Brunch, Hiking and a Very Happy Easter

This Easter was my first holiday away from my family since I moved to Asheville in December. It’s sad to be away from my family, but Richard and I took the opportunity to create our own Easter traditions! Turns out it was my favorite Easter yet!

We had a lazy morning with the dogs before heading to brunch at Laughing Seed Cafe.

I ordered the Whole Wheat Wafflers with blueberry compote, ginger butter, pecans (they gave me walnuts) and maple syrup. AKA a taste of heaven. Richard ordered his favorite omelette with (fake) bacon and tons of avocado.

Best. Date. In. The. World.

In all it’s glory, these were the best waffles I’ve ever had. And they were vegan. Hail the choir!

Richard shared his “sausage” with me. At first we thought it was real sausage until we remembered Laughing Seed is vegetarian! The waitress confirmed it was vegan Spicy and yummy!

Needless to say, we loved it. We’ll be back. A lot.

After brunch a little walking around downtown (is it obvious we’re addicted to downtown Asheville?) we headed out for an ambitious hike. Normally we’d head out for 3-5 miles but when I saw a “challenging” 10+ mile hike, I knew we had to do it. I have that problem where if I know there’s a challenge, I just HAVE to conquer it. Richard cooperated

We set out to hike Cold Mountain. It is un-marked, steep and apparently not very popular due to the roughness of the hike.

This hike was intense! The beginning was so steep that we kept having to stop to catch out breaths. It was a great mental workout having to step over so many rocks and roots.

I hope it’s okay to drink fresh spring water because I had an amazing time drinking this water from the stream. It was hands down the freshest water I’ve ever tasted! This was my favorite hike because we crossed five streams. I have an obsession with streams and lakes.

We hiked for just over four hours with a brief stop in the middle for a meal we picked up from Earth Fare earlier in the day. We never actually got to a top of the mountain point because we apparently got lost and missed a vital part of our trail. Still, we hiked long and far. It was incredible to be so close to nature and away from all the distractions of technology and consumerism. It was just us and steep mountainsides… and hopefully no bears.

The reward after finally finishing the hike was cooling off in this river. Goodness I love where I live.

Did you celebrate Easter? If so, what was your favorite part?

Tagged as: asheville, hiking, restaurants