Saddleback and Horn in Maine

Saddleback from near our turnaround point on the Horn. You can see the winding trail across the top and a glimpse of ski trails on the right.

HIKED ON August 27, 2024
It looks like I have some catching up to do!  At least I would like to do so.  When I was writing the previous post about Mount Abraham, VT, I realized that we hadn't climbed a new 4,000 footer in slightly over a year.  What a year it had been.  We have been busy with life.  It feels like almost everything has changed since that time.  Of course there was hiking.  I completed the Mid-State Trail and hit some other smaller mountains when I could.  However, what with the change of jobs, Al's doctoral work, and the big move to Western Massachusetts, the ME 4,000 footers just didn't get properly logged.  I think I would like to remedy that...to the best of my ability.

So the first hike on that Maine vacation in 2024 was up Saddleback Mountain then along a picturesque ridge to its companion peak, Mount Horn.  The total distance was about 6.5 miles.  The elevation gain was around 2,700 feet. I had to go back to All Trails to figure that out.  I have to say that my average elevation-per-hike has dipped quite a bit in the intervening year!

The name of these two mountains--perhaps not surprisingly--is from the shape of the land between them.  "saddle" is the general term for the sloping ridge between two peaks.  In this case it takes some doing but with a broad-minded acceptance of the vagaries of nature one can imagine an actual saddle, with the "back" at Saddleback and the "horn" of the saddle at...well...you know...the horn.

These mountains are home to the Saddleback Mountain ski resort.  I remember their advertisements when when I was a kid.  They leaned into a southwestern theme for a while and the whole place had a 1970's Marlboro-man-with-skis vibe.  They have reinvented themselves a few times since then and actually closed for a while.  Now it seems to be going fine.

Ski mountains have a somewhat domestic vibe.

This is significant (not the '70's part) because the generally best way to tackle these mountains is to start at the lodge and climb straight up one of the ski trails.  We have done this before, notably on Wildcat D. It is brutal in many ways.  The trails are built to go fast down which means the climb does not relent.  That said, there are views the whole way and that is something special.

On this particular day we arrived in the fog but decided to make a go if it anyway. Sometimes we get into a "views optional" state of mind, particularly when we have had to stay over somewhere.  I am glad we did it. The clouds lifted over the first hour or so.  Then the whole trail stretched before us.  Different ski mountains have different relationships with hikers.  Some do not want hiking there at all.  Others--like Wildcat--designate a particular trail.  In this case the company maintained a "regular" trail that meandered its way up.  The only thing that made it different from a normal route was that there were no trees around us and plenty of ski equipment!

This light layer of clouds was with us most of the day after the fog cleared. This was a typical view from the ski trail on the way down.

A lovely spot on the saddle.

That situation ended at the lift mechanism and a small lodge.  Honestly, if someone bought a lift ticket for me, I could see riding up in winter just to hang out. As it was, everything was closed and a small crew was clearing brush in preparation for the season still months away.  From the complex of buildings, it was little trouble to find an actual "trail" to the top that wandered across the ridge to the peak of Saddleback. 

After Saddleback I was inclined to head back down.  This happens to us frequently!  Allison, caught up in the climb, is ready to keep going. I am usually tired and almost always cautious, so I tend to want to stick to the less ambitious plan.  On this day Al convinced me to move on so we did.  On other days--particularly on longer hikes where our resources are failing--I prevail.  It is a good system. In this case it meant having the Horn basically to ourselves.

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After that there isn't much to say.  The walk to the Horn and back was definitely not smooth.  There are some tricky bits and crevices.  Also, I think I remember at least one false peak.  That said, the hike both out and back had near-constant views of a relatively remote part of Maine.  Did the views even wear a bit on our slog back down the ski trail?  Yes, of course.  Still...it was a fabulous day.