North Carolina Hiking Trip - Day 4

The best thing about working near the trail is an afternoon hike! This morning, I ate a light breakfast in my room and started teleworking early (0545).  For the rest of the morning, I took care of all my meetings and other paperwork in Franklin - meanwhile, I continued verifying that the forecast (no rain) held. Added bonus: the cleaning staff replenished my linens.  By 1230, my work had basically been wrapped up for the day so I decided to leave the hotel and take advantage of the chance to get some more AT miles. Grabbed lunch to go from McDonalds (1235) and drove about 14 miles west on US-64. It wasn't very likely (due to the season), but I had hoped that the road up to Albert Mountain (USFS-67) might be open. When I arrived at the back-country parking lot, however, I found it was closed through the end of the month. Oh well... Always expected to have to re-hike some miles to tackle the mountain but had to make a decision first about which "Blue Blazed" trail to take to the AT. Settled on the Long Branch Trail (not my first choice) because it was closest to my car. Left the parking lot at 1315 and was soon pleasantly surprised by the quality and grading of the route I'd chosen. I had to wade through some swollen creeks but there weren't any strenuous climbs. With the pace I was able to maintain, I soon decided that it was T-Shirt weather (50s, light breeze). In just about an hour, I climbed up to Glassmine Gap and found the AT. I'd hiked part of this section during a trip to the area in 2017 and remembered the ridge as being mostly flat. That still appeared to be true but the AWOL AT Guide showed a continuous climb - regardless, I decided to enjoy the lazy incline! Because the route was basically a "C" shape for many miles, I was able to see the Fire Tower on Albert Mountain pretty soon after I got on the ridge. After about a mile (SOBO), I made it to the place where I'd turned around last time (Long Branch Shelter) and started some new trail. A few minutes later, I encountered some Thru hikers! I passed six guys (mostly in pairs) in quick succession. Just some light chit chat but I got the general impression that everyone was happy to be headed downhill after climbing Albert Mountain from the other side. Actually, I didn't think it was too difficult a climb from the side I was using (I'd read this on some hiking blogs previously and agree with the assessment). After climbing some log stairs, I made it to the Fire Tower on the mountain top (elevation ~5.2K’) and enjoyed some great views. I climbed up the metal, exposed staircase as high as I dared (the building was locked up) and then scurried down, just in time to meet up with Thru hiker number seven (Stephan, "CornCob, from Indiana and his German Shepherd). For the first time all day, I had a real conversation with someone! I was able to encourage him that the hike to the shelter wasn't too hard and he told me some great stories of his hiking learning curve, weight loss and weather adventures. It's a long shot, but hoping I'll run into him again this season. As I was leaving, I noticed that someone had painted "AT 100" on the metal stairs. Started downhill towards the end of my section and immediately discovered what everyone was talking about: sheer, rocky drop off on the trail! And, it was wet... I took my time (VERY slowly) to climb down to the bottom - it was only about a half mile but it was treacherous. Encountered Thru hiker number eight (he was waiting at the bottom). He asked me where the 100 mile marker was and I was able to tell him! After that, I made my way to where the AT bumped up against USFS-67 (as it neared the top of the mountain) and found the Blue Blazed Bear Pen Trail. This downhill route took me by the most direct route back to my car. I found more downed trees and even deeper water all the way to the bottom of the ravine. When I finally found myself on gravel again, I still had another two plus miles to walk. It was actually quite easy - except for when I had to walk through an actual river that crossed the road (five to six inches deep - there went my boots/socks). Arrived back at my car by 1715 after around 10.5 miles. Only a little bit of it was new AT but I'm glad I squeezed in the hike. Felt good! That actually made it easy to head back to civilization to finish up my work day. I arrived back in my hotel room by 1830 and resumed my telework.  I ended up skipping dinner and didn't finish my work day until 2100.  After that, I did some cleanup (clothes, etc.) and watched TV until bed time (2300).  I've got a much bigger section planned by the end of the weekend - needed to get back my trail legs and today's hike helped a lot! AT Today = 2.70 miles / G.T. AT = 1532.76 miles