Date: 2016-03-29
From: Deep Gap

To: USFS 67 on Albert Mtn
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

We packed up and moved out of Hiawassee, NC early this morning. Our commute to the trail from Hiawassee had reached almost an hour on paved roads, and was much longer depending on whether we needed the Forest Service roads. Today we had about 8 miles of FS roads to get to the starting point and about the same distance to the ending point. The FS roads are impressive, they provide access into remote mountainous areas and we would¢t be able to slack pack if they weren¢t available. Typically, in this area (GA, NC, TN), they are gravel roads, usually a single lane with turnouts that wind around the mountainsides (fortunately, I haven¢t met many other vehicles on these roads). I suspect that most were former logging roads and signs are often posted indicating that logging trucks may be encountered. I believe that road maintenance is typically done with a grader that levels and smooths the surface and removes larger rocks, perhaps once a year. The FS roads that I¢ve been using are accessible to passenger cars, but they can challenging and a more rugged vehicle would be a better choice than a Prius (better suspension, higher clearance, better tires). Besides very narrow roads with dramatic drop-offs, these roads often have water damage that leads to deep ruts, exposed rocks and potholes. So I have to take them very slowly, but generally if the road has been maintained and without major damage from water (or logging trucks), I can go up to 25 mph. Usually, if we plan to use an FS road we¢re not familiar with, we drive it the day before to be sure that it¢s in reasonable condition. [We have had problems after storms with fallen trees that blocked the FS roads until someone with a chain saw comes along, some of our past shuttle drivers carried chain saws for this reason.] So today, I dropped Princess off at Deep Gap at daybreak and then drove to the Albert Mountain parking lot where I started. So she went NoBo and I went SoBo. I had the easier hike down from Albert and she had a long pull up Standing Indian Mountain. We had good memories of the Standing Indian Shelter. This is the first year that we haven¢t stayed in that shelter. In 2014, our first AT, we met Pintsize at this shelter and last year, we stayed there with Ranger. Standing Indian Mtn is listed at 5,435 ft elevation and the NoBo climb to the top is 2 1/2 miles, while the SoBo climb is more gradual but much longer. Albert is the only other named climb and we won¢t get all the way to the firetower at the top until tomorrow. Much of the trail today was through what I call ¢rhodo tunnels¢ (rhododendron). The trail goes through thick groves of rhododendrons that close overhead making it a tunnel. These cool, shady tunnels can be inviting in the summer, but today they were chilly. The plants also hold moisture, so the tunnel trails can be muddy after a rain. Princess observed that it would be fun to take the trail when the rhodos are blooming, it must be spectacular - but we¢ve always been too early.Our new home base is in Topton, NC, not far from Nantahala Lake. Its a very nicely-equipped A-frame cabin with lots of amenities. Ranger found it and we stayed here last year with them while we hiked through the area. We plan to stay here 3 days. The nearest larger town is Franklin and it¢s about an hour away, so we brought what we think we¢ll need. But there are a couple of local restaurants that we may check out.Our good weather is still holding good. Today was a cold start, near freezing on the trail at the start. But it warmed up quickly into the 60s and was quite comfortable. Tomorrow should be a little less extreme, 40s at the start and nosing into the 60s mid-day. After that we¢ll have to deal with rain on Thurs and Fri. But for now, it¢s toasty in the cabin. Cheers from NC.