Fragabond

Monday, August 1. Almost exactly a year ago, our first attempt at a trip out West was thwarted mere days before our flight by darling Covid, and we ended up driving to Brevard, NC, instead. What ensued was one of the best weeks of my life – despite a positive Covid test the week before, Zack had no symptoms, so we hiked secluded trails, I did multiple puzzles, we watched almost a whole season of Brooklyn 99, we sat outside at breweries (once the at-home tests were negative, of course), and found the best BBQ we ever tasted (more details below). Turns out what we needed was a quarantine-like vacation to actually rest. So, we love Brevard – because of its natural merit, accessible trails, delicious BBQ & Brews, but also because it is a personal happy place. The perfect place to start our journey, no?

Rewind to when we left FL (July 22)… 1 night’s pitstop in Gainesville, and another in Charlotte gave us the welcome chance to say some of our last farewells. We had a nice visit with William & Jenny in Gainesville – got to see the new Chmely Chicken Coop and catch up with human Chmelys too. Then, off to Charlotte to see Steve and Margo. Their house is SO CUTE, and it was a treat to listen to Margo preach on Sunday morning.

Sunday afternoon, we arrived in Brevard. Coincidentally, Mom & Dad Fraga, who were also in Charlotte visiting Steve & Margo, planned a short trip to the Asheville area too. We got to hike the Black Balsam Knob trail and visit the Sierra Nevada brewery with them while they were there – our final farewell.

Brevard gave us the opportunity to get our feet wet before we were too far from home, which turned out to be a great plan. Some things we learned:

• We packed too much. Simplify. Shout out again to Mom & Dad for taking a giant suitcase back to South Florida that we ditched.

• Always stay in Airbnbs with washing machines…when we hike all day our clothes smell ratchet.

• Don’t be the first person out on a trail on a summer morning…. the early bird might get the worm, but the first person on the trail gets all the spider webs.

• We are nostalgic creatures of habit, which is less something learned and more something I feel the need to confess…we frequented our favorite two dinner/drinks places repeatedly last week…
  • Monday – Smoke On BBQ take out, eaten outside at Oscar Blues Brewery
  • Tuesday – Sierra Nevada dinner and drinks with Mom & Dad
  • Wednesday – See Monday
  • Thursday – See Tuesday, sans Mom & Dad
  • Friday – See Monday (we almost went to downtown Asheville…but didn’t)

Maybe we will try to branch out a little more at some of our other destinations…

We also met some nice folks in Brevard. As a deeply introverted person, it is a side-goal of mine to stop during these Fragabond days and take opportunities to chat with people along the way. A couple notable conversations:

• Norman was reading the news on Wednesday morning in Cup & Saucer coffee shop in downtown Brevard. He saved us all by asking the shop to reboot the wifi router, and he also told us about the 20 years he spent teaching English in Germany. He owns a little rental unit in Brevard and was in town from Greenville, SC just checking-in.
• Gary was a member of a “Mountain Music Group” that plays some delightful tunes on Monday nights at Oscar Blues. He told us about a long trip he and his wife took out west in a motorcycle and sidecar. Way more hard-core than us, but he gave us some great tales of his favorite views. Seems like the Olympic Peninsula may need to be added to our list.

We hiked a lot (Black Balsam Knob, Twin Falls, Brevard Greenway, Looking Glass Rock, Slick Rock Falls).

Looking Glass Rock, despite the spider webs this time, is my favorite Brevard hike. It is moderately challenging; it is a steady climb up almost 1,700 feet in the Pisgah National Forest through fairly dense trees. You are tired when you get to the top, but when you do, you emerge from the trees and suddenly you are standing at the edge of a cliff. It is a little eerie because you feel like one wrong step and you will tumble right off the top of the massive, curved rock, but as far as you can see are insanely beautiful, lush Carolina mountains. The work and webs are so worth it.

I think Looking Glass Rock was the perfect hike to start with on this trip – I like it a lot and feel from a practical sense that it is a good warm-up for Colorado, but I also like the symbolism in working hard even when you can’t enjoy the pay off until the very end (and trusting it will be there). Also, as I am writing this post now on our first day in Ouray, CO, I feel a little like we tumbled down a rabbit hole of sorts (if Alice’s tumble looked a little more like a 30-hour drive through the never-ending Kansas flatlands). Brevard we knew pretty well, but now I feel like we are stepping through into the real adventure! So far, it’s awe-inspiring views, the cutest chipmunks ever, and quiet mountain deer, but I will let you know if we see a jabberwock…

-Katie