The Apocolympics

Stacey and I were both in Asheville when Hurricane Helene passed through. The resulting damage was devastating and it will take years for Asheville to recover. My recollection of weathering the storm may be a bit lighthearted at times but my heart continues to go out to all those who are still recovering. At the time of the storm, the only thing that we could do was shelter in place and evacuate when it became possible to do so. This is my story…

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Background: I planned a bachelor party for one of my close friends, Mike, and a dozen of his friends in Asheville, NC. Stacey came with me to Asheville, but stayed at her dad’s house for the weekend. A hurricane was expected to come through but it didn’t look like it would be more than a heavy rain. It was a 1,000 year storm that devastated the region.

Day 1, Thursday: All the bachelor boys arrive as a different storm blows through. It’s a bit rainy, but nothing out of the ordinary. I bought enough beer and food for a day and a half and once folks arrived we went out downtown. That night we played some games at the AirBnB and went to bed. Our plan was to head to the River Arts District the next day — little did we know that it would soon be destroyed.

Day 2, Friday: When I woke up, the storm had nearly passed but there was no power or cell signal. A tree had fallen and narrowly missed Beefy (our truck), taking out a power line and blocking the main road. I drove around and checked alternative roads to town but there was no way out. We were unable to get any cell reception or even radio broadcasts, concerning the group deeply. There was no propane at the house but we had enough beer and food for the day. Eventually, I mustered the nerve to drive under/over downed power lines and downed power poles (and eventually a lot of other off-roading) to head in to the abyss in hopes of getting propane and any information I could gather. I was not confident I would make it back, given the condition of the roads and lack of cell reception, so I went alone and packed a day’s food and water for myself.

Everything was devastated beyond belief and the roads were virtually impassable — only trucks were on the road. Thanks to Beefy, I was able to make it out and find a grocery store to buy propane and some food. Even with the destruction all around me, I did not understand the scale of the situation and I did not get nearly as much supplies as I should have. I was able to find my way back home (a feat in itself) and cook up a hot meal for the group. With these supplies, the group gained new spirit and we had an enjoyable day of games and drinking at the house. Later that day another tree fell and (again) barely missed Beefy. Beefy saved the day by providing transport, tools, and even electricity (built-in inverter) and it seems Lady Luck rewarded her in return.

Day 3, Saturday: I woke up early again to assess the situation and saw that things had not gotten better. Again, I went to town to track down additional supplies. What I found was increased devastation and desperation — the prospect of obtaining additional supplies seemed far out of reach. Fortunately, while I was scouring for supplies, Stacey somehow found me in the midst of it all to bring us enough frozen cooked meat for the whole group and a case of water. That’s right: Stacey found me in the middle of the apocalypse and effectively saved us all. (I know, I buried the lead with this one.) What a keeper! I’m gonna marry that girl. I was hoping to also find propane, gasoline, and more food so I drove around until ultimately discovering there was no way out. We were all trapped in Asheville. On my way back to the house, I was very lucky to find food (rice, beans, tortillas) and beer.

When I returned to the house the group was emotionally distraught (to say the least), so I kicked into gear to get folks back into a positive mentality — this is still a bachelor party, after all! I made delicious hot meals for everyone and handed out cold beers to kick off “The Apocolympics” — a lawn and drinking game competition I had been thinking through all morning. Although there was no way out for us, I assured everyone that we had everything we needed to survive in good spirits and informed them that the only thing they could do now was win Gold in the Apocolympics. The party ensued, dinner was amazing, Brazil won Gold, people had a really good time, and the day was saved (again).

Day 4, Sunday: Cell service returned briefly late the night before and we are able to get just enough info to ID a route out of town. We all cleaned up the house together and departed. I went straight to pick up Stacey, and we left town together. It was 100 miles to the next available gas station, but our cars had enough gas to make it out (yet another stroke of luck).

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Quick shoutout to the bachelor, Mike. Mike remained in good spirits and made the most of the situation, encouraging others to do so also. Without Mike’s positive energy, the weekend would not have been salvageable.

Also a big shoutout to Greg, who was Mr. Dependable all weekend. Greg quietly stepped up to help me develop plans, cook, clean, keep the group in good spirits, and so much more. Greg constantly stepped up when there was a need and just knowing I could 100% rely on him for anything throughout this catastrophe was invaluable.

Although we made it out safely and in good spirits, I am shook still today. That weekend in Asheville was what I imagine the apocalypse would be like and I have a suspicion that this won’t be the last time myself or a loved one will go through such an experience. I was lucky to be as prepared as I was and next time I will be even more so.

A lot of miracles occurred to me that weekend and not everyone was as lucky. The destruction was indescribable and I will never forget this experience. On one hand, I made the most out of the situation and kept the group in high spirits. On the other hand, the devastation and destruction was chilling. Any words I use to describe that weekend feel like a gross understatement.

During the entire experience, I had my mind only on providing for the group and never really checked in on myself. I didn’t even appropriately acknowledge Stacey’s heroism when she found me in the apocalypse – a moment I quickly regretted once we had to part ways again. Once my responsibilities concluded and I had the freedom to look internally, I was quickly humbled by my own emotions and exhaustion. Despite the trauma, this experience quickly became a core and cherished memory. Ultimately, the bachelor party was a smashing success and everyone had a great time — it was certainly the most memorable bachelor party of our lives.