Don't Tell Mom!

Mike has been away a lot. So I’ve been working a lot. For the past 3 weeks, I’ve worked 6 days a week… which is fine, but it has been tiring physically and mentally. Physically, because I am on my feet all day, running around trying to serve people and help others. Like how a saint is, pretty much… until 2 am somedays. Emotionally, because in the last 3 days, people have asked me to spell “lettuce,” “teriyaki” (that’s a hard one, I know), and “frustrated.” It’s frustrating.

I’m tired of working with slackers, and I’m tired of working in a catty, dramatic environment. And also somewhere that, however hard you work; however nice and personable you are; you depend on other people to determine how much money you’ll make. I know whatever I’m doing, I won’t be able to escape these things.

Oh, my point, where was I getting...? So I am burnt out of being tired and working all the time. Ideally, I’d work regular hours, know how much I was going to make that day, and have regularly-scheduled times off each week for “Sloane-time.” I need Sloane-time very much and I get cranky when I can’t get it.

Sunday morning (after a 14-hour Saturday shift until 2AM), I was going into work with only 2 hours to spare until I was at overtime. So I texted my manager and asked what she wanted me to do (crossing my fingers she’d say, “sleep in, don’t come in, you deserve it!”). Instead she said, “Sure, we can use you, come in!” Ugh. I got dressed, stopped at the gas station for 2 energy drinks (sorry health), and as I was parking at 12:02 (late-ish?), she was calling me.

“I’m sorry, I’m just parking now! Be right in!”

“Actually,” she said, “I was calling because someone else came in and I wanted to see if you wanted Sunday off…”

Is that even a question?! “That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Enjoy your Sunday!”

So what did I want to do? Of course, I hadn’t been hiking in a really long time, but it was late in the day, and I had nothing planned. I laughed at the idea that popped in my head… and then I considered it. And then I packed for it.

Disclaimer: I’m really sorry to my parents; they hate when I do things like this, but… I’ve got to. And when Mike called me to see what I was up to, I started laughing like a lunatic and told him. He asked if I was breaking up with him, because I’m insane.

I drove to Asheville with the intention of hiking, camping in my car, and hiking the next day. I packed a bunch of bananas, water, and granola/protein bars.

I took a sort of detour and drove through the Pisgah National Forest. For anyone’s interest, one thing I want to do (“bucket list,” if you will) is visit and do some sort of activity in each of the major U.S. National Forests. Check, one.

I stopped a couple of times to see the rapids and mountain views, and ran into the Blue Ridge Parkway. More scenic overlooks and places my afraid-of-heights father would sweat over. I stopped for a short hike to stretch my legs at a place called “Graveyard Fields.” Romantic.

I drove back into town during a bit of lightning and strong wind… all of a sudden, it was down-pouring. Great. I stopped at a hotel to charge my phone and start writing this post… and to use the lavatory and groom myself before bed. Is this how homeless people live?

Once I was charged up, I found an “Experimental Forest”- what does that mean, anyhow? The gates to the campground were closed, and as I drove up there was a park ranger slowly approaching. If he had a machete, that would have completed the scene on how I felt seeing him. Of course I turned around, and I found an empty parking lot a little further away within the park. I didn’t see any “No Parking Overnight in Your Car” signs, so I stayed. I layed out my sleeping bag and pillow in the back seat and was paranoid for the first hour: What if someone knocks on my window? That would be the worst! Did I lock all my doors? What if a bear rocks my car from side-to-side (I’d like that).

Then, really bright lightning and really close and loud thunder. Rain pelted the roof of my car and tree limbs furiously grazed my windows. I buried my face in the hood of my jacket and under my covers. When I was little and scared at night, I just closed my eyes tight and forced myself to go to bed… like, if something were to happen to me, I’d sleep through it anyway? I don’t know. But at age 26, here I am doing it again. And at 6 AM, I woke up to foggy windows, a grey sky, and an additional 2 cars in the parking lot. Paranoia again, I checked to see if someone was outside my doors or, I don’t know, on top of or underneath my car. What a psycho. All clear.

It was cold and windy and I was shivering… Anyway I shut up, put on a jacket and drove to a trailhead. I started walking up a trail, while the wind whipped me back and forth (literally!)… the trail was narrow and wet and overgrown with shrub. It was quite miserable, to be honest. I turned around and went down another… it was much of the same, except about 1/10 less miserable. On I went…

I drove to the Mt. Pisgah trailhead, a 3-mile round-trip hike to a really well-recognized mountain top, due to the TV broadcast tower up top. Once I got there, I looked up at it and fell down. It was either swaying or I was dizzy…

On I went… to a Starbucks to get caffeine and charge my phone. Afterall, I had a “Clash of Clans” war to fight. When I got my coffee, the over-caffeinated barista fellow said, “Have a great morning!” Oh, but I already did! And it was only 11. I sat there for 2 hours being one of those people. Then, I left…

I went back to my state of South Carolina and stopped at one of my favorite parks and trails: Rainbow Falls at Jones Gap State Park. 5 (or so) miles later I got in my car, smelly and dirty… but happy.

I gave the sun a full, good day. I am trying to take advantage of the last month or so we have in this area of the U.S. with these gorgeous mountain scenes. We go back to FL (and the beach) in early September!!!!

#outside #roadtrip #travel