I attended Baxter Bash IX this year. It was my second bash; the first was in 2009. On the way up on Sunday I climbed Saddleback, not the 4K in Franklin Co. but the 2998' one near Katahdin Iron Works in Piscataquis Co., which you've probably never heard of unless you've at least considered the New England Fifty Finest list.
To get there, drive from Rte. 11 almost all the way to Katahdin Iron Works. Of the several logging roads to your right there will be one as wide and smooth as KIW Rd. That's Merther Rd. (unsigned). Take that for 3.9 miles. I had to take it slow and be reasonably careful, but never doubted my Civic would be fine. At 3.9 miles a road goes off to the left in better shape than the other side roads. I started up this until it started to get sketchy. I decided I didn't want to find myself in a spot where I didn't want to go forward, but had nowhere to park or turn around, so I managed to turn around there and parked by Merther Rd. Then I road walked up that other road. The place I turned around was actually the worst spot; I probably could have driven down it a lot further and been OK. Anyway, with the mountain right in front of me I walked up the road and went right where it forked. I passed what I thought was a scrap woodpile and then the road made a quick left and right. At that right I set a bearing (basically NXW) by sighting the mountain and started the bushwhack.
The whacking had some very difficult parts, and some fairly easy parts, but was mostly somewhat hard, with young softwoods mixed with older hardwoods, although I crossed and hiked along some logging areas down low. It was very steep in parts, but not for long. It was also wet. I hadn't put on my rain gear because it wasn't raining (although it sprinkled a little) but it must have rained the night before because the leaves were all wet, and soon so was I.
When I got to the ridge it was uphill to my right (northeast). For longer than I thought it would be I continued to gradually gain elevation on the ridge, following moose paths where I could. Finally I got to what looked like the highest point. There was no canister, though, and even though I wasn't sure whether Saddleback had a canister I wanted to make sure so I continued down the ridge intending to confirm that it dropped elevation, and very quickly came upon the canister (really a glass jar). I wrote in the log book, and saw that the previous entry was from Sept. 2014. I stayed a little bit, but not long, because with my wet clothes the inactivity was making me cold.
I headed down the ridge the way I came up, and then dropped down the mountain, using a due south bearing because with the way the roads were configured it would be better to err to the west. It was much the same as the ascent, although there was only one spot I recognized. Eventually I came to a stick road, as in a road covered with sticks, branches, and logs. It was harder than walking on a real road but easier than whacking through the woods. This ended up being the "scrap woodpile" I passed on the way up.
By this time the sun had come out and it mostly dried my clothes on the walk back to the car.
Then I drove north to Foster Field in Baxter State Park and joined the Baxter Bash, my home for five days.
Piscataquis Co. Saddleback was number 47 for the New England Fifty Finest list.
Here are the pictures.
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 22/115 (17/67, 5/46, 0/2)
NEFF: 49/50; Cat35: 36/39; WNH4K: 36/48; NEHH 81/100
LT NB 2009
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
To get there, drive from Rte. 11 almost all the way to Katahdin Iron Works. Of the several logging roads to your right there will be one as wide and smooth as KIW Rd. That's Merther Rd. (unsigned). Take that for 3.9 miles. I had to take it slow and be reasonably careful, but never doubted my Civic would be fine. At 3.9 miles a road goes off to the left in better shape than the other side roads. I started up this until it started to get sketchy. I decided I didn't want to find myself in a spot where I didn't want to go forward, but had nowhere to park or turn around, so I managed to turn around there and parked by Merther Rd. Then I road walked up that other road. The place I turned around was actually the worst spot; I probably could have driven down it a lot further and been OK. Anyway, with the mountain right in front of me I walked up the road and went right where it forked. I passed what I thought was a scrap woodpile and then the road made a quick left and right. At that right I set a bearing (basically NXW) by sighting the mountain and started the bushwhack.
The whacking had some very difficult parts, and some fairly easy parts, but was mostly somewhat hard, with young softwoods mixed with older hardwoods, although I crossed and hiked along some logging areas down low. It was very steep in parts, but not for long. It was also wet. I hadn't put on my rain gear because it wasn't raining (although it sprinkled a little) but it must have rained the night before because the leaves were all wet, and soon so was I.
When I got to the ridge it was uphill to my right (northeast). For longer than I thought it would be I continued to gradually gain elevation on the ridge, following moose paths where I could. Finally I got to what looked like the highest point. There was no canister, though, and even though I wasn't sure whether Saddleback had a canister I wanted to make sure so I continued down the ridge intending to confirm that it dropped elevation, and very quickly came upon the canister (really a glass jar). I wrote in the log book, and saw that the previous entry was from Sept. 2014. I stayed a little bit, but not long, because with my wet clothes the inactivity was making me cold.
I headed down the ridge the way I came up, and then dropped down the mountain, using a due south bearing because with the way the roads were configured it would be better to err to the west. It was much the same as the ascent, although there was only one spot I recognized. Eventually I came to a stick road, as in a road covered with sticks, branches, and logs. It was harder than walking on a real road but easier than whacking through the woods. This ended up being the "scrap woodpile" I passed on the way up.
By this time the sun had come out and it mostly dried my clothes on the walk back to the car.
Then I drove north to Foster Field in Baxter State Park and joined the Baxter Bash, my home for five days.
Piscataquis Co. Saddleback was number 47 for the New England Fifty Finest list.
Here are the pictures.
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 22/115 (17/67, 5/46, 0/2)
NEFF: 49/50; Cat35: 36/39; WNH4K: 36/48; NEHH 81/100
LT NB 2009
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
