One of the advantages of having family in rural North Carolina is that when the mayor of Washington, D.C., threatens fines and jail time for leaving one's house on Capitol Hill, I have somewhere to escape.Driving nearly 500 miles south to the mountain town of Asheville, where I grew up, I had hoped the coronavirus hysteria might be less acute there than in Washington. The all-encompassing nature of the global pandemic hit home when I attempted to hike my favorite peak.Bearwallow Mountain is a natural bald, one of those open, grassy summits unique to the Appalachians that offer stunning views of the surrounding area. Bearwallow ascends more than 4,200 feet above Gerton, North Carolina, which is a census-designated place with a population of less than 300. Despite lying between the two tourist traps of Asheville and Lake Lure, Gerton has remained remote and undisturbed for generations.Gerton's most notable business is perhaps Sam's Walking Sticks, which lies snug along U.S. Route 74A on the road to Bearwallow. A makeshift sign advertises the long-bearded, perennially shirtless Sam as "The Original Carolina Hillbilly," whose sticks sell for $10 apiece. A self-righteous tourist once pulled over to object to Sam's display of the Confederate flag outside his humble cabin; Sam defiantly replied, "If you don't like it, don't look at it."Upon reaching the small parking area at the top of a winding gravel road, I saw ribbons had been...