What a slightly crazy and absolutely jam-packed weekend that was 90% roadtripping adventure and 10% impromptu hospital visit. This was my first trip to the Boone and Blowing Rock area, and really the first chance I’ve gotten to explore outside of the one-hour ish radius I’ve stuck to over the past year, so I was super hyped and ready to go. My hiking buddy and good friend Whitney, her hiking buddy and pup Oakley , and I had a cool Airbnb reservation at a geodome (can you say glamping??), a car loaded with gear, and our roadtrip playlist ready to go. We packed a ton of shenanigans into a few days, and I’ll definitely be putting these spots on my go-to list for future trips.

Saturday (Day 1): What roadtrip doesn’t start with a stop for food? We obviously had to pitstop for Gogos Cinnamon Rolls, which I’d heard are some of the best in the area and can now personally attest to, which is located in the tiny town of Old Fort. They have a bunch of unique flavors but I stuck with the OG and I think I actually licked the last remaining scraps of frosting out of the box. When we finally made it to our first real stop–Linville Gorge–we set out on Hawksbill Trail, where we got to experience absolutely perfect weather (sunny, no wind, warm) and some truly epic views at the top of the mountain.

After that, we headed to a quick wine tasting at Linville Falls Winery, which was nestled in such an ideal setting, especially on a sunny afternoon. It’s not often you get to enjoy a patio in early February so we took advantage of it for sure. After a few sips of wine and some snacks, we ventured on down the road to do a second short hike at Otter Falls. (Note: I absolutely did not hike even remotely tipsy. I’m not a complete idiot.) This was a quick little out-and-back so we left our gear in the car and headed onto the trail, which in hindsight may have jinxed us based on what happened next.

Down by the water’s edge near the falls we noticed an abandoned thermos and a little fanny pack, which upon closer inspection turned out to be an Epi-pen and inhaler medical pack. Yet there wasn’t a soul around apart from the two of us. Worried that someone had fallen on the rocks and was injured, I set out to see if I could find anyone who might need help, and began carefully picking my way across the water and downstream on the boulders. It was starting to get dusky at this point, so we were trying to make sure no one was lost or hurt while still being mindful that we didn’t want to get stuck on the trail at dusk (prime bear time). I didn’t find anyone, and was almost back across the water when my foot slipped on an icy rock and I face-planted into a boulder, taking 100% of the impact on my chin. If there’s a lesson here, it’s not “don’t go searching for potentially lost fellow hikers” but rather “make sure you ALWAYS TAKE YOUR PACK with you, no matter what.” That spill resulted in spending the next four hours at the Watauga ER getting stitches in my chin, my jaw evaluated (sprained), pinkie X-rayed (ligament rupture), and a Tdap shot since I haven’t had a tetanus booster since I was a kid and who knows what all might be living in the river water. Not exactly the way we planned to spend the first evening.

During our unexpected medical detour, sweet Whitney was an absolute hero in my hour of need…she found the closest emergency room, forced me (after 2 hours of stubborn resistance) to finally change out of my soaked clothes and boots, made sure I had ice packs, clean gauze, and warm blankets while I waited for the dozen or so ski injuries to be seen ahead of me, and kept trying to get me to eat something to keep my energy up. And after we decided to stay in town and not throw in the towel and drive home just because I split my face open, she even drove 25 minutes to our Airbnb, schlepping our entire carload of stuff up a steep hill to get everything set up in the dome for me so I could basically fall into bed after getting stitched up, then drove back to the hospital to pick me up. I convinced her we should still go to dinner, so we hit up The Local (where some amazing she-crab soup and a hot toddy almost made me feel human again). I’m telling you, everyone needs a friend like Whitney.

Sunday (Day 2): After a chilly night’s sleep due to a snafu with the heater (user error), we got up and had oatmeal, then hit the hot tub with mimosas in true glamping style. We took our time since we were both a little shattered from the previous evening, but eventually headed out across the state line into Virginia, where we hiked with wild ponies at Grayson Highlands, and boulder hopped for some amazing views at the summit. My hiking boots were still drenched, so I had to make do with the Sorel duck boots I brought, and unfortunately for me the trail was snowy, muddy, and slippery in spots. I have never walked so carefully in my life.

Post-hike, we drove south into Lansing, NC and picked up what turned out to be the best cheese calzone of my life (from Pie On The Mountain) which we paired with delicious cider at the super cool Molley Chomper cidery. The calzone didn’t last long enough to even make it into a photo, that’s how fabulous it was. We chilled at the cidery for a bit, chatting with the owner and just enjoying a nice break from the previous day’s escapades. Surprisingly exhausted but still a bit hungry, we decided to finish out Day 2 with a couple juicy blue cheese burgers at The Cardinal in Boone, followed by more hot tub soaks (I mean, we had to drink the rest of the Prosecco, right?). I took a way-too-late and very-much-needed shower, and crashed into bed with a book.

Monday (Day 3): We hit the ground running after a good night’s sleep, so we packed up and checked out of the dome, then headed into Blowing Rock for breakfast burritos at Social On Main, followed by a little local shopping. Happily, Blowing Rock has the friendliest mountain town vibe (a lot like Black Mountain), that even seemed like a little Colorado town in some ways. We capped off our weekend with one last waterfall hike (Linville Falls), and finally headed home… a little banged up, a lot exhausted, and totally glad we went.

*Huge thanks to Whitney for planning everything so perfectly, and for collaborating on all the fun photos.