hikersinger
Member
Day 4 - Saddleback (4120') and Saddleback - The Horn (4041')
Route:
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/748054310
Photo Library: View on Facebook
Links to other posts:
- Introduction
- Day 1 - South Crocker (4055'), Crocker (4168'), Redington (4001')
- Day 2 - The Bigelow Range: Avery (4088') and West (4145') peaks, plus South (3831') and North (3820') Horns
- Day 3 - Spaulding (4010'), Abraham (4049'), Sugarloaf (4250')
Our final day featured one more shorter hike, then the four-plus hour return trip to the grind. We started the day with breakfast at another local eatery, the Orange Cat Cafe. It sat just outside downtown Kingfield, inside an old brick house house adorned with funky, old furniture, couches, tables/chairs, and artsy, fun decorations. Food offerings were basic, but very good. And yes, there's an orange cat. It was meandering around for a time, then sat up on the lap of a couple for a while. A short time later, we saw it in the middle of one of the dining area rooms, starting to heave. It gave up a couple hairballs right there in front of us. Free entertainment! (All good, though, really - we got a kick out of it.)
(the Orange Cat Cafe, in Kingfield, Maine - worth a stop!)
Fed and happy, we made our way southwest toward the final hike, which would bring me to 65 of the New England 67 mountains above 4000 feet. Saddleback is at the south-western corner of the Rangeley High Peaks area of Maine, so it's on the way home for us. It sports a small ski area, and has the AT traversing its ridge with the next peak over, Saddleback - The Horn.
Matt's knees were feeling better, so he said he'd hike as long as it felt good. We didn't take the AT up to the summit, as that would be a 5+ mile hike; instead we would hike up the Saddleback Ski Area trails, which start right behind the main lodge. The ascent was quite steep and unrelenting at times, as the alpine ski trails were smooth and steady; made us long for the irregularity of hiking trails! We did turn around at times to enjoy the increasing views.
(beginning of the trail, behind the main lodge)
Beyond the last ski area buildings and lifts, we soon reached the junction with the AT and turned left (north) to head toward the Saddleback summit proper. Much of it is just above treeline, and views were outstanding. We sat and had a bite at a small rock shelter nearby, then headed off toward the Horn. Matt was experiencing some pain heading off the Saddleback summit, so he hung back. We'd seen several people by now, including a group of three women and a teen girl, who we saw at the Caribou Valley Road trailhead the day before; they were chasing the same NE 100 peaks and had 15-20 of them under their belt so far. It was great to see the teen girl going for such a great achievement!
I made good time as I dropped down into the col between Saddleback and its Horn, then ascended onto Horn. I had passed the women and girl, then they joined me on the summit and we exchanged photos. Winds were pretty strong, so I didn't linger and started back toward Saddleback (this was an out-and-back hike). Matt texted me asking if I had taken off my outer layer to reveal a neon yellow Cigna 5K t-shirt I was wearing -- he could make it out clearly as I was moving up onto the summit, and back. It's cool, how you can track people that way, and this loud shirt did make it easier!
I joined back up with Matt on the Saddleback summit, and we headed down. Our knees were holding up, but just barely. They'd need time to recover for sure. But still, we made good time on the descent, and enjoyed a quiet trip home.
(hiking out)
~
What a trip. They say life is much more about experiences, than things, and this was a perfect example. Other than the regular rations of food on the trail, and meals at the beginning and end of each day, we spent a combined $150 perhaps between the two of us, for gas and the one night at the hotel. I got so much out of this trip for that small investment. You can hardly buy such an experience, really: retreating into nature, inspiration in the bucolic scenes of the pond and distant mountains from the campsite, the sunsets and sunrises, bright stars in the clear night sky, the utter quiet, and all the views and challenge of the mountain ascents. We saw a few people here and there, but nowhere near the crowd level, which gave us the feeling we were the only ones there.
I'll likely be back someday, probably to hit the same peaks in winter. But regardless, it's yet another gem in a growing list of them we have here in New England. One doesn't need a reason to go back, really -- just go, to be.
Route:
- start at Saddleback Ski Area, directly behind the main lodge, up the Wheeler slope - look for a footpath clearing in the brush, to the right while facing up the mountain (~1.0mi)
- bear left onto Gray Ghost, head straight up, then bear left on Tri Color and ascend to the top of the ski area (~0.7mi)
- a path leads up toward the ridge, to the right of the highest ski area buildings and the top of the ski lift (~0.1mi)
- left at AT junction, heading north to Saddleback summit (~0.2mi)
- continue along AT north to Saddleback - the Horn summit (~1.4mi)
- return via same path to lodge (3.4mi)
- Total 6.8 miles, 6 hours, 3055' elevation gain
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/748054310
Photo Library: View on Facebook
Links to other posts:
- Introduction
- Day 1 - South Crocker (4055'), Crocker (4168'), Redington (4001')
- Day 2 - The Bigelow Range: Avery (4088') and West (4145') peaks, plus South (3831') and North (3820') Horns
- Day 3 - Spaulding (4010'), Abraham (4049'), Sugarloaf (4250')
Our final day featured one more shorter hike, then the four-plus hour return trip to the grind. We started the day with breakfast at another local eatery, the Orange Cat Cafe. It sat just outside downtown Kingfield, inside an old brick house house adorned with funky, old furniture, couches, tables/chairs, and artsy, fun decorations. Food offerings were basic, but very good. And yes, there's an orange cat. It was meandering around for a time, then sat up on the lap of a couple for a while. A short time later, we saw it in the middle of one of the dining area rooms, starting to heave. It gave up a couple hairballs right there in front of us. Free entertainment! (All good, though, really - we got a kick out of it.)
(the Orange Cat Cafe, in Kingfield, Maine - worth a stop!)
Fed and happy, we made our way southwest toward the final hike, which would bring me to 65 of the New England 67 mountains above 4000 feet. Saddleback is at the south-western corner of the Rangeley High Peaks area of Maine, so it's on the way home for us. It sports a small ski area, and has the AT traversing its ridge with the next peak over, Saddleback - The Horn.
Matt's knees were feeling better, so he said he'd hike as long as it felt good. We didn't take the AT up to the summit, as that would be a 5+ mile hike; instead we would hike up the Saddleback Ski Area trails, which start right behind the main lodge. The ascent was quite steep and unrelenting at times, as the alpine ski trails were smooth and steady; made us long for the irregularity of hiking trails! We did turn around at times to enjoy the increasing views.
(beginning of the trail, behind the main lodge)
Beyond the last ski area buildings and lifts, we soon reached the junction with the AT and turned left (north) to head toward the Saddleback summit proper. Much of it is just above treeline, and views were outstanding. We sat and had a bite at a small rock shelter nearby, then headed off toward the Horn. Matt was experiencing some pain heading off the Saddleback summit, so he hung back. We'd seen several people by now, including a group of three women and a teen girl, who we saw at the Caribou Valley Road trailhead the day before; they were chasing the same NE 100 peaks and had 15-20 of them under their belt so far. It was great to see the teen girl going for such a great achievement!
I made good time as I dropped down into the col between Saddleback and its Horn, then ascended onto Horn. I had passed the women and girl, then they joined me on the summit and we exchanged photos. Winds were pretty strong, so I didn't linger and started back toward Saddleback (this was an out-and-back hike). Matt texted me asking if I had taken off my outer layer to reveal a neon yellow Cigna 5K t-shirt I was wearing -- he could make it out clearly as I was moving up onto the summit, and back. It's cool, how you can track people that way, and this loud shirt did make it easier!
I joined back up with Matt on the Saddleback summit, and we headed down. Our knees were holding up, but just barely. They'd need time to recover for sure. But still, we made good time on the descent, and enjoyed a quiet trip home.
(hiking out)
~
What a trip. They say life is much more about experiences, than things, and this was a perfect example. Other than the regular rations of food on the trail, and meals at the beginning and end of each day, we spent a combined $150 perhaps between the two of us, for gas and the one night at the hotel. I got so much out of this trip for that small investment. You can hardly buy such an experience, really: retreating into nature, inspiration in the bucolic scenes of the pond and distant mountains from the campsite, the sunsets and sunrises, bright stars in the clear night sky, the utter quiet, and all the views and challenge of the mountain ascents. We saw a few people here and there, but nowhere near the crowd level, which gave us the feeling we were the only ones there.
I'll likely be back someday, probably to hit the same peaks in winter. But regardless, it's yet another gem in a growing list of them we have here in New England. One doesn't need a reason to go back, really -- just go, to be.
Attachments
Last edited:
