Or perhaps get a cheaper bike. I don't think a beginner needs a bike that originally cost ~$3000 anyway.

Just get yourself something that fits you well (most important part) and has decent components on it. Nothing crazy since you'll just be wasting your money if you don't ride it that much anyway. Be reasonable with it, but not totally cheap ($250 bike kinda cheap), get something a step above entry level for the fork, and have fun on the trails! If you really get MTBing next year, you can always head back to the close-out and get a nicer bike then, and then it'll have the latest technology and pricing which will probably be a little better than what the Epic has going for it now.