Escaping Asheville: A Rough Start to the Nomad Journey

Last Updated on October 28, 2024 by Candice Landau

I can honestly say that I am thrilled to have finally arrived in Wilmington after an immensely stressful start to the nomad experience—yes, we started in Asheville, NC. If you’re at all on top of the news you’ll know the city was just devastated by Hurricane Helene (a month after we arrived).

A parking lot in the River Art’s district. Damage was immense.

We went from botanical garden walks, evenings at breweries, and a whirlwind tour of the best vegan-friendly eateries to weeks without power or water. Seriously, my biggest purchases in the last month were power banks—for which you had to leave the city as there were no mail deliveries and because everything sold out when a few stores did open (cash only).

A view of Asheville from Soprana Rooftop restaurant and bar

We collected water in buckets for drinking and flushing toilets, and we took sponge baths/showers. I even made a rain catcher with a tarpaulin. None of this is a joke. It was the weirdest 17 days of my life and the first time I realized that perhaps even a digital nomad needs a “go kit.” Lucky for me I am now the proud owner of:

A portable Lifestraw
Water purifying tablets
A portable shower
5 Home Depot and Lowes buckets with lids (okay, we only kept one)
Two powerbanks, one of which is new
A 12-volt cigarette lighter beverage water heater for the car
An LED camping lantern
2 huge bottles of hand sanitizer
Cleansing body wipes
2 propane canisters

I also used Amazon Locker for the first time when we left to Charlotte, NC to escape (and work) for a few days. It was surprisingly easy and a relief as we were staying in an Airbnb apartment which meant mail deliveries wouldn’t’ work. I’ll definitely use it again if I’m traveling.

When water finally did get turned back on it was silty brown and the city placed it under boil advisory (I think it’s still like that). Ugh, gross. You’re not going to believe it but I got to the point of actually showering in it. It felt good after so many days without a shower but I did not feel clean and my hair never looked particularly good. Frankly I’d still be worried about what’s in that water right now.

Had to leave town to get water to use for drinking, washing and cooking.

Alas, my biggest misses were checking out the local dive shops, Mountains to Seas and Bermuda Triangle Dive Shop. I also missed diving Gray Quarry, a local-ish site that would have been a great spot to dial in skills I haven’t used in a bit.

That said, I am glad to finally be somewhere I can shower daily, drink tap water, turn on the lights on, and dive!

And good heavens am I glad to even be able to go out for dinner. A month after Asheville was hit, most restaurants, breweries and stores are still not open. I suspect water quality and FEMA assistance has something to do with it. To be perfectly frank, though the devastation higher up wasn’t anything on the areas near the river or near the Biltmore district, I still think the city is going to take years to fully recover.

If you have any questions about my experience please feel free to reach out. I have many more pictures and video clips. It was truly a devastating experience and I am so sorry for all those who lost lives, homes, and a beautiful city.