Date: 2013-07-22
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To

To: Redington Campsite, mi 1,973.5
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

I left the Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to by 6:30, walking past Lugie and BB's tent and the boy scouts camping on the platform down slope of the lean-to. I had about 9.5 miles to hike with about 600-ft of elevation gain over rocky terrain. I wanted to get a head start since it could take considerable time to hitch my way 9 miles west on ME4 into Rangeley, where I planned to resupply. Lugie and BB, whom I had first met about a day ago at the Hall Mountain Shelter, were planning to stop in Rangeley too. The AT intersected a large gravel parking area at ME 4. I sign requested that hikers hike up the highway to the next turnout towards Rangely, where it was safer for motorists to pull over. As I began my hike up ME 4, I could see a pickup with a fenced bed and hikers in back. The truck was parked at the end of the driveway, and the driver was flagging me to hitch a ride. It was here that I met to older gentlemen named Pumpkin and Motts. I don't recall exactly where they said they were from, but I believe one was from Tennessee. They had found each other early in the hike and worked well together as hiking friends. They were staying at a hostel down the driveway and getting a complementary ride to Rangeley about 9 miles northwest from the trailhead. I payed 10 bucks since I had no intentions on getting sucked into another hostel for the night. We agreed to get dropped at the Rangeley IGA market about 1 mile south of the main strip in town. The three of us spent a good hour between shopping and repackaging on the bench around the side of the store. The sun was blazing in the early afternoon. I had to work quickly to repackage particularly the candy which was melting in the heat. Pumpkin and Motts hitched the remaining mile into to town. I decided to take my time and walk. By the time I made it to town, I found Luggie and BB along with there friend who had joined them for a few days. They were planning to have lunch at the Red Onion on Main Street with their friend, who hiked a significantly slower pace. He had apparently slept a shelter behind Luggie and BB, and caught up in Rangeley, where a fourth friend would drive through several states to rendezvous for pickup. We had a grand party at the Red Onion, enjoying lots of delicious food and two pitchers of beer on the porch out front. By 3pm, I decided that I needed to get back to the trail, but was stuck with the task of trying to hitch 9 miles back to the trail. I pulled out my custom hitch hiking banner which I made back in Gorham on my white Tyvek ground tarp. It simple stated "AT THRU HIKER - To Trailhead". I held it out with one arm while hiking the road side out of town. I had not reached the IGA market before a small car speeding past with a familiar face hanging out the window shouted "Rock Steady". They pulled into the IGA parking lot and were offering me a ride back to the trail. We passed around the shores of the colossal Rangeley Lake, then into the forest. It was approaching 4pm by the time I swung my pack onto my shoulders, now significantly heavier with fresh food supply for the Saddlebacks. The black billowing clouds that loomed over the ridge, gave way to heavy rain on my gradual approach to the steeper flanks of Saddleback Mountain. The plan was to reach the Redington Campsite, approximately 7.5 miles north, and over the top of the loftiest of the Saddlebacks, Saddleback Mountain itself. The Saddle backs transform into large exfoliation domes with glacial erratics, once above timber line. Low lying tundra grew in large fractures and lower troughs. When I got to the summit, a glimpse of Rangeley Lake appeared in the distance beneath the heavy clouds. The rain had stopped. I hiked past large "pyramid" cairns like the ones encountered in the Whites of New Hampshire. The Horn was covered in clouds, but I could see the granitic flanks ramping up steeply into the clouds. The AT off the north side of The Horn was more convoluted, requiring some scrambling down steep ledges into lower terrain. By dusk, I was hiking in the shadows of darkness beneath the canopy. By 7:30 pm, I had reached the intersection of the blue blaze path to the Redington Campsite. A sign indicated numerous designated tent pads and the location of a spring at the furthest perimeter of the site, accessed by the main peripheral path. I found a spot close to the main path, set up my tent and filled my water containers at the spring for cooking. The evening was balmy and still. It appeared that the clouds had settled low in the forest. I was the only one, in utter tranquility.