Albert Mountain View
We got up and Rolex was buggin’ to go. It was a freezing, windy night and getting out of the hammock was reluctance personified. I should have trusted my instincts about the bear hang, my food bag got chewed into by some ingenious raccoon and although he didn't get far, he did enough damage that I’ll have to get another food bag. Doc took off early, said she wanted to take it slow, bein’ Sunday and all. We split the shelter at 8:45 and HAULED! After we crested Standing Indian Mountain, the road was EASY GOIN’. Soon the rain started to fall and it got COLD. Finally, we were making some good time. For the first time this trip, we were killin’ our schedule and then; Mount Albert happened.
There was this bad-ass fire tower up on a high mountain. People had been talking about how great it was. We saw it as we came up to the mountain and although the climb looked a little rough, we heard we’d be able to see China from the top. As we climbed, the rain got worse and the rocks were very slick and steep. It was tough, dangerous and anti-climactic because, by the time we got there, the fog and mist had enveloped the mountain and there was no view at all. We were freezin’ so we pressed on. Somewhere along the line we decided we were going back into the next town and we had to make the road to Franklin. It would be a long, cold, wet one; 21 miles, but we'd get it done. We were flying.
We got to a road where we got cell service as long as we stood in this one spot out in the open. It was getting dusky and they referred us to Dave, the shuttle guy. It took a while for Dave to pick us up but he finally got us as the hypothermia was getting ready to set in. I was soaked to the bone and miserable. We had no shelter and the wind was blowing cold and wet. It seemed like an eternity waiting for him to show up and I was really worried I would start to go into shock right there. My body was exhausted and I had nothing dry to wear; nothing to keep the wind from cutting right into me. Cyclone and Rolex weren’t any better. We tried to shield each other standing by the road but we had to stay in the five foot by five foot area that the cell phone had reception or we might miss Dave’s call. This storm made it clear that I have to get some new gear tomorrow, a new set of raingear at least. I had decided to use a poncho ‘cause it fit over the backpack but it just doesn’t shield me form the driving rain and wind
Dave arrived and took us to the Budget Inn, a place that caters to hikers. I washed our clothes and blogged while Rolex and Cyclone ordered a couple pizzas and Coke. Dominoes ripped us off for 28 bucks but we were desperate. We gulped it down and warmed ourselves with the room heaters on Warp speed. I slogged through Internet uploads until they closed the office and I was forced to succumb to sleep, sweet sleep while Indiana Jones solved puzzles and fought Germans on the small TV set in the corner.
David AKA "Jukebox"
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