Saddleback Cliff on Range Trail

[bachand]

I am planning this hike sometime soon. So, everyone talks about the cliffs on the last 100 feet of Saddleback coming from Basin.....really, how difficult is it? I'm not scarded of heights but will probably be alone.

 

[masshysteria]

I wouldn't say it's the most difficult climb, it's just that there is some exposure. I personally think its reputation is bigger than the climb itself. I've travelled it both ways, and it was just a matter of taking your time and following the paint blazes. However, if you do have a problem with heights....... well, just don't look behind you. Its a case of mind over matter.

I think the west side of Gothics would be harder, if it weren't for the cables.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

You'll need handholds and footholds, but they are big and obvious... and it's not a vertical wall. Being 5'7", I had a hard time reaching a couple of handholds, but still made it up w/o much difficulty. Of course, a full pack would make it harder.

 

[lumberzac]

I think the west side of Gothics would be harder, if it weren't for the cables.

I feel the same. The Saddleback Cliff really isn't that bad.

 

[ADK Rick]

Saddleback is on my list for the very near future as well. I am headed up Gothics on thursday (love that weather forecast!) and if I feel good we may go tag Saddleback too. Of course, the cliffs are on the *other* side of S'back so I won't see them. I'll post a report on what we do climb when I return.
ADK Rick

 

[Hakuna Matata]

My avatar is of Saddleback. If an over-weight, middle aged, afraid of hieghts girl can do it you will have no problem. It was worse going down than up. Going up was no worse than a lot of other places in the ADKs. Just concentrate on the rocks (handholds and footholds) and ignore the air behind you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Very do-able. In '03, I descended the steep side of Saddleback to climb Basin, then climbed back up the cliff in order to hike out Ore Bed Brook; steep, but no problem.

In July '04, I did the Haystack-Basin-Saddleback loop as part of Hillman1's 46th peak. That time, I needed a helping hand from Mr. Hillman to get up two of the more difficult spots. I don't know what the difference was, other than I'm OLDER now...

Just stick to the route that is blazed in yellow. Have fun!

 

[Peakbagr]

AlG,

It looks much worse than it is. I've done this in all weather and all seasons.
Looking down it, it looks a little forbidding the first time. What it really is is a series of ledges, small steps, that let you break this into small pieces.
A couple of us took our little kids down this when they were 8-11 years old. They looked down and were a little scared, and when they got to the bottom remarked that it wasn't all that bad.
You'll have no problem.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I first did the range about 35 years ago. I had forgotten about saddleback, and about 15 years ago, I took two of my sons on the same trip I had done. JP was 6, and JP was 8, and we were doing the range with full packs. JP started to panic descending Gothics, but little JP thought it was fun. They didn't seem to be bothered on the dlifs of Sadleback, but they bothered me. I was thinking that if their mother could see where I was dragging her little babies..

Its all mental. They call it exposure. It it wouldn't be open, it would be no different than other things you've probably done.

 

[Stan]

I descended it a few years ago with some friends, including a dog. The funniest part is leaning over the edge looking for the yellow markers. Stretching for the toeholds was, for me, the biggest challenge ... thanks to Toehold Lou it wasn't a problem.

 

[JoeCedar]

Saddleback

Ten years ago I was leading my wife to her 46th peak, Basin. Our three children and 75 lb labrador retriever also went along. We climbed up the Shorey Short Cut and reached the cliff with the ladder on the Range trail. My dog, now 15 years old, was a great climber and bushwhacker in his day, but there was no way he was going to scramble up or around this cliff. So, I know it was crazy, but I cradled him in my arms, leaned slightly forward, and climbed the ladder 'no hands'. He knew the situation and held perfectly still. We had to do the same thing again on the second ladder. Whew! We reached the summit and celebrated her accomplishment, then I wondered which way to go back--down the ladders as we came, or up and over Saddleback. I had done the Saddleback cliffs a couple of times before, but my wife saw it from the top previously and vowed "no way". Hmmm----well, I decided that going down a ladder with a dog in my arms was riskier and more difficult than climbing up Saddleback, somehow, with the dog. Oh, yeah, and it was raining off and on all day.

This is how we did it: my daughter, about 18 years old, climbed up a level and then I would lift and push the dog up to her. She would hold him and I would come up to their level. We repeated this process to the top with no problems. My wife followed us, since seeing what we were doing convinced her that it must be safe enough for her! She said that going up is much better for those with fear of heights than going down. And you can be sure she was not turning her head and looking down as she was going up.

So in conclusion, enjoy one of the most impressive and beautiful climbs in the Adirondacks! You won't forget it or regret it. But I suggest you leave the dog at home.

Joe

 

[audrey]

I once looked up at it and said, "No way!" and proceeded to try to find a route to the right, ending up getting over a ledge just a bit too high and with no handholds. What a grunt! Stay on the trail and you'll be fine.

 

[Doc McPeak]

I once looked up at it and said, "No way!" and proceeded to try to find a route to the right, ending up getting over a ledge just a bit too high and with no handholds. What a grunt! Stay on the trail and you'll be fine.

Yes, I had the same fun time last year doing Basin and Saddleback for a solo round. Mid-week, completely alone on the range, in the mist, and clinging like a lemur to that last lunge. Pretty scrappy. The key I learned later was you can indeed veer around to the right to bypass the first steep section of the yellow marked cliffs, then shimmy back along a narrow ledge (heading back to the left) and rejoin the yellow markings to the top. The ledge is about one third of the way up, and perhaps 15"-18" wide.

 

[Rick]

Ditto on what everyone else said. I really dreaded my first time up saddleback - I worried about it for a week or two in advance, and lost sleep over it. Yes there was a bit of exposure, but in a matterof minutes, I was saying tp myself "Was that it???" I thought it would have been much worse - In fact, I was a little disappointed for all my worrying.....
Good Luck.

 

[TCD]

The Saddleback trail is not nearly as scary as it is sometimes described. It's a very impressive, mostly rock hilside. But is you stay on the trail, it's really a series of short scrambles with flat areas in between. If you have climbing experience and are comfortable on your feet, you can run and jump down it in about 5 minutes.

I've always found the nicest part of that section of trail to be the Saddleback - Basin col. It's not served by a marked trail, and it's grassy and flowery and very alpine looking. Nice spot.

 

[Neil]

Everyone who has done this has a story.
My 14 year old son and I were travelling from the Garden to the Loj and day one found us descending this section, totally unexpectedly and with full packs. The kid scampered easily down the steepest parts whereas Dad removed his pack and rolled it downhill to outstretched arms. In retrospect it really is not that big of a deal allthough I'd hate to do it over verglass.

 

[bachand]

So I did this climb yesterday. The bark is worse than the bite. Just like others here have said it is a series of short scrambles. Not really much to it at all. I did it by myself and had no problem getting up any of the sections. Actually it was probably one of the most fun parts of the trip.