When friends visit town, most of our family being Floridians, hiking is a natural part of what we do. I promised myself when we moved to the mountains, we would not regard them as background scenery or something visitors associate with our home yet we never experience because we’re too wrapped up with our lives.

This happened to me (and most locals we know) in Miami. We never went to the beach, despite its beauty and proximity. Most people associate Miami with beaches and island life, and while it does play into its cultural context, most locals only see the beach as often as the people who visit.

This Thanksgiving, with our friend May in town, we went on a relatively easy hike called Bearwallow Mountain Trail in Asheville, NC (about 30 minutes from downtown). It was so energizing and fun. Because our dear friend is a spiritual teacher, before the hike we each thought about what we wanted from the experience. We had the desire to connect with the natural world around us, to experience why we’re here and to be the things we want to create in our lives: peace, harmony, connection to other.

The photos won’t do it justice, as with most things in life, but I share them with you so you can see the true beauty. As an aside, while most people find winter to be an “ugly” time for the mountains, I find it to be one most stunning. North Carolina is typically filled with lush trees that block your view of the mountains unless you’re on a higher elevation. Come winter when the leaves fall, everything is left bare to see. It’s breathtaking.