alpinista
Active member
AMSTony, SteveHiker and I spent the looooong ride up to Rangeley debating whether to hike up and back along the AT to Saddleback and the Horn or to take the ski trails up to the ridge and back down. No answer would be perfect. The AT would be more backwoodsy, but longer -- about 9 hours RT booktime. The ski trails would be less scenic, perhaps, but much shorter.
We settled on the short attack, given the long slog in a car that it takes to get up there from southern NH and Massachusetts. In the end, it was just perfect for each of us (at least that's my take on it. I'd had given Tony and Steve the pitch that the ski trails would be "relatively" easy, emphasizing the word "relatively," only to have them rib me a bit as we stopped every few feet to catch our breath on the steep grade!
)
On the front porch of the base lodge is a sign that welcomes hikers but asks them to stay on a trail designated for walking. A plastic folder contained some maps for hikers to take, pointing them in the right direction.
Along the trail, we ran into two locals who told us that Saddleback ski area had been sold in recent years to a gentleman who spruced the place up, lowered prices and made it a friendly place to ski. A co-worker had described the place as a hidden jewel with lots of off-piste skiing. I resolved to return one day in winter.
Sure, ski trails aren't why we're out there hiking. But it took very little time before we were able to look west behind us and capture some amazing views of Saddleback Pond, mountain ranges to the west and grab some rays. The terrain of the ski trail was smooth and relatively easy, albeit mighty steep in some sections. But we gained the ridge in about 90 minutes and were able to take in the endless views this hike has to offer all the way up.
Once on the ridge, we could see north to Saddleback, the Horn, Sugarloaf, the Bigelows and even up to Katahdin. We could see the AT to the south, the mountains of New Hampshire to the west. A few puffy clouds floated in the sky, occasionally casting shadows on the valleys below but not bringing a single drop of rain with them.
It wasn't long before we hit the summit of Saddleback (No. 54 for me in the NE67). We stopped to rest a bit, and refuel. It was here that I was starting to feel a bit overheated. I was in a wardrobe dilemma: Wearing a baseball cap helped shield my face a bit from the blazing sun, but it also prevented the heat from escaping from my head.
Between Saddleback and the Horn -- about 1.7 miles between the peaks -- the ridge dips down dramatically only to have to rise back up. We were crossing rocks and ledges, the sun bouncing back up, and only one small section of tree cover (it's in this section where there's a metal ladder that helps climb over a small ledge).
It was along this stretch, that I started to feel a tad overheated and a bit nauseous. At one point, the little "holster" that carries my GU, fell off my backpack hip belt and I heard it fall to the ground -- right in a small crack between two large boulders. I tried for a few minutes to retrieve it using my hiking pole, but gave up and decided to catch up to AMSTony and SteveHiker who were a bit ahead of me.
By the time I made it to the summit of the Horn, I'd slowed down a lot, felt sick to my stomach and felt as though the slight breeze wasn't so much a blessing on a nice summer day but an annoyance that left me feeling drained. I absolutely love lingering on summits, but this time, all I could do was have the obligatory summit shot taken, take a few swigs of water and head back down. (Though Tony did point out that if I needed a helicopter rescue the summit was perfect for it! )
Tony and Steve graciously tagged along back with me -- and Tony (my hero!) retrieved my GU holster. By the time we were back at Saddleback, I was feeling better. I'd decided to hold my hat in my hand rather than keep it on my head, and the escaping heat seemed to cool me down a bit. Phew! It's nice to feel (relatively) normal again!
We were back at the ski trails in no time, finding them relatively easy to descend, except for a few slips and slides on the dry dirt.
Once back at the base lodge, we found it open, much to our delight. We later found out that the older gentleman with the funky panama hat that greeted us in the lobby was the owner. He welcomed us in, told us we could take a look around, and allowed us to use the bathrooms. Such a nice way to end the day!
In all, the climb involved 2,000 feet of elevation gain to reach the ridge, and about 5.5 hours round trip.
Pix start here:Alpinista's Webshots
We settled on the short attack, given the long slog in a car that it takes to get up there from southern NH and Massachusetts. In the end, it was just perfect for each of us (at least that's my take on it. I'd had given Tony and Steve the pitch that the ski trails would be "relatively" easy, emphasizing the word "relatively," only to have them rib me a bit as we stopped every few feet to catch our breath on the steep grade!
)On the front porch of the base lodge is a sign that welcomes hikers but asks them to stay on a trail designated for walking. A plastic folder contained some maps for hikers to take, pointing them in the right direction.
Along the trail, we ran into two locals who told us that Saddleback ski area had been sold in recent years to a gentleman who spruced the place up, lowered prices and made it a friendly place to ski. A co-worker had described the place as a hidden jewel with lots of off-piste skiing. I resolved to return one day in winter.
Sure, ski trails aren't why we're out there hiking. But it took very little time before we were able to look west behind us and capture some amazing views of Saddleback Pond, mountain ranges to the west and grab some rays. The terrain of the ski trail was smooth and relatively easy, albeit mighty steep in some sections. But we gained the ridge in about 90 minutes and were able to take in the endless views this hike has to offer all the way up.
Once on the ridge, we could see north to Saddleback, the Horn, Sugarloaf, the Bigelows and even up to Katahdin. We could see the AT to the south, the mountains of New Hampshire to the west. A few puffy clouds floated in the sky, occasionally casting shadows on the valleys below but not bringing a single drop of rain with them.
It wasn't long before we hit the summit of Saddleback (No. 54 for me in the NE67). We stopped to rest a bit, and refuel. It was here that I was starting to feel a bit overheated. I was in a wardrobe dilemma: Wearing a baseball cap helped shield my face a bit from the blazing sun, but it also prevented the heat from escaping from my head.
Between Saddleback and the Horn -- about 1.7 miles between the peaks -- the ridge dips down dramatically only to have to rise back up. We were crossing rocks and ledges, the sun bouncing back up, and only one small section of tree cover (it's in this section where there's a metal ladder that helps climb over a small ledge).
It was along this stretch, that I started to feel a tad overheated and a bit nauseous. At one point, the little "holster" that carries my GU, fell off my backpack hip belt and I heard it fall to the ground -- right in a small crack between two large boulders. I tried for a few minutes to retrieve it using my hiking pole, but gave up and decided to catch up to AMSTony and SteveHiker who were a bit ahead of me.
By the time I made it to the summit of the Horn, I'd slowed down a lot, felt sick to my stomach and felt as though the slight breeze wasn't so much a blessing on a nice summer day but an annoyance that left me feeling drained. I absolutely love lingering on summits, but this time, all I could do was have the obligatory summit shot taken, take a few swigs of water and head back down. (Though Tony did point out that if I needed a helicopter rescue the summit was perfect for it!
)Tony and Steve graciously tagged along back with me -- and Tony (my hero!) retrieved my GU holster. By the time we were back at Saddleback, I was feeling better. I'd decided to hold my hat in my hand rather than keep it on my head, and the escaping heat seemed to cool me down a bit. Phew! It's nice to feel (relatively) normal again!
We were back at the ski trails in no time, finding them relatively easy to descend, except for a few slips and slides on the dry dirt.
Once back at the base lodge, we found it open, much to our delight. We later found out that the older gentleman with the funky panama hat that greeted us in the lobby was the owner. He welcomed us in, told us we could take a look around, and allowed us to use the bathrooms. Such a nice way to end the day!
In all, the climb involved 2,000 feet of elevation gain to reach the ridge, and about 5.5 hours round trip.
Pix start here:Alpinista's Webshots
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