Sabbatical 2022: Walking Like a New Yorker (in North Carolina)

I’ve always walked quickly, but visiting the South, I’ve been reminded of this in new ways. A highpoint of my sabbatical was spending almost three weeks with family in North Carolina. We walked together and separately, but it was a gift of a trip. I began in Charlotte, where I grew up from age 12 onward (before that, we lived in Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Durham). Even though it was hot, I explored the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, which goes right through town.
With part of the skyline in the background, April (our dog) and I enjoyed the easy walking and the easy access to drinking water!
We also spotted some of the wildlife (here, a little blue heron) that the greenway projects are attracting.
April and I hiked on Crowder’s Mountain, near Charlotte, one morning, exploring a place I hiked as a teenager.
Not a very welcoming message, but in a real sense, this is true with any hike, walk, or journey- especially when one goes in new directions. As I’ve spent time walking on sabbatical, I’ve thought a lot about places I’ve walked, risks taken, challenges met, and the many places I’ve yet to explore.
With my father, as we are visiting my brother in Chapel Hill.
My brother attends the Chapel of the Cross (Episcopal), where I used to spend a lot of time during college. Though I was active with the Presbyterian Student Ministry (and loved every minute of that), I studied many evenings in the Sunday school classrooms at Chapel of the Cross, where they always left the building unlocked and had coffee brewing for students.
Though we loved being able to be together, we were praying for my nephew and niece-in-law, as they were on “baby watch” (two weeks overdue.)
After a tricky birth, Maddox Parks Beddingfield was happily born on July 20. Mother, father, and big brother (who is 3) are all fine, though (given continued concerns with COVID and travel plans) we gave them peace and space to welcome Maddox into the world. (I’ll look forward to meeting him in person on a future visit.)
Erwin joined us in Charlotte and we took my parents to the NC mountains for a few days. Here, we’re at 3,890 feet, where it was sunny with clouds and about 83 degrees. As we drove up to Mt. Mitchell, (6,684 feet) the highest peak in the Appalachians, the temperature dropped 20 degrees and the rain poured. This was a helpful reminder that, had we been on foot, we would have been soaked.
Erwin and I pose at Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest. Just north of these falls is Sliding Rock, a favorite place to visit as I was growing up. One can slide down a long, smooth rock in the river in a bathing suit or an inner tube.
The French Broad River in Hot Springs, NC, where the Appalachian Trail actually goes right through town and across the river. Hot Springs is known for its spa history but also as a place where Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, was seen some years ago. We only saw a few hikers.
Half-way up the mountain, along a hiking trail, there was this small seashell. I wondered if someone left it as a memorial, a prayer, or a piece of the seashore at the other end of the state? For me, it served as a wonderful reminder of the shells of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, whose feast day is July 25. Walking is walking— whether in Spain, NC, or NYC.
One of our most demanding hikes was the trail to Lover’s Leap, Hot Springs, NC.
The Appalachian Trail crosses through several popular day hikes, such as the great, bald space called Max Patch. The white blaze marks the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine.
We saw no rattlesnakes or ticks, just a lot of really pretty butterflies. From September to early October, Monarch butterflies stop at Max Patch on their way to Mexico.
A 360 degree view allows one to see the highest peaks of the Blue Ridge and Smokies.
The NC Arboretum in Asheville was created, in part, to honor the wishes of Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). Olmsted, of course, helped design the landscaping of Central Park, but also designed the gardens and grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Olmsted had hoped to also begin a research arboretum. As I’ve mentioned in sermons, I admire Olmsted’s ability to forgo immediate gains and instead, plan and hope in the future.
My favorite dish from Asheville’s Early Girl Eatery: Heirloom Organic Grit Cake Stack, which consists of a crisp-fried vegan grit cake piled with organic spinach, red pepper, zucchini & yellow squash, caramelized onions, shiitake mushrooms, with Southern tomato gravy. This is my kind of food: Southern-inspired, but with a healthy twist. (Look for something similar at the Holy Trinity Rectory in the future 🙂
This trail in the NC mountains feels very similar to some of the paths I walked on the Camino in Spain. It was along a similar path that I took a photo of a phrase written as holy graffiti: “El Camino comienza en Santiago,” meaning, “the Camino (the way, the walk) BEGINS in Santiago de Compostela. For many people, Santiago de Compostela is the destination, the goal. But this phrase reminds the pilgrim to keep walking – with expectation, with hope, with faith. During this time of sabbatical, my faith and spiritual stamina have been strengthened and empowered. I return to New York and Holy Trinity renewed and excited for many more years of ministry together. This two-month journey has indeed been a “buen Camino,” and I look forward to the many more good pathways ahead.