Musings On How Chilly March Drizzle Is Transformed By Beech Mountain Heights Into Crystalline Splendor

If you're like me, February and early March here in the low lands consists of a long wait for the cold and drizzle that typifies late winter in North Carolina to end and finally make way for Spring. If you have some free time to get away, how about trading in your time at home with the chilly drizzle of February and early March in the lowlands for the more inspiring NC weather that can be found only in the higher altitudes of Beech Mountain? With the daytime temperatures only occasionally topping the 40 degree Fahrenheit mark, precipitation up there sure is a lot prettier . . . and a lot more fun, when you are just around the corner from Ski Beech.

Speaking of Ski Beech and March, this year is a really good time to try this family-friendly skiing resort out. Forecasts for snow are looking very promising for the remainder of the season, and the Resort is offering really great discounts on lift tickets in February & March. Also, I was reading a very interesting article by Sam Calhoun in the latest issue of High Country Magazine (You can read it online too at http://www.highcountrypress.com/hcmag/, btw.) about the two Lecka brothers, snow groomers par excellence from Breckenridge, Colorado, who joined the Ski Beech staff this winter. This story is one of many illustrating a Ski Beech Renaissance. Their great end-of-season deals, along with all the improvements that have been made to the Resort, make for a great opportunity to enjoy a last-minute Winter vacation before soggy Spring takes the stage.

Not being a skiier myself, though, I like to head up the mountain at this time of year in order to enjoy the more rarified beauties of a frozen High Country. Absent the Summer haze that softens the contours and colors of our famous Blue Ridge vistas, during the late Winter months on Beech the air can attain a crystalline clarity, at times treating visitors to views many miles further into the distance than is possible in warmer seasons. Even when the landscape lacks snow, the time is ripe for even those who dabble in hiking to enjoy easily passable trails, and to relish the serene hush of the woods, with miles of starkly revealed mountainsides standing regal and dignified under a glittering layer of hoar frost.

Call me crazy, but a couple of nights snuggled in front of the fire with sound of bone chilling wind driving snow sideways, plastering tree trunks and outside walls with spikey whiteness, is a truly enjoyable way to spend an evening with the family - TV off, voices low, and all ears open. A chance to truly appreciate the roof over our heads and the warmth of the hearth, while listening to Mother Nature outside, doing her level best to remind us of what little pipsqueaks we truly are. Magic.

Just Bring Yer Toothbrush! Fred's General Mercantile on Top of Beech Mountain, NC

Well, considering the weather forecasts for the next couple of days on Beech Mountain (They're promising us a snowstorm, no less!), the child in us all is probably clamoring for a trip to where the snow will be most plentiful. From the sound of things, for snow in the South, Beech Mountain is probably your best bet.

But the adult in us chimes in to remind us of the chore of packing - and packing for cold weather for your family can be serious work. And when you're more than Five Thousand Feet up, it's not like there's a Mall on every corner - there aren't even many corners up there! So what if you forget to pack something? Something important? I mean, a person could get chapped skin or cold ears!!

NEVER FEAR! On top of Beech Mountain, we have Fred's General Mercantile (only a couple minutes from Beech Mountain Bliss)!!!

Fred's has been doing business in the Town of Beech for 30 years now (In fact, their 30-year anniversary is next week.). Their motto is: "If we don't have it . . . You don't need it!" And, it's really true!

Speaking as the designated suitcase packer for the family (and unfortunately, the most absent-minded member of the family), when we come up to spend some time on the Mountain, we're usually popping over to Fred's once each day (sometimes twice) to pick up something I forgot to pack. Luckily, this is a pleasurable experience, since the variety of things you can get there continues to be a source of great amusement for all of us (often inspiring great admiration for their re-stocking system).

You see, our family has a game. It's called "The Fred's Store Challenge." The only rule is, that the thing you are looking for at Fred's has to be something you genuinely need. We haven't determined what the prize is yet - you know, for the person who actually comes up with something he or she needs which Fred's doesn't stock. It just hasn't come up yet.

Here's a short list of things we have needed while up on Beech - and we found 'em all at Fred's:

Parmesan Cheese (for one fab cheese dip recipe - a later blog post, perhaps)
Cranberry Juice
Floss
A Wedding Gift
A Kite
A Hot, Sit-Down Meal - often with Live Chipmunk Entertainment (No, not like at Chuck E Cheese's)
Entertainment (Puzzles, Rental DVDs, Magic Tricks)
A Nice Bottle of Wine (many times)
Shoelaces
Stuffed Animals (my daughter has a yen)
Crocs (Well, we just wanted these. They are yellow!)
A Whisk (for making homemade whipped cream)
Superglue
Paint (High-gloss Enamel, I believe it was.)
A Cold Chisel (There were 4 different kinds to chose from!)

Yes, we really did need a cold chisel! Don't you just love those surprises you get in the middle of those "weekend projects" (like installing a new wooden floor in your condo)? On that occasion, our surprise was that we needed to chip out a bit underneath our stone hearth to allow space for the expansion and contraction of the new wood floor. Fred's really saved that project, as we were running a little too short on time to drive to Lowe's Hardware in Banner Elk. You can imagine our elation and relief.

Anyway, when you're on Beech, you'll be on vacation, and probably not in need of a cold chisel. However, the list of things you can get at Fred's has vacationers well covered. They have Ski & Snowboarding rental equipment & safety gear, high-quality outerwear, hats, gloves, socks, snow chains, greeting cards, Christmas ornaments and high-end gifts (oh, and there's a Tree Farm), trail maps and nature watching guides, sandals and sweatshirts, towels, wine glasses, bird feeders, homemade pies & raisin bread (Oh, the heavenly smell, just when those loaves are just out of the oven at Fred's Backside Deli! (Best to call ahead for the Deli's hours, as they tend to be seasonal).

I am leaving out many things, to be sure. But this was supposed to be a short blog post. I'll come back to this again in the Summer. But the point I'm making is this: you could come to the mountain and forget all your luggage, and you'd be just fine. Because anything you'd need would be at Fred's. And they're open early in the morning, until late at night, seven days a week all year long - they only close early on Christmas eve and open late on Christmas Day.

Oh, yes! I almost forgot! Really, you could leave your toothbrush at home too! Fred's, as you may have guessed, stocks these too - in many attractive colors.

Happy Winter Vacationing!