Shoes to Views
New member
I haven’t posted any TR’s in a while but we’ve still been hiking. This trip merits a report for a couple of reasons.
1. We were accompanying our friend Sue for her NE67 finish.
2. The day was spectacular and gave us a reminder to always be prepared.
Sue called us because she wanted to finish her NE67 on Saddleback and the Horn, and her usual Friday hiking crew were all busy. We were happy to join her. In fact we decided to stay in Maine overnight and do another hike Saturday. We were watching the weather forecasts all week. Early in the week the forecast for Friday was perfect, but as the week progressed it deteriorated slightly, to 30% chance of showers. The temperature forecast was moderate, with cooling into the 40’s possible Friday night. Saturday was forecast to be even better
We wanted to hit the trail early, so we met at 4:30, and drove straight to the Route 4 AT crossing with just a couple of stops for coffee and breakfast for Sue.
We made good time and were putting on our gear a little after 8:30.
The trail started out with a moderate grade and before long we were crossing a logging road. It would have been nice to cut off a little bit of distance, but there was no place to park. Sharon and Sue caught up on a lot as we climbed, comparing notes about different workout preferences, what’s happening at the gym, and so on. Before too long we were passing Piazza Rock campsite. We just kept moving through a beautiful boulder field, then climbed some more through wet trail that needed a few new bog bridges. We marveled at the beautiful ponds we were passing as we went by.
It didn’t seem like too much more time passed and we were breaking out of the trees. It did seem like a long climb from the treeline to the summit, but the views were breathtaking and the weather was fine. There was broken cloud cover and sun. There was a line of dark clouds approaching from the west, so we kept moving toward the Horn. While we were in the saddle, the dark cloud passed overhead without even dropping a sprinkle. We passed a couple from Florida who were coming from Katahdin on a southbound journey. Since it passed without incident and we again had some sunshine, we sat at the summit of the Horn for a while and enjoyed our lunch. It was a little cool when the sun went behind the clouds, but when it was shining we enjoyed the warmth.
Soon enough it was time to start back. We dropped down into the saddle again and noticed that there was rain falling on Rangely Lake. That gave us a little extra motivation to pick up the pace because Sharon didn’t relish the idea of being above treeline when the rain arrived. Steve was leading the way and said he was moving as fast as he could. I think that Sharon would have left us in the dust if she was leading.
We reached the summit of Saddleback again and Sharon called her parents, but we didn’t linger. As we started to descend it started to drop a little rain, so Sharon and Sue stopped to put on rain gear. I didn’t want to stop yet, so I kept descending. Before long the wind was howling and the downpour was flying sideways. It pounded against the hoods of our raincoats, sounding and feeling like sleet in our right ears.
We met another pair of women who had just come up the ski slope and were coming down the AT like we were. It didn’t look good. They had on jeans, sneakers, one pack between them, and not much in the line of rain gear. Sharon warned them that the trail was pretty long and rough, and would be slippery after the rain, but they didn’t want to go back down the ski slope. Sharon wouldn’t leave them, so we slowed way down to keep them in earshot, at least until we were well below tree line. When we got well below tree line, the rain had stopped and the sky was brightening again. Sharon finally decided that they were safe enough to leave, and we picked up the pace. We weren’t going fast by any stretch of imagination, because once we got off the rough slabs at higher elevation, the rocks and roots were slick from the rain. We saw a couple more people on the trail heading north, and told them to be on the lookout for the two women behind us.
We saw the Florida couple on their tent platform at Piazza Rock, and paused to say hello again. We told them about the women behind us, and they told us about the couple they’d seen in the rain with a baby in the backpack. People still need a lot more education about preparation for hiking.
After Piazza Rock, we finally let Sharon into the lead, and the pace picked up. The slope was more gradual and the trail didn’t seem to have as many slick roots. For a while we thought we might see some more rain, but the sky brightened again without dropping any. Finally we saw the metal bridge and knew we were back. We saw the AT sign through the trees about 6:30. Now for the four hour drive home for Sue, and a couple of hours for us to visit Sharon’s parents. We decided to pass on hiking Saturday and visit, but we tackled Old Speck Sunday on a beautiful sunny day.
Congratulations Sue on finishing your NE67!!
1. We were accompanying our friend Sue for her NE67 finish.
2. The day was spectacular and gave us a reminder to always be prepared.
Sue called us because she wanted to finish her NE67 on Saddleback and the Horn, and her usual Friday hiking crew were all busy. We were happy to join her. In fact we decided to stay in Maine overnight and do another hike Saturday. We were watching the weather forecasts all week. Early in the week the forecast for Friday was perfect, but as the week progressed it deteriorated slightly, to 30% chance of showers. The temperature forecast was moderate, with cooling into the 40’s possible Friday night. Saturday was forecast to be even better
We wanted to hit the trail early, so we met at 4:30, and drove straight to the Route 4 AT crossing with just a couple of stops for coffee and breakfast for Sue.
We made good time and were putting on our gear a little after 8:30.
The trail started out with a moderate grade and before long we were crossing a logging road. It would have been nice to cut off a little bit of distance, but there was no place to park. Sharon and Sue caught up on a lot as we climbed, comparing notes about different workout preferences, what’s happening at the gym, and so on. Before too long we were passing Piazza Rock campsite. We just kept moving through a beautiful boulder field, then climbed some more through wet trail that needed a few new bog bridges. We marveled at the beautiful ponds we were passing as we went by.
It didn’t seem like too much more time passed and we were breaking out of the trees. It did seem like a long climb from the treeline to the summit, but the views were breathtaking and the weather was fine. There was broken cloud cover and sun. There was a line of dark clouds approaching from the west, so we kept moving toward the Horn. While we were in the saddle, the dark cloud passed overhead without even dropping a sprinkle. We passed a couple from Florida who were coming from Katahdin on a southbound journey. Since it passed without incident and we again had some sunshine, we sat at the summit of the Horn for a while and enjoyed our lunch. It was a little cool when the sun went behind the clouds, but when it was shining we enjoyed the warmth.
Soon enough it was time to start back. We dropped down into the saddle again and noticed that there was rain falling on Rangely Lake. That gave us a little extra motivation to pick up the pace because Sharon didn’t relish the idea of being above treeline when the rain arrived. Steve was leading the way and said he was moving as fast as he could. I think that Sharon would have left us in the dust if she was leading.
We reached the summit of Saddleback again and Sharon called her parents, but we didn’t linger. As we started to descend it started to drop a little rain, so Sharon and Sue stopped to put on rain gear. I didn’t want to stop yet, so I kept descending. Before long the wind was howling and the downpour was flying sideways. It pounded against the hoods of our raincoats, sounding and feeling like sleet in our right ears.
We met another pair of women who had just come up the ski slope and were coming down the AT like we were. It didn’t look good. They had on jeans, sneakers, one pack between them, and not much in the line of rain gear. Sharon warned them that the trail was pretty long and rough, and would be slippery after the rain, but they didn’t want to go back down the ski slope. Sharon wouldn’t leave them, so we slowed way down to keep them in earshot, at least until we were well below tree line. When we got well below tree line, the rain had stopped and the sky was brightening again. Sharon finally decided that they were safe enough to leave, and we picked up the pace. We weren’t going fast by any stretch of imagination, because once we got off the rough slabs at higher elevation, the rocks and roots were slick from the rain. We saw a couple more people on the trail heading north, and told them to be on the lookout for the two women behind us.
We saw the Florida couple on their tent platform at Piazza Rock, and paused to say hello again. We told them about the women behind us, and they told us about the couple they’d seen in the rain with a baby in the backpack. People still need a lot more education about preparation for hiking.
After Piazza Rock, we finally let Sharon into the lead, and the pace picked up. The slope was more gradual and the trail didn’t seem to have as many slick roots. For a while we thought we might see some more rain, but the sky brightened again without dropping any. Finally we saw the metal bridge and knew we were back. We saw the AT sign through the trees about 6:30. Now for the four hour drive home for Sue, and a couple of hours for us to visit Sharon’s parents. We decided to pass on hiking Saturday and visit, but we tackled Old Speck Sunday on a beautiful sunny day.
Congratulations Sue on finishing your NE67!!
