Adventurous
New member
7summits (HuiYeng) and I had been planning a 4 day peakpagging weekend in the Rangeley-Stratton area of Maine for the July 4th weekend since wintertime. We managed to recruit Juniper (Rebecca), Fat Tuesday (Mardi) and Nif (Jen) to join us.
Our plan fell to pieces when two weekends of hiking in the rain landed me in the hospital with Bronchitis, HuiYeng was coming down with something and we were faced with another dismal forecast. We postponed our departure to Friday in hopes that the forecast would improve and that we would both be feeling better…Jen decided to do the same. Rebecca, Mardi and Al (who came up for a night) braved the elements (report forthcoming from Rebecca) and went up on Thursday.
Friday came and the forecast had improved. We were both feeling better so we took our time packed up and headed up there in the afternoon…Jen left a few hours after us. We arrived at the campsite to blue skies and warm weather. We thought for sure our friends had a dry day in the mountains…we were wrong. We set up camp…in case it started to rain and then took a walk down to Tufts Pond. As soon as we reached the pond, it started to rain so we turned around and went back to the campsite. Everyone arrived soon after and so did the deluge. We quickly found out that our tent is not so waterproof…thanks Mardi for the awesome tarp that you had…it kept us dry for the rest of the weekend. I didn’t hang out long because the wet weather was agitating the bronchitis that hadn’t completely gone away yet.
We woke up to heavy rain and decided that we didn’t want to hike. Instead, we went out to breakfast and a movie followed by dinner and drinks. Once again, I still wasn’t feeling well so I curled up in my sleeping bag for awhile before Marchowes made an appearance at our campsite. I didn’t hang out long because the temp was dropping and I needed to stay warm.
Sunday came and the skies were blue. We had originally planned on doing the Bigelows but decided that we wanted a shorter hike/drive home and Saddleback and the Horn fit the bill…sorry Rebecca. Well, blue skies at the campground didn’t translate to blue skies in the mountains. We (me, HuiYeng and Jen) arrived at the ski area to find the mountain socked in with clouds. It didn’t look like it was going to rain so we decided to go for it. We started up the service road, I was having a little trouble but nothing that worried me too much. We made good time up to the ski patrol shack where we took refuge from the strong winds (35-40 mph) and 45 degree temps. At this point, I was thinking that it was probably not the best idea for me to be out in this weather but it was only a few miles so I might as well just do it…famous last words. We headed up the trail behind the shack…which happened to be blazed and made it to the ridge in a few minutes. We headed over to the summit of Saddleback and then over to the Horn. The stepping stones on the trail between the two summits were submerged under several inches of water which required some skillful treehugging to keep from getting wet feet. I was really lacking energy for the climb up the Horn. The winds were strong and I was not looking forward to hiking into them on the way back. We arrived at the summit, took a few pictures and then retraced our footsteps back to Saddleback. I struggled to get back up to the summit. The weather had wreaked havoc on my lungs and I had to stop frequently. Thanks HuiYeng and Jen for your patience and encouragement. Once again, we took refuge in the ski patrol shack, took off our wet clothes, had a snack, and talked about how awesome the views must be on a clear day. We hit the trail and quickly descended back to the cars to change into dry clothes. Despite the weather and not feeling well…it was still a fun day because of my awesome hiking companions.
One thing that I’m learning is that it’s very difficult to judge when you should decide to call off a hike. You never know how your body is going to react to the stresses that you put on it. One time it’s fine…the next time it isn’t. Giving one part of your body time to heal when the rest of your body feels fine is a tough thing to do. That said…I will be resting this week in hopes that I heal for whatever adventure is in store for next weekend (as long as it isn't raining).
Our plan fell to pieces when two weekends of hiking in the rain landed me in the hospital with Bronchitis, HuiYeng was coming down with something and we were faced with another dismal forecast. We postponed our departure to Friday in hopes that the forecast would improve and that we would both be feeling better…Jen decided to do the same. Rebecca, Mardi and Al (who came up for a night) braved the elements (report forthcoming from Rebecca) and went up on Thursday.
Friday came and the forecast had improved. We were both feeling better so we took our time packed up and headed up there in the afternoon…Jen left a few hours after us. We arrived at the campsite to blue skies and warm weather. We thought for sure our friends had a dry day in the mountains…we were wrong. We set up camp…in case it started to rain and then took a walk down to Tufts Pond. As soon as we reached the pond, it started to rain so we turned around and went back to the campsite. Everyone arrived soon after and so did the deluge. We quickly found out that our tent is not so waterproof…thanks Mardi for the awesome tarp that you had…it kept us dry for the rest of the weekend. I didn’t hang out long because the wet weather was agitating the bronchitis that hadn’t completely gone away yet.
We woke up to heavy rain and decided that we didn’t want to hike. Instead, we went out to breakfast and a movie followed by dinner and drinks. Once again, I still wasn’t feeling well so I curled up in my sleeping bag for awhile before Marchowes made an appearance at our campsite. I didn’t hang out long because the temp was dropping and I needed to stay warm.
Sunday came and the skies were blue. We had originally planned on doing the Bigelows but decided that we wanted a shorter hike/drive home and Saddleback and the Horn fit the bill…sorry Rebecca. Well, blue skies at the campground didn’t translate to blue skies in the mountains. We (me, HuiYeng and Jen) arrived at the ski area to find the mountain socked in with clouds. It didn’t look like it was going to rain so we decided to go for it. We started up the service road, I was having a little trouble but nothing that worried me too much. We made good time up to the ski patrol shack where we took refuge from the strong winds (35-40 mph) and 45 degree temps. At this point, I was thinking that it was probably not the best idea for me to be out in this weather but it was only a few miles so I might as well just do it…famous last words. We headed up the trail behind the shack…which happened to be blazed and made it to the ridge in a few minutes. We headed over to the summit of Saddleback and then over to the Horn. The stepping stones on the trail between the two summits were submerged under several inches of water which required some skillful treehugging to keep from getting wet feet. I was really lacking energy for the climb up the Horn. The winds were strong and I was not looking forward to hiking into them on the way back. We arrived at the summit, took a few pictures and then retraced our footsteps back to Saddleback. I struggled to get back up to the summit. The weather had wreaked havoc on my lungs and I had to stop frequently. Thanks HuiYeng and Jen for your patience and encouragement. Once again, we took refuge in the ski patrol shack, took off our wet clothes, had a snack, and talked about how awesome the views must be on a clear day. We hit the trail and quickly descended back to the cars to change into dry clothes. Despite the weather and not feeling well…it was still a fun day because of my awesome hiking companions.
One thing that I’m learning is that it’s very difficult to judge when you should decide to call off a hike. You never know how your body is going to react to the stresses that you put on it. One time it’s fine…the next time it isn’t. Giving one part of your body time to heal when the rest of your body feels fine is a tough thing to do. That said…I will be resting this week in hopes that I heal for whatever adventure is in store for next weekend (as long as it isn't raining).
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