Sat, May 26 2012 - Rock Gap to Albert Mountain (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Dorothea Participants: Suzanne, Dorothea, Jennifer, Beth H, Pam W

Although Franklin experienced record-breaking heat, we stepped from our cars into cool, clear air. At that elevation we were obviously above it all, although that also made for hazy views from the tower. We hiked in serene solitude for the first two hours of the hike, not counting two encounters with snakes, fortunately not rattlers, and then we met with congestion. There was still a surprising number of through-hikers, in addition to the weekend campers and the "tourists" who drove to the tower. Shooting pictures of the azaleas, yellow, soft orange, and deep orange, and the rhododendron tunnels preoccupied us on our way back. We finished the day with dinner outdoors on the deck of a "new" restaurant on Main St. in Clayton.