Snowman Says: On the AT - Rangeley to Caribou Valley Road

September 7, 2008 | Miles: 13.5
Start: Rt. 4, Rangeley
End: Old woods roads past Orbeton Stream

Eight years ago we hiked this same stretch of trail. Northbound even. So, we really had no reason to do it again. The remains of Hurricane Hanna were passing through the area, and it rained about 5 inches at our house on Saturday. So, we really had no reason to go outside at all. Of course, this meant that we were out the door at 6:30 to start our drive north.

This hike involved a car spot on Caribou Valley Road, so we actually had to take 2 cars. Caribou Valley Road is an adventure in itself. It's a logging road that has seen the bare minimum of maintenance. And the same can be said for the bridges along it. We were able to drive to the 4.5 mile point on the road. That's .5 before the AT crosses it, but at that point there's a sketchy bridge and nasty washout just beyond. Oh, it took us 20 minutes to drive the 4.5 miles. Danielle was stressed.

Eventually, we made it back out and made our way to the start of the hike at Route 4 in Rangeley. We started hiking at about 10:45, and stopped for lunch about an hour into the hike at Piazza Rock Shelter. After lunch, we made our way past some nice ponds until we started the climb up Saddleback.

Remember Hurricane Hanna? Yup, it was windy. Luckily, it wasn't raining. But, it was windy. Neither of us were knocked over, but it was close on more than one occasion. The trail is above treeline for quite a while, and we were buffeted the entire way. Probably more than an hour. It was fun, but it was also tiring. It was never dangerous, but it was tough. Our spirits were boosted along the way as we met our friend Ghost who was hiking southbound. We chatted for as long as we could, but D and I were getting cold. All in all, it was a cool way to experience the ridge.

Saddleback, the Horn and Saddleback Junior. We remember the views being great, but there were none today. The only thing we did see were the most delicious blueberries ever, just off the summit of Saddleback Junior. Eventually, we stayed below treeline for good, and reached Poplar Ridge Shelter. It was about 4:30, and we'd gone 10.7 miles. But, the shelter is at around 3,000 feet, and it was still in a bit of a cloud. We ate a quick snack, reloaded our water and moved on. There were 4 thru-hikers at the shelter, and I think they thought we were a little nuts. That's not a good sign. But, we knew that ahead of us was a big descent, which meant warmer temps and less wind. Plus, when we met Ghost, he clued us in on a great campsite.

Down, down, down we went. It was 2.8 miles and mostly downhill until we hit Orbeton Stream, which of course we had to ford. It was really cold. But at this point we were just .1 from our destination so we kept our Crocs on despite the steep slope until we hit an old woods road. We took a right off the trail, crossed a stream and there was the campsite Ghost told us about. Sweet spot, and we were in for the night. Not a day with a traditional definition of fun, but with the wind, the foggy conditions and the late push to a sweet campsite, it was a lot of fun.

September 8, 2008 | Miles: 10.5
Start: Old woods roads past Orbeton Stream
End: Caribou Valley Road

On the trail by 7:45, headed towards the worst climb in the history of climbs. Or at least that's how I remembered it from our previous trip through this section. As a whole, we thought this section was next to impossible. It turned out to not be that bad at all. We walked along Sluice Brook for awhile, which was beautiful and then eventually crossed Perham Stream, also very nice. Then we began the climb up Lone Mountain. Then the climb up Lone Mountain was over. It wasn't that bad at all. Especially, since it nearly killed me 8 years ago.

That being said, it was a cool morning, and I was working on the climb. I was sweating, but I was chilly. So, I felt a bit out of sorts. I put on another layer and my hat and gloves. We stopped for a snack and tried to pull in whatever sun we could. Not long after, we reached Spaulding Mountain Shelter and then the climb up Spaulding Mountain. For some reason, D decided she wanted to run up Spaulding Mountain. I was practically all out, and I couldn't keep up. Normally, I struggle to keep up with her on the climbs, but on this one she was in another gear. She claimed, "I just wanted to get it over with." Not sure if she was referring to the climb or our marriage. I had a snack at the top, and we were off again. More food at lunch, and I was feeling good again.

At the end of the day, we had what I think is the hardest descent on the whole norhtbound AT—the descent off Sugarloaf. It's wicked steep. It's long. It's rocky. It hates everyone. It especially hates your knees. We were very happy to reach the bottom, and we were especially glad to see the moderately sketchy plank over the South Branch of the Carrabassett River at the bottom. No ford for us. All that was left was a .5 mile walk on Caribou Valley Road back to the car.

We didn't have to do this piece again, but I'm glad we did. We had two great days in the woods.