The other day, I went to the Asheville Mall for the first time in six months. In normal times, the Asheville Mall was nothing special but for certain things, it served the purpose. The truth is, I needed some new bras because the ones ordered online I had to return. From the moment I drove into the empty parking lot, I sensed this was a mistake.
Inside, the mall was a ghost town with most of the kiosks closed and few shoppers. I would only go to the lingerie department of two stores. At the first store, there was no salesperson visible in Lingerie and the dressing room I had used before wasn’t there. Closed up, perhaps? Or maybe customers were expected to buy and try on later? I left,, while in the second store there was a helpful employee and a Fitting Room that was open. However, the lack of choices was apparent unless I wanted the sales person to order online for me. No…I already do that.
I tried on a few things which weren’t right. I had to make sure to put all the bras back on special rack so they could be disinfected for the next person. I wondered if it was safe to be trying on clothing in a store…even an empty store. The atmosphere around me felt sinister and eerie. I couldn’t wait to get outside, into my car, and head for home. Nothing felt real and all was depressing. It hit me that I was experiencing the “real world” as it is now and not just hearing about it on NPR or watching it on television evening news. Online shopping is safer, as I’ve known all along, but walking into a store (other than to buy groceries), I saw that there is little to buy and few people working.
My remedy for uncomfortable and depressing during this pandemic has been going outdoors and communing with Nature. Once at home, to eradicate the anxiety of my mall experience, I changed into cool shorts and top, and went for a long walk. It’s hot and humid now that it’s August but being outdoors in the shady woods, breathing in real air, getting exercise, and noticing the subtle changes in the outdoor world is what sustains me. I came back feeling revived.
Early spring in Biltmore Lake near home....
In the early months of Covid-19 in March, Art and I kept to the trails around Biltmore Lake, where we live. Then, as we became more adventuresome, we explored paths in the Pisgah National Forest contiguous to our community. We learned about many new hikes that we could access right from our front door…no driving anywhere and few people doing the same thing.
In April and May we were uplifted by the arresting mountain laurel which came into bloom everywhere we hiked. We didn’t ever remember seeing so much of these delicate white blooms on tall tree-like bushes that grow wild in the shady spots of the forests in Western North Carolina. The rhododendrons bloomed in dark pinks and reds both in our garden and on our walks up in the woods.
“Do you ever remember seeing all this mountain laurel and rhododendron?” I asked Art.
“No…I don’t think we did” he replied. “We were traveling, remember?”
“Yes, walking in Brittany last spring and the Costa Brava the year before…and the Dordogne Valley the year before that… and the Douro Valley…“ I recalled.
In our years in Asheville we have traveled every spring and fall never spending an entire season here as we have now.
It’s August now, and the pandemic continues but we are venturing further from home. The truth is we have done the same hikes for months almost every day. Monday, our friends Ayla and Bruce asked us to their house in North Asheville to go for a hike where they live. Like us, they have spent the pandemic exploring new trails in the mountains at the opposite end of Asheville from where we have. They took us on a six-mile hike from their driveway up into the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cades Cove. We were on shady narrow paths and isolated back roads where people have built large homes with views and privacy. We were reenergized by new scenery and a place we had never been.
The mountain laurel is long gone but what is eye catching now are the array of mushrooms everywhere…large, small, squat and tall, white, tan, soft yellow, gold, and even a bulbous one in red. Some stand alone, some have been knocked over by rain or wild animals or hikers, but others sit artistically together as if they had been arranged for display.
Uplifted by our hike in North Asheville we packed a lunch and drove to the Folk Art Center yesterday with masks in hand. We set off on the Haw Creek trail we had done a few years ago. There were few hikers, but those we encountered politely stepped aside with “proper pandemic protocol” and we felt comfortable. The 2.5 mile trail goes up straight to a lookout point which is a massive rock boulder in the side of the mountain. There we ate our sandwiches with a view of East Asheville and the panorama of the Blue Ridge .
Hawk Creek Overlook
Yes, it’s August and it’s hot but hiking in woods provides natural shade. Now I notice that spring and summer growth is looking more worn and unkempt as the seasons move towards autumn. There is the loud buzzing of crickets signaling summer’s end. Our hike yesterday drew me again to mushroom sightings where I had to stop to look often at the shapes, colors and arrangement like wending my way through a museum . (Visit a museum? That’s something I haven’t done in months.) The woods abound with decorative designs. When Austin was here in July, we went on nature walks and he carried his kids digital camera around his neck. He stopped often to study unusual carvings and indentations on tree bark and take photos. What an eye that boy has for artistic design in Nature. I now look for it more than I ever have.
I will not be returning to a mall anytime soon. I have succumbed entirely to online buying these many months while staying safe at home. While the pandemic continues, we’ll be out on the same paths until a safe vaccine is available to allow us to venture further into the world again. Ironically, we have maintained a positive outlook by exploring the outdoors around us, while staying in the best physical shape we’ve been in for decades.
You guys are so lucky to have picked Asheville to retire. We look forward to coming back hopefully in the fall. Love that you are enjoying the mountains so much. Important more than ever to enjoy the outdoors these days!
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