The alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, but it was hard to see the sun through the dense foliage. There wasn't any good place to sit, so we had a stand up breakfast while breaking camp. Got on the trail about 7:30, prepared to make the assault on Albert Mt.

The trail up past Mooney Gap and most of Albert was a pleasant stroll, interrupted only occasionally by blowdowns or rocks. Passed the Eagles' Nest camp group still eating breakfast. It's hard to get a group of teenagers going that early in the morning, so figured we wouldn't see them again today. They're headed for Wesser, too, so we'll probably cross paths between here and there.

The last 1/4-mile up the fire tower on top of Albert was pretty much straight up, over boulders, branches, rocks and log steps. However, we were prepared for it, so just kicked back and enjoyed the climb. The reward at the top, however, is a stunning 360-degree panorama from the fire tower. We lingered for a while to drink in the breeze and the views. It was such a different feeling from the last time we were here. In '77, it was mid October, and we hiked in the snow from Rock Gap Shelter, over Albert and Standing Indian, to Standing Indian Shelter in one day. It was a different kind of beauty, but to be honest, almost all I remember is being really cold!

Most of the rest of the trail down to Wallace Gap was anti-climactic. We were just in cruise mode to get to Rainbow Springs Campground. The siren song of the showers, clean clothes, and a cabin on the river were driving my blister-ridden feet along. We just wanted to be done with the miles. It's only been three days since we were clean, but it just takes a couple of hot, sweaty climbs to create an aroma that would drive most wild animals away.

We passed by Rock Gap Shelter, then down to Rock Gap, which we momentarily thought was Wallace Gap. Brandon was majorly bummed when another hiker mentioned that Wallace Gap was down another half mile. Plus, we had a mile long road walk to the campground. We needed a little "attitude adjustment" to make it the rest of the way. We arrived at Wallace Gap around 12:30, then pounded the last mile down the road to Rainbow Springs.

We weren't sure if we were going to stay in the bunkhouse, or spring for a private cabin, but opted for the cabin. After showers, Brandon and I hung out near the camp store to write and do laundry while Ronald got a shuttle into Franklin to pick up our mail drop. Between the $65 for the cabin, the unexpected $20 for the shuttle into Franklin, and the snacks, laundry, dinner and a knee brace for Brandon, we've dropped quite a bundle here. The owners like to bill themselves as being "hiker friendly", but it seems like they are more concerned about making a buck on every little thing. Not that I would begrudge them making a buck, but the friendliness really seems like a façade.

On a more positive note, this is a lovely setting. The rustic cabins are set on a grassy slope overlooking the Nantahala River. The river is quite narrow here, flowing gently with riffles of white. I can see them from the big front porch of the cabin as I sit in the wooden rocker. We're all clean now, with clean clothes, and pizza for dinner. Brandon was so pooped, that after dinner he went inside to crawl in bed and read, but in a few minutes he was out like a light. A cool evening breeze is blowing now. It almost makes me forget that I'm a mass of bug bites and blisters. Or, that by this time tomorrow, after a few hot climbs, I'll be just as dirty and smelly as I was when I got here. What a life! Ah, this is why we do this. I remember now.

The extra mileage yesterday left us a couple miles from the summit of Albert Mountain. We wanted to hike it early to avoid the heat. The final two tenths of a mile to the summit is virtually straight up. Unlike the grind a couple of days ago, we were well prepared for this one. If approached properly to start with it can be fun. If unprepared, I image it could ruin your whole day.

This time there was a reward for the effort. Albert offers Northbounders the first 360-degree views. A fire tower on top elevates you well above the treetops. In the clear blue skies this morning, the views were excellent. Twenty years ago we stood atop Albert in a snowstorm and could barely see the tower, let alone any distant views.

The trail down off Albert was gentle and smooth. We made excellent time to Wallace Gap and arrived at 12:30. From the gap it's a one-mile road walk down to Rainbow Springs Campground.

Tonight we are renting one of their small rustic cabins. There's a nice porch on the front of the cabin that overlooks an expanse of grass leading down to the headwaters of the Nantahala River. It is definitely a peaceful setting. There is a well-stocked camp store here. Its prices are a bit high, but not more than expected.

A word about mail drops. We had planned to use this place as a mail drop, but they don't accept packages. We were told there would be no problem getting into Franklin to pick up our package. We weren't told there was a steep cost for the shuttle. When we arrived we found out it would cost us $20 to get our package. Since there is little traffic on the road, getting a hitch would be difficult. If you plan to stay here, hitch into Franklin from Winding Stair Gap. Actually, I would not stay here again. The place is nice, but the proprietors are definitely hiker unfriendly.

Today we only had to hike 9.1 miles because we hiked further than we had planned yesterday. We got up at 6:30 and broke camp (I was really tired). We had breakfast and started hiking and got to Albert Mountain early in the morning. The last .3 of a mile to the top was almost straight up the rocks. From the top there was a great view, and I climbed to the top of the fire tower and took pictures from there. The tower was awesome! We took some pictures of the tower and headed down the trail. We stopped at the shelter a ways down from the top to get water and make Gatorade. We headed down and I guess we passed Glassmine Gap somewhere, but I never saw a sign. We came to Rocky Gap and I thought we were done. A guy told us that where we were going was still a half-mile up the trail. I was feeling pretty tired by then, but I had to keep walking. We reached Wallace Gap and hiked one mile down the road to Rainbow Springs Campground. Walking down the road sure hurts your feet more than the trail. We got to Rainbow Springs, checked in and got a cabin. We all took showers and felt refreshed. Dad rode into town to get our mail drop while I stayed with mom who was doing laundry. It was a tiring day, so I went to bed early.