Elevation: 2,467 ft (overall) 3,665 ft (total)
Time: 3:36 (Saddleback) 4:46 (Saddleback, Horn) 5:51 (Saddleback) 8:43 (total)
Trails: Appalachian Trail
After Saturday's hike of the Bigelows, Sunday's plan was to be the Saddlebacks. Very wet feet and boots that didn't fully dry by the fire Saturday night changed those plans though. When I woke up Sunday morning, it had rained more and it was still a bit cloudy. I didn't want to push my feet too much and honestly didn't want to hike only in the clouds this weekend. While the skies did clear during the day, I still took it off and did some exploring. I checked out the area some and also drove out Caribou Valley Road and Rapid Stream Road to check out how bad they were for getting to trail heads I would be using in the next few weeks when I came back. It turned into a great day for driving around and relaxing.
A clear afternoon view of Bigelow Range from my campsite
Monday morning though, I packed up the campsite early and headed to the AT crossing on route 4 to climb the Saddleback peaks. The trail heads down to a stream crossing which is done on a nice aluminum bridge. It then works back uphill a bit and become very gradual. There are some nice bog bridges and easy terrain. Only a couple small brook crossing which posed no problem. It didn't seem to take too long to get to the Piazza Rock tent site area. I made a quick stop here for a bathroom break and then kept going. The trail heads slightly downhill after this and got a bit muddy, but the White-Throated Sparrows singing off in the trees made it pretty nice.
Bog bridges
Eventually the trail gets steep for a little bit as it works up through a small gully. At the top of this though is the first of a couple ponds you will go by. Ethel Pond isn't very big or have much of a view, but it was still nice. The trail works around the side being mostly level, but strewn with some large rocks. I even some some lingering ice still down in a hole next to some of these rocks. You'll then head uphill again next to the brook that feeds into Ethel Pond. Soon you will work your way around Eddy Pond which is much bigger. I enjoyed the trail leading around the pond here quite a bit. The trees were pretty densely packed, but few lower branches made it still feel open.
Heading around the pond
Eddy Pond
Just after Eddy Pond, you will cross an access road/ATV trail. Lookout for ATVs before crossing as it appears there are no warning signs about the trail and later in the day two went by while I was taking a break here and one of them never even saw me (the other barely did as he went by). After this the trail starts to get steeper finally, but not too difficult. In places the trail was a bit wet and some water flowed over the rocks in the trail. I never slipped at all though and the only tricky rock slab had metal rungs in it. As you continue up, the trail starts to be more over rock slabs while staying in the trees. Once you start to come out of the trees, you are rewarded with some great views. Continuing up the trail, you are lured into thinking the summit is just ahead, but the crest of the mountain hides the actual summit just a bit further ahead.
First views above the trees with Eddy Pond in the foreground
After a bit of easy walking, I was at the first summit of the day. The views are great from here and go for miles in all directions. I took a nice break here and looked all around before heading further up the trail. You drop down just a bit and then go up over a small hump which is just slightly lower than the actual summit. From here you get a good idea of the rest of the hike though. A substantial drop down into the saddle then back up the next peak.
Saddleback summit
Saddleback Mtn, The Horn ahead
Dropping down off of Saddleback starts a bit steeply, but isn't too bad. There are some larger rocks to deal with and some slabs that could be slick when wet. Soon you are down into the saddle and can see the climb in both directions. The trail through here was more open than I expected and stayed out of the trees for the most part. I got a fair amount of sun by the end of the day due to this. I always seem to do that once a year before I remember to start bringing sunscreen with me. The climb up The Horn wasn't too difficult except for one spot. This spot does have a metal ladder for most of it though. The second summit is just as open as the first and provides a view to all of the other 4Ks in the area. It was great to be able to see all of them and get an idea for what they would be like when I come back.
View towards Saturday's hike
The summit of Saddleback Mtn, The Horn
Hiking back down off of The Horn went smoothly. Coming back up Saddleback wasn't too bad given how steep it is. The hardest part though comes right at the top when you are the most tired. Back on Saddleback, I spent some more time on the summit taking in the views while trying to cover my forehead from getting too much more sun. Eventually I had to head back down though as I had a long drive back home still. Shortly after leaving the summit, I saw my first thru-hiker of the day and chatted with him briefly. Even though it is a bit early, I had seen hikers in both directions already this weekend.
AT Trail marker
Getting back down into the trees was nice even if it meant the views went away. I stopped and splashed up in the brooks as I went by them as it had gotten pretty warm today. This felt pretty nice and kept me going at a good pace. As I went past the Piazza Rock tent sites I saw the current caretaker and chatted with her a bit before heading out again. She later caught up to me on her way out at the end of her period there and we talked a bit again as we hiked. Soon I let her go on though as she was less tired than me. The rest of the walk out was pretty good with gentle trails leading back to the car.
Back down into the trees
As I headed through Rangeley on the way home, I stopped at a nice BBQ joint that had some great food and was just opening up full time for the summer. The waitress wasn't a local and we talked about what drew her into the area coming up from Rhode Island originally. It turns out she wanted to move here as soon as she saw one of the "rest areas" nearby with it's river view, picnic tables, and grills. Something far different than what she was used to at home. After filling up my stomach, I headed out and made the 4 hour ride home getting home a bit late (partially due to a car accident that stopped traffic near home). I was already looking forward to coming back again in two weeks for more hiking though.
Painted Trillium along the trail
For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment