Coming Out As A Fair Weather Hiker

My love of being in nature stops at 50 degrees

Stone Mountain Summit is the highest point in Dupont Forest

Winter has come to Asheville, bringing with it cold rains, snow flurries, 20 degree evenings, and high winds. There was a break in the frigid temps last weekend — meaning a day that hit 45 degrees — so The Boyfriend proposed a hike up Stone Mountain Trail, the highest peak in Dupont State Forest.

About an hour away from Asheville, just a few miles from the South Carolina border, Dupont Forest sprawls over 12,000 acres. It boasts three waterfalls, 86 miles of trails, and was the film site for parts of The Hunger Games and The Last Of The Mohicans.

When we stepped out of the car at the trailhead, I immediately regretted agreeing to the hike. It might have been 45 degrees in downtown Asheville, especially when you could duck into a coffee shop and warm yourself up, but it was not any 45 degrees in the forest, I’ll tell you that. The air was heavy with a damp chill that stung my face like a slap. I pulled my neck warmer over my head, crossed my arms tightly over my fleece-covered chest, and imagined a time when I would be happy again.

As we began our ascent up the leaf-stewn trail, The Boyfriend pointed out various tree species — a sourwood here, a mountain laurel there — and I tried to appear interested instead of bitter and miserable. I kept my head bowed to escape the wind, so most of what I saw were leaves. I did manage to stop and admire a clearing of boulders so eerie and ancient that it seemed like a band of druids might emerge at any moment.

I think the frigid air froze my brain because I don’t remember much else about the 1.6-mile ascent. I do recall passing two women jogging (!!) down the steep, twisty trail. I have a hazy recollection of trudging through shoulder-high grasses. Then I remember sitting in a fetal position at the summit while The Boyfriend ate his burrito and chatted away about something or other. Here is a photo of the view at the mountaintop, dismal and gray like my soul at the time.

My attitude improved immensely on the way down because our next stop was a winery, Stone Ashe Vineyards, perched on a hillside in farm country near Hendersonville.

We sat in arm chairs next to the fireplace. The Boyfriend had a Cab, I had a lovely Bordeaux, and we psychoanalyzed our fellow visitors: the blonde, cowboy-booted Influencer posing by the bar, a high-maintenance woman clutching her Michael Kors purse and making her date work extra hard, the grandma treating her grown granddaughters to a wine tasting. For wine and people-watching, I give Stone Ashe an A, but a D on food since they were all out of hummus boxes at 2 pm and they should know that the vegans have overtaken Western North Carolina.

Reader, I have no need for more winter hiking. Unless it’s a very short hike up to a winery. In the spring, when the mountains turn green and the sun warms the air, I’ll love nature again. Until then, I’ll be grateful for evenings inside by the fire.