A Love Letter to Asheville
This past summer I went on a one-year anniversary trip with my girlfriend to a little town right outside of Asheville. We spent our days hiking, exploring the local scene, and going to some of my favorite places from when I had visited in high school. On the way home, we decided we should stop in Asheville, a beautiful vibrant city that accepted our presence in ways many other places of North Carolina wouldn’t.
We went to the Western North Carolina Nature Center because there were bears. I love bears. I think they are some of the most amazing creatures that we have the pleasure to coexist with. I even bought a paw print of one of the bears simply because they were that cool. However, the bears weren’t the only reason the nature center was so beautiful. There were reptiles I had never seen before; red wolves that were slowly making a population recovery; red pandas, which are just so adorable; and goats who were beckoning the attention of everyone around them with their bleats. Even though there were animals that were not native to the area, most of the animals were native to the area. Many of the animals were in rehabilitation or wouldn’t have been able to make it on their own in the wild. I saw animals that I didn’t even know were native to North Carolina and parts of Virginia. And I hate to come back to this, but I saw black bears. I can’t forget about the bears; I’m sorry. I probably spent twenty minutes watching the bears walk around and do nothing of importance. I was enthralled by their beauty. I wouldn’t have had that experience without Asheville.
This wasn’t the only place my girlfriend and I explored while we were in Asheville though. We also went to the Asheville Art Museum, which saved us from a sudden downpour. The museum was stunning and filled with paintings and pieces that really spoke to me. Usually when I go to art museums, I see a lot of older pieces that remind me of what I’ve seen in art classes—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing—but when I went to this museum I saw a lot of more modern art. I saw pieces that were even from 2024 that I hadn’t ever seen before.
All this to say Asheville is an amazing place which has been devastated by Hurricane Helene. And Asheville is more than the nature center and art museum, but those pieces of Asheville that I got to experience were so beautiful. I have friends in Asheville. I know people who have family in Asheville, and I am fortunate enough to not have to worry about family there. I worry about Asheville and the other parts of Appalachia which have been washed away from flooding.
So to Asheville, the rest of Appalachia, and all the other parts of the United States that have been affected by Hurricane Helene, please know I see you; and I’m sorry for the lost homes, business, people, and places that you love.
If you are able to support, please do! The embedded link link (also below) gives you ways to help those in Western North Carolina.
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