When I got up (early again) this morning, I confirmed that the spectacular weather forecast (sunny and warm by the weekend) was still on track - couldn’t believe my luck! As expected, though, the temps were in the 30s this morning so I teleworked for a few hours (between 0600 and 0800). After leaving the hotel, I got gas at the HotSpot in Franklin (0805) and ate breakfast inside the McDonalds (0810) nearby. It was interesting to be in yet another place where masks appear to be voluntary - only one in ten are wearing them (to each his own, I guess). I was on the road by about 0830 and headed west on US-64 until I reached the Standing Indian Campground area. I had made two hiking plans because previous visits have taught me that road access to the AT along the GA/NC border isn’t always guaranteed... Fortunately (for the first time on any of my visits to Western NC), I found that the gravel road to Albert Mountain was actually open (!) and was able to skip a four mile side trail hike. I drove up USFS-67, a route I’d previously walked (gate closed) in March, until I reached the intersection of USFS-83. The road was pretty good (had to ford one stream with three inch water) and my rental car (Altima) successfully reached the AT Trailhead at Mooney Gap by 0930. After looking at my “AWOL” AT Guide, it appeared that a short hike to the south would allow me to access a side trail that would take me back to the Forest Service road - from there, I could walk on gravel (towards Albert Mountain) to reach Bearpen Gap. This would make the route into a loop - much better than my normal out and back. Of course, I didn’t know how long the side trail was without going down to check... With a plan that seemed workable, I headed SOBO (two layers). Even though most of the leaves had fallen in the area, I still got the treat of walking through a few rhododendron tunnels. After just under a mile, I reached Betty Creek Gap and discovered I’d gotten lucky again - the side trail was only 0.2 miles long (I did have to cross a bridgeless stream but didn’t fall in)! My walk from there was pretty easy - a slight climb on the gravel but warmer from the bright sun. An unplanned benefit of the Loop was that I could see the Fire Tower on Albert Mountain for almost an hour. I almost thought about climbing up there again, the weather was so nice! Decided not to deviate from my timeline, though... Got a bit disoriented when I encountered the AT (paralleling the road) earlier than I expected. I didn’t see the “Bearpen Gap Trail” sign and it took a bit of time to convince myself that I needed to keep climbing the hill to find familiar landmarks. Eventually, I located the sign and deja vu clues I recognized and transitioned back to the AT. I was on the lower ridge of Albert Mountain and this treated me to amazing views of the North Georgia Mountains to the Southeast. The sun was warm enough (low 50s?) by then that I layered down and enjoyed the steady descent. I encountered two older guys and, later, a solo young guy (all section hikers). They had great trail intel for the 12ish miles I nearby that I hope to finish this week. Before it seemed like enough time had passed (1145), I reached my car again - I’d walked almost 5 miles and felt really good! I left for Franklin immediately and was later glad that I had because I encountered several vehicles on the way down the narrow road - I’m sure many more came later because of the wonderful weather... Back at my room, I spent several more hours teleworking. I took a break at 1645 so I could buy lunch for the following day at Subway. I then stopped at the Lazy Hiker Brewing Company and had two drinks (Wild Love Story, Ambling Amber). It was nice (but a bit chilly) to sit outside and I stayed until 1725. Feeling relaxed, I went back to telework until I had finished my eight hours. I texted all three girls to let them know where I was planning to hike the following day and added that I might camp overnight (Erin and Mollie told me to have fun and be careful). Managed to finish up an important project so I'd be able to "play" again tomorrow - very glad to have a shot at some more trail miles! Before bed, I packed for the following day and then did some reading. Was fast asleep by 2300. AT Today = 2.2 miles / Grand Total AT = 1728.4 miles / AT Left = 456.9 miles
