Began the ascent of Saddleback Mountain. On the way up, we saw our first moose across a pond. It watched us for a few moments before turning and heading back into the woods. Hopefully we’ll see another closer up, but that was pretty cool.
Met a woman (Blueberry) who thru-hiked last year and got all the way to Route 17. Now she’s picking up where she left off to finish her hike. I guess I’m not the only one who’s had doubts this late in the game.
Later on, we met a couple (her name is Happy Feet) who already finished their nobo thru-hike and are headed south to New Hampshire. She told me Gorham to Andover is the toughest section of trail, not Gorham to Stratton (as Wingfoot says). Also, she hated that section -- found it dangerous and scary and the cause of some tears. So I’m not the only one! I was really happy to get positive info from her about the terrain in the rest of the state. Looks like the hardest part really is over.
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| The climb up Saddleback |
Anyway, we climbed to the top of Saddleback, above treeline, which was nice. Supposedly you can see Katahdin on a clear day -- not sure if I saw it or not. Then it was on to climb The Horn. Bumped into Frankenstein and his brother there. Finally we climbed Saddleback Jr. Others complained about the steepness of the climb, but I didn’t think it was that bad. Maybe I was just really looking forward to lunch.
On top, by the sign, I found two unopened cans of Budweiser and a Hershey bar. As Dave wrote in the next register, “Who do you think got the chocolate bar?” No tent sites at Orbeton Stream, so we kept walking and found a few tucked away by a stream at the side of a road. Nice bed of grass to put the tent on.
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| Longshanks and Swagman show off some trail magic. |
Was a pretty hot climb a great treat. Swags
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