. After Jazz Fest we all went home to shower and sleep except for Brian who went out with Ryan to Bourbon street and ran into not one but two celebrities! Adam DeVine from Workaholics and Pitch Perfect and Draymond Green from the Golden State Warriors! 

Sunday we traveled to La Combe to visit with Kevin’s family for a couple days. We visited the Abita Brewery, had an epic bonfire, watched the sun set over Lake Pontchartrain, and split 15 pounds of crawfish between 5 people. It was a really relaxing time after the busy days we had been having previously! 

On Wednesday Bruce took the day off so he could drive us out to the plantations and show us around. The drive was about an hour into the countryside. When we arrived to Laura planation we bought our tour tickets and then looked around while we were waiting. The Laura Plantation was so bright and colorful! And the oaks on the grounds were massive. The tour was very informative and covered a lot of ground in the short amount of time. As the afternoon wore on into the evening we quickly drove past Oak Alley Plantation to get a glimpse of the Oak lined sidewalk before heading back home!

Brian and I wanted to take a second to thank everyone in the Daigrepont family who took the time to show us around for 10 straight days, not roll their eyes when we asked what ‘get down’ meant for the 3rd time in a row, cooked us amazing meals, and let us mooch off their Jazz Fest digs. Our time in Louisiana wouldn’t have been the same without you. And obviously, to our friends Kat & Kev.. thanks for letting us share a room with you, super cozy eh?

I thought I had fallen in love with a place already, but that was before I met you. After visiting you for a mere 36 hours, I fell head over heels. I had never experienced such crisp mornings and, what I now know are called, bluebird skies. There was just no way to deny your beauty with the wind blowing through your golden aspen leaves. And then the snow came and blanketed you with 350 inches of fluffy goodness in our first winter here. The locals told me we were getting spoiled, and I didn’t mind a single bit. I learned to ski under your never ending sunshine and maybe even take a risk or two on a jump if the powder was deep enough. The winter held on deep into April, but finally gave way to spring. My mornings were spent sitting outside with you while sipping a cappuccino. I thought I loved winter most, until you introduced me to your most spectacular season of all. Summer was your time to showcase the tippy tops of your mountains that are often unreachable by foot. I spent countless hours trudging over your sharp rocks and stood my ground against your relentless wind with tears streaming down my face. My reward at the peak, untouched by man, was seeing the sun rise from atop of the world. The purity of your air above the clouds is reserved for those willing to work for it. It isn’t all about racing to the top though. Along the way my encouragement came in the form of a mountain goat walking beside me or the wildflowers tickling my knees. And sleeping under your stars and waking to your frosty grass is a memory I’ll cherish until my final days.

The people you lure here are something worth noting as well. Their kind eyes and sun kissed skin immediately give away their deep love for you. Many of those people were originally just passing through, only to find themselves still here 25 years later. You’ve got a hold on people, do you know that? Even the visitors that flock here; skiers and climbers and hikers and bikers from all over the world come just to spend a few precious moments in your presence. How lucky I am to have called you home.

Vail, you found and brought to life a mountain mama I never knew resided inside of me. And although our time here, for now, is coming to an end. I hope you never forget about me, because I will never forget about you.

It’s likely this is the most common question asked between Brian and me in the past few months. Most of the time coupled with tears, late at night while we’re in bed.. brains unable to turn off.

We’ve wanted to do it for years, drop everything & roam this Earth, and now we finally are. What that looks like, we don’t know yet. Brian and I each have some ideas, thankfully, a few of which, are the same. This ‘place’ on the internet is a space for us to document, to journal, to let our moms know we’re okay, and to hopefully encourage you to get out there and explore.