SOLITUDE AND CAMARADERIE

(4/29/10)
(Site B53, Linville Falls Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway)

I have reached the end of an amazing eight-day vacation here in the mountains. It has been just what I needed! I feel so much better – more rested, more grounded, more patient, and more eager than I have in a long while. And as I sit here in my tent now and reflect over the past eight days, I can see that I have made a significant discovery during my sabbatical here in the North Carolina mountains. More about that later…

I must be really honest right now. As I was preparing to leave, I counted up the days that I would actually be by myself up here in the mountains (due to my wife Kim, my stepson Michael, and his friend Huan coming up for the weekend; and my twenty-two-year-old son Nate coming up for a couple of days later in the week), and I must admit that I had mixed feelings. While I was genuinely happy they were all coming up here, I was just a little grumpy about it, as well. “Only three days to myself out of eight? That’s not enough! I need more time alone!” (Actually, it ended up being about four days total – half of the total time. I don’t know why I was being such a grouch about it!)

Kim and the boys arrived about a day later. It was so great that first night when they arrived – watching them all (Kim included) having fun throwing various things into the campfire just to watch them burn… and the boys chasing each other around the campground shooting Nerf darts at each other… and Kim happily relaxing by the fire – I soon found that all my grumpiness had melted away. The next day we went out and explored. We visited Grandfather Mountain, walked across its famous “Mile-High Swinging Bridge” (which thankfully – or sadly, depending on your perspective – doesn’t really swing all that much anymore) and scrambled out onto the rocks to enjoy the incredible view. Later, we returned to the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, and the boys and I hiked up to Beacon Heights, a massive rock outcropping with a panoramic view of Wilson Creek Valley… one of my favorite spots. I enjoyed the scenery and the crisp breeze while Michael and Huan staged a video-game-like “battle” with their walking sticks, waging war to see who would rule the rock.

We capped the day off with a drive to Valle Crucis, NC to shop at Mast General Store – a must-see if you are ever anywhere near Boone. Mast is “a blast from the past” (please pardon the unintentional rhyming slogan) – the quintessential general store situated in a hundred-year-old building; complete with creaky, uneven floors, ice cold sodas sold in real glass bottles, and a bottle cap checkerboard perched on an old barrel next to a pot-bellied stove. Don’t be mistaken, though… this isn’t like the “corporate nostalgia restaurants-slash-gift shops” that you find scattered around interstate exits… this is real nostalgia. Stepping through its doors is somewhat like stepping back in time – its sights, smells, and sounds transporting you back to a simpler, slower life… with the illusion only broken when you have to whip out your debit card to make your purchases!

When we awoke the next morning, a rainy Sunday greeted us. We decided to take the boys to Linville Caverns just a few miles away. We were all prepared to hear the typical twelve-year-old complaints, like “Awww… do we have to?” and “Man, this place is lame!” However, we were surprised to find that the boys were really excited when they found out we were going there. Kim and I exchanged smiles and winks as we witnessed the boys’ wonder and genuine enjoyment of the caverns. And just a few short hours later, instead of breathing a big sigh of relief, I found myself really sad as they drove away that afternoon. The campsite seemed so quiet. I felt a dull, empty ache in the pit of my stomach. It took me the rest of the evening just to reset and begin to enjoy myself again.

My son Nate arrived late Monday evening. The next morning ended up being mostly rainy, but we didn’t let that deter us. We just threw on our ponchos and had fun anyway, beginning our day with a hike up to Linville Falls. After lunch, even though the weather forecast was still a little “iffy”, we decided to hike up to Rough Ridge near the Linn Cove Viaduct (the oh-so-photogenic S-shaped bridge on the Blue Ridge Parkway). On the way up the trail, the weather was really chilly, but the view of Wilson Creek Valley was stunning from up there. Nate had never been all the way up to the upper view before, and he just loved it.

We sat there for a while, enjoying the spectacular view and a healthy snack. Then we noticed some thick gray clouds rolling their way over the mountainside behind us, coming closer and closer. We decided to pack up, put our ponchos back on, and get moving. Just as we got back on the trail, the precipitation began… but it wasn’t rain… it was sleet! It began slowly, but then the storm intensified to the point that the ground became white with the sleet and snow (yes, snow had begun to fall, as well). We found ourselves caught in the middle of an all-out winter storm… in North Carolina… the last week in April! But instead of complaining, we laughed and yelled and acted like complete idiots! We chuckled, “What a great story we will be able to tell now every time we hike this trail!” It was one of those amazing moments that you just can’t script – and we were living it. We finished that day with a late-night visit to a nearby laundromat to wash the mud out of our clothes.

The next day, we arose early and drove the expressway through Asheville to access the southern end of the Parkway so that we could enjoy a few of our favorite hikes there. After a detour due to ice, we finally arrived at Graveyard Fields, one of the most atypical and unusual features found on the entire Parkway system – a stark open area of fields and trails, right in the middle of lush forests on all sides. We hiked a total of three miles there, visiting both the lower and upper falls (both beautiful) of Yellowstone River. The sky was an amazing shade of blue, with no clouds in sight. We had a wonderful, refreshing time there.

I then took him to one of my new favorite Parkway views, Black Balsam Bald, which looms 6,214’ above and just behind Graveyard Fields. We enjoyed a half-mile hike to the summit, and were blown away by the 360-degree view. We couldn’t have picked a more perfect day to take this hike! During that entire morning, a U.S. Forest Service plane had been circling overhead, dropping fire retardant material on some mountainsides on the far side of the Parkway. While we were standing there on the summit of Black Balsam, we looked over to our left and were startled to see the plane headed right toward us – we were both at the same altitude! We actually gazed down on the airplane with wonder as it swooped below us and dropped its payload of fire retardant on the trees.

After hiking back to our SUV and heading south on the Parkway a few more miles, we hiked up to Devil’s Courthouse (a tough hike!) and ate a quick lunch at a picnic table there, overlooking the incredible view. We continued south from there, past Richland Balsam, the highest point on the Parkway (6,047’ – milepost 431.4), wound our way back to the expressway and drove back to Linville Falls. That night, two tired adventurers pulled back into the campsite and quickly retired to the comfort of their tents!

The next morning (well actually, this morning), Nate had to leave by 9:00am to get home in time for work. As we hugged goodbye (yes, the Hunters are “huggers”), I told him I was really glad he could come up – and I meant it from the bottom of my heart. Those two days had been truly legendary. (Or in the current lingo of a twenty-two year old, EPIC!) Moments like these are priceless treasures – you don’t get many of them, so you must savor them and lock them away in the deepest recesses of your heart and memory for safekeeping. I fought back tears as he backed out of the parking space, glanced back and smiled sadly as he threw up a final goodbye wave, and drove away.

It was at that moment that I realized something really huge. While solitude is important – even crucial – to one’s well-being and spiritual health, life was not meant to be experienced alone; I have found that companionship can be just as invigorating and refreshing. While I have enjoyed some truly amazing times up here alone with You, O God (and will again), the absolute sweetest, holiest moments are the ones we share with those we love. I see now that, like so many other components of our complex lives, there must be balance between solitude and camaraderie, silence and laughter, reverence and raucousness. And I have just enjoyed four fantastic, unforgettable days of each – exactly half-and-half! Thank You for Your love and Your amazing presence. But also, thank You that I am not alone. I get to share and savor a truly rich life with some truly amazing people. I can’t wait to get home to them tomorrow!