Paradox
New member
- Joined
- May 29, 2006
- Messages
- 2,268
- Reaction score
- 314
Friday, I checked the forecast for Saturday in Stratton, Maine, the rain wasn’t supposed to start until late afternoon with a front and thunderstorms around midnight. I figured I could bag both Saddleback and the The Horn, and if it started to rain on the hike back who cares.
On the drive up I saw two moose, one a large mature male the other a young male. The larger male was just standing in the middle of the road and I saw him from more than a half mile away. I pulled up to about 200' and we looked at each other for more than a minute. My camera was in back
. Eventually he sauntered back into the woods.
I left the Rt 4, AT trailhead around 8:00 am and within minutes sprinkles started. The trail is fast and easy for the most part right up to the summit. I met a section hiker coming down and he said that the wind was really strong on the ridge. He was so right. We reached the summit cairn of Saddleback at 11:00 am. The cold rain was horizontal. The dogs looked at me as if to say: “We’re with you boss,…but isn’t this supposed to be fun?” I explained to them that if the rain was six hours early, the front might be along soon. No pictures: too foul. We will bag The Horn another day.
I met two groups about an hour and two hours behind headed up. Told them what I knew and they kept going. 9.5 miles, 5 hours 40 minutes. Trail was dry and relatively hard on the way up and very muddy on the way down. The granite ledge on the upper part of the mountain has good traction, even when wet. 59/100, 51/67
Pictures are of Piazza Rock and the dogs only.
On the drive up I saw two moose, one a large mature male the other a young male. The larger male was just standing in the middle of the road and I saw him from more than a half mile away. I pulled up to about 200' and we looked at each other for more than a minute. My camera was in back
. Eventually he sauntered back into the woods.I left the Rt 4, AT trailhead around 8:00 am and within minutes sprinkles started. The trail is fast and easy for the most part right up to the summit. I met a section hiker coming down and he said that the wind was really strong on the ridge. He was so right. We reached the summit cairn of Saddleback at 11:00 am. The cold rain was horizontal. The dogs looked at me as if to say: “We’re with you boss,…but isn’t this supposed to be fun?” I explained to them that if the rain was six hours early, the front might be along soon. No pictures: too foul. We will bag The Horn another day.
I met two groups about an hour and two hours behind headed up. Told them what I knew and they kept going. 9.5 miles, 5 hours 40 minutes. Trail was dry and relatively hard on the way up and very muddy on the way down. The granite ledge on the upper part of the mountain has good traction, even when wet. 59/100, 51/67
Pictures are of Piazza Rock and the dogs only.
Last edited:
