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Day 3 - Spaulding (4010'), Abraham (4049'), Sugarloaf (4250')
Route:
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/745985543
Photo Library: View on Facebook
Links to other posts:
- Intro
- 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 4 - Saddleback (4120') and Saddleback - The Horn (4041')
Another great morning in Maine... bright, clear skies, warm sun, still somewhat chilly. But Sugarloaf and its two neighbors to the south beckoned from across the Stratton Brook Pond. Matt was still just not up to hiking, as the knee pain lingered. I felt bad, but it was the best decision, and he was truly enjoying the quiet time in the woods. He would check out Sugarloaf as well, and talked about making his way to Stratton Brook Lodge, which seemed a decent but mostly flat walk away.
(View from our basecamp at Stratton Brook Pond, looking across to Sugarloaf on the left, and the Crockers/Redington on the right)
We had talked about the possibility of ditching the tent, or at least finding a place to freshen up. We hadn't gotten the best sleep in the tent, either, so we decided to check out area lodging so we could spend the last night in better comfort. We called around and found a two-twin room at a "grand hotel" in nearby Kingfield for a very decent price ($79), and booked it. We largely emptied the tent and Matt would dismantle it later, and check us in while I was hiking.
Fed with oatmeal and OJ, and raring to go, we headed back out to Route 27, up the road, and down the same Caribou Valley Road we'd taken on Day 1, to the gate. Today, I'd walk the same .5 miles and take a left off the road to head east (north) on the AT, toward Sugarloaf. My knees were talking to me, but they felt fine.
The going was easy enough, and eventually took me up and over a similar, rocky shoulder as South Crocker, with great views west to the Crockers and Redington, and south along the Carrabassett River valley. Switchbacks made the effort a little easier, which I didn't mind. Once over the shoulder, the trail generally flattened and I reached the junction with the Sugarloaf Trail, which heads left while the AT continues to the right.
I had intended to summit Sugarloaf first, but I decided to leave it to last. Since Matt wasn't joining in, I thought Matt could possibly hike up ski trail side to join me at the end of the day, or I could hike down the ski trails as a different option. I decided to head south on the AT toward Spaulding, 2.1 miles ahead along a ridgeline.
The Spaulding summit sits up off the trail about 150 yards (moderate spur path). When I got there, I came upon a man with a dog that had a few collars on, two of which were hunter orange in color. The man told me the dog came up to him on the summit shortly before, out of the blue. The dog was rather emaciated, pretty thin (visible ribs and high bones), and was moaning softly. The dog was female, and I couldn't help but notice its nipples were very large underneath, more than I'd ever seen on a dog (about 1/2-inch wide and protruding out the same distance). He had fed the dog a bit, and I put some water into a container, the entirety of which she promptly drank. As I softly pet the dog's head, she would close her eyes and stick its head up toward me, clearly enjoying the attention. I also noticed a 3/4-inch gash in one of her hips, along with a few other cuts nearby, which we thought must have been from run-ins with wildlife. The man said this was probably a tracker dog that somehow got separated from its owner. The tags did have info and a phone number, so the man called and spoke with someone, who had the owner call him back. The man offered to bring the dog back out to the Caribou Valley Road trailhead, since he had started there to begin with; the owner or another representative was to meet him there.
(The dog wasn't in great shape but could walk on its own, with encouragement, once we fed her and gave her some water. She was letting out gentle, painful moans as she shifted around the small summit opening, but she clearly enjoyed our gentle petting.)
It was heartbreaking to see this dog in this condition; I hadn't known about tracker dogs, and frankly didn't think so highly of the practice at that moment. I'm sure it doesn't happen much, but out in the mountain wilderness I have to imagine things are different enough, that the practice should be used with great discretion. The dog was still moaning and very skiddish as the man started down with it, but I'm confident she found her way back to her owner; they were not at the trailhead when I returned, several hours later.
Now alone on the summit, I took a few moments to reflect and reset; this got me pretty rattled, but I felt good I was able to help. I returned back down to the AT and continued on (north) toward Abraham. The trail was largely still a ridge walk once I came off Spaulding mountain proper, and took me past yet another AT respite stop, the Spaulding Mountain Campsite, with its lean-to and several tent sites. 1.1 miles later, I reached the junction with the Mt. Abraham Side Trail, and took it (left). About a mile in, I came out of the woods onto what looked like a summit, but was in fact a false one. The real one lay a good .5 or so miles beyond; I could tell from the tiny people I could see on it.
(Approaching the Abraham summit)
The Abraham summit is broad and sports a 7-foot tall cairn and a relatively small, old steel tower laying on its side. The summit and surrounding area lie totally above treeline and has 360-degree views all around. I didn't stay long, as there was a small group of men talking boisterously; not my kind of summit experience.
This was the farthest I'd go today, so I turned around and headed back. I started thinking about the mileage ahead, adding up what I'd done so far, and what was left. I soon realized I miscalculated the mileage. I had estimated about 13-14 miles, same as the Bigelows, but it turned out this would total upwards of 19 miles. Oops... It seemed likely I'd be hiking out in the dark, but I wasn't too concerned. I did have cell service and let Matt know it'd be a little later than I first thought.
I appreciated the ridge walk on the way back, making good time during those stretches. The ascent up and down Spaulding was a pain in the ass at this point, but my tunes yet again kept me pumped and barreling through, as reasonably and safely as I could anyway. My body was tired for sure, but I was determined to get these peaks today. I didn't want to have to come back just for one...
I reached the AT / Sugarloaf Trail junction at 5:30, paused to have a quick bit and prepare myself for the ascent up Sugarloaf. I moved quickly, with determination, but I was working very, very hard. By this time, my water supply was nearly drained, too, having used a good amount of it for the injured dog on Spaulding. I was thirsty for sure, but had been rationing the water for a few miles to be sure I'd not totally run out with too much mileage to go.
(the Sugarloaf Summit)
I reached the Sugarloaf summit, swearing here and there from near-exhaustion as I approached the cleared ski area summit. It's always so cool to be up on a ski area summit in the off-season, the air of abandonment and solace abounding. Winds were pretty strong and there was no soul in sight (I hadn't seen anyone since Abraham). Sugarloaf, at 4,250 feet, is the third-tallest mountain in Maine behind Katahdin's Baxter and Hamlin peaks, so this helped lend some gravitas to the occasion. The sun still hadn't yet dipped below the Crockers to the west, but I knew it wouldn't be long, so I immediately headed down.
... continued below ...
Route:
- Route 27 to end of Caribou Valley Road, at the gate
- Gate to AT junction (.5 miles)
- AT (south) to ridge between Sugarloaf and Spaulding, at junction with Sugarloaf Trail (2.3mi)
- AT (south) to Spaulding summit, including 150-yard spur path (2.1mi)
- AT (south) to junction with Mt. Abraham Side Trail (1.9mi)
- Mt. Abraham Side Trail to Mt. Abraham summit (1.7mi)
- return via same path to AT junction with Sugarloaf Trail (5.7mi)
- Sugarloaf Trail to Sugarloaf summit, and back to AT junction (1.2mi)
- AT (north) back to Caribou Valley Road, and back to car (2.8mi)
- Total 18.2 miles, 9h30m, 5974' elevation gain
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/745985543
Photo Library: View on Facebook
Links to other posts:
- Intro
- 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 4 - Saddleback (4120') and Saddleback - The Horn (4041')
Another great morning in Maine... bright, clear skies, warm sun, still somewhat chilly. But Sugarloaf and its two neighbors to the south beckoned from across the Stratton Brook Pond. Matt was still just not up to hiking, as the knee pain lingered. I felt bad, but it was the best decision, and he was truly enjoying the quiet time in the woods. He would check out Sugarloaf as well, and talked about making his way to Stratton Brook Lodge, which seemed a decent but mostly flat walk away.
(View from our basecamp at Stratton Brook Pond, looking across to Sugarloaf on the left, and the Crockers/Redington on the right)
We had talked about the possibility of ditching the tent, or at least finding a place to freshen up. We hadn't gotten the best sleep in the tent, either, so we decided to check out area lodging so we could spend the last night in better comfort. We called around and found a two-twin room at a "grand hotel" in nearby Kingfield for a very decent price ($79), and booked it. We largely emptied the tent and Matt would dismantle it later, and check us in while I was hiking.
Fed with oatmeal and OJ, and raring to go, we headed back out to Route 27, up the road, and down the same Caribou Valley Road we'd taken on Day 1, to the gate. Today, I'd walk the same .5 miles and take a left off the road to head east (north) on the AT, toward Sugarloaf. My knees were talking to me, but they felt fine.
The going was easy enough, and eventually took me up and over a similar, rocky shoulder as South Crocker, with great views west to the Crockers and Redington, and south along the Carrabassett River valley. Switchbacks made the effort a little easier, which I didn't mind. Once over the shoulder, the trail generally flattened and I reached the junction with the Sugarloaf Trail, which heads left while the AT continues to the right.
I had intended to summit Sugarloaf first, but I decided to leave it to last. Since Matt wasn't joining in, I thought Matt could possibly hike up ski trail side to join me at the end of the day, or I could hike down the ski trails as a different option. I decided to head south on the AT toward Spaulding, 2.1 miles ahead along a ridgeline.
The Spaulding summit sits up off the trail about 150 yards (moderate spur path). When I got there, I came upon a man with a dog that had a few collars on, two of which were hunter orange in color. The man told me the dog came up to him on the summit shortly before, out of the blue. The dog was rather emaciated, pretty thin (visible ribs and high bones), and was moaning softly. The dog was female, and I couldn't help but notice its nipples were very large underneath, more than I'd ever seen on a dog (about 1/2-inch wide and protruding out the same distance). He had fed the dog a bit, and I put some water into a container, the entirety of which she promptly drank. As I softly pet the dog's head, she would close her eyes and stick its head up toward me, clearly enjoying the attention. I also noticed a 3/4-inch gash in one of her hips, along with a few other cuts nearby, which we thought must have been from run-ins with wildlife. The man said this was probably a tracker dog that somehow got separated from its owner. The tags did have info and a phone number, so the man called and spoke with someone, who had the owner call him back. The man offered to bring the dog back out to the Caribou Valley Road trailhead, since he had started there to begin with; the owner or another representative was to meet him there.
(The dog wasn't in great shape but could walk on its own, with encouragement, once we fed her and gave her some water. She was letting out gentle, painful moans as she shifted around the small summit opening, but she clearly enjoyed our gentle petting.)
It was heartbreaking to see this dog in this condition; I hadn't known about tracker dogs, and frankly didn't think so highly of the practice at that moment. I'm sure it doesn't happen much, but out in the mountain wilderness I have to imagine things are different enough, that the practice should be used with great discretion. The dog was still moaning and very skiddish as the man started down with it, but I'm confident she found her way back to her owner; they were not at the trailhead when I returned, several hours later.
Now alone on the summit, I took a few moments to reflect and reset; this got me pretty rattled, but I felt good I was able to help. I returned back down to the AT and continued on (north) toward Abraham. The trail was largely still a ridge walk once I came off Spaulding mountain proper, and took me past yet another AT respite stop, the Spaulding Mountain Campsite, with its lean-to and several tent sites. 1.1 miles later, I reached the junction with the Mt. Abraham Side Trail, and took it (left). About a mile in, I came out of the woods onto what looked like a summit, but was in fact a false one. The real one lay a good .5 or so miles beyond; I could tell from the tiny people I could see on it.
(Approaching the Abraham summit)
The Abraham summit is broad and sports a 7-foot tall cairn and a relatively small, old steel tower laying on its side. The summit and surrounding area lie totally above treeline and has 360-degree views all around. I didn't stay long, as there was a small group of men talking boisterously; not my kind of summit experience.
This was the farthest I'd go today, so I turned around and headed back. I started thinking about the mileage ahead, adding up what I'd done so far, and what was left. I soon realized I miscalculated the mileage. I had estimated about 13-14 miles, same as the Bigelows, but it turned out this would total upwards of 19 miles. Oops... It seemed likely I'd be hiking out in the dark, but I wasn't too concerned. I did have cell service and let Matt know it'd be a little later than I first thought.
I appreciated the ridge walk on the way back, making good time during those stretches. The ascent up and down Spaulding was a pain in the ass at this point, but my tunes yet again kept me pumped and barreling through, as reasonably and safely as I could anyway. My body was tired for sure, but I was determined to get these peaks today. I didn't want to have to come back just for one...
I reached the AT / Sugarloaf Trail junction at 5:30, paused to have a quick bit and prepare myself for the ascent up Sugarloaf. I moved quickly, with determination, but I was working very, very hard. By this time, my water supply was nearly drained, too, having used a good amount of it for the injured dog on Spaulding. I was thirsty for sure, but had been rationing the water for a few miles to be sure I'd not totally run out with too much mileage to go.
(the Sugarloaf Summit)
I reached the Sugarloaf summit, swearing here and there from near-exhaustion as I approached the cleared ski area summit. It's always so cool to be up on a ski area summit in the off-season, the air of abandonment and solace abounding. Winds were pretty strong and there was no soul in sight (I hadn't seen anyone since Abraham). Sugarloaf, at 4,250 feet, is the third-tallest mountain in Maine behind Katahdin's Baxter and Hamlin peaks, so this helped lend some gravitas to the occasion. The sun still hadn't yet dipped below the Crockers to the west, but I knew it wouldn't be long, so I immediately headed down.
... continued below ...
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