Day 139 – ME 4 to Sluice Brook (mile 1979.1)

We decided it was finally time to depart Rangeley this morning after breakfast. We quickly got a hitch out of town from a nice local guy who was really into all the various hunting seasons they have up here, including the lottery-based moose hunt. We were hiking a little before 9am. We had some pretty big mountain climbs today going over Saddleback, The Horn, and Saddleback Junior. The climb to Saddleback was very root-filled and slow until we got up above treeline. Once we got up there, we had multiple false summits, but it was pretty nice hiking so we didn’t mind.

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One of the false summits of Saddleback (that area on top is not the summit)

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Rangeley Lake off in the distance from Saddleback summit

We then hiked down some steep and slick trail and then back up to The Horn. We grabbed some lunch and chatted with some other thru-hikers up there. We got a bit of rain shortly after that as we descended The Horn and ascended the last of the 3 peaks on this range, Saddleback Junior. By the time we summited, the rain had blown out and it was sunny again. The clouds were blowing through fast all day.

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Clouds covering Saddleback and The Horn as seen from Saddleback Junior

A lot of the trail was tricky today, with loads of wet roots and rocks to contend with.

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Typical gnarly Maine trail

We hiked down off that ridge and then briefly back up the next ridge and then found a little stealth spot off the Sluice Brook. Tomorrow we have the fairly large Spaulding/Sugarloaf/Crocker range to tackle.

Vital stats for Monday, September 1st :
Mountains remaining – 9
Miles hiked today – 14.2
Mood – good, glad to be back on the trail and heading towards the goal again
Physical state – improved after 2 days off, but still tired from another tough Maine day
Smell – sweaty moose
Song stuck in my head – Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town by Pearl Jam

2 thoughts on “Day 139 – ME 4 to Sluice Brook (mile 1979.1)

  1. Mom - Tapey

    The moose flights and sneaker wings will surely get you to Mt. Katahdin!! Up and down…up and down…up and down. There really is nothing wrong with walking on a level surface…just in case you didn’t know that! 🙂 When Cowboy was very, very young, he would climb on the kitchen table and then just sit there…quite content. Was this the start of the climbing thing? Missing you in HOT Lewes (temperature…not activity) but looking forward to seeing you soon in Maine! Woohoo! Be safe and stay healthy. Sending up-and-down-and-up-and-down thoughts, MANY more prayers and mountains of love. Take care.

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