Our stay at Cathedral Pines Campground was very restful! We both woke up at 0500 and I got another shower. I then took some photos and caught up with some internet I'd missed while my dad got ready. We didn't leave the campground until almost 0700 and then my dad wanted to stop for gas and coffee. As a result, we were not on the road until almost 0730. We drove south towards Rangeley on ME-16 and checked out Reddington Road (north of town) to see if we could access the AT there. It turns out that we couldn't because of the Navy SERE School signs that said "no trespassing". Undeterred, we then continued into town and switched to ME-4. From there, we drove up to the Saddleback Resort and I went inside for information about climbing the mountain. Unfortunately for me, they also didn't have a chair lift running... However, they gave me good intel about getting to the AT. Armed with these instructions, I said goodbye to my dad (0900) - he went back into Rangeley to wait while I was hiking. The climb to the summit did not appear to be as difficult as the one I'd previously prepared for at Sugarloaf. I started uphill just after 0900 and used Green Weaver, The Pass, Grey Ghost and Tri-Color trails to get to the top. Altogether, I didn’t think the ski-hill climb was too bad - it was mostly just mind over matter. When I got to the highest point on the Resort, I found a little trail that continued on towards what looked liked the summit. Though it was a bit windy, the weather was awesome and the views were tremendous! I was going to start down to ME-4 (where my dad said he’d pick me up) but then realized I was not on the actual top of Saddleback! Instead, I saw that the AT continued north, through the “saddle” to reach a higher peak. Figuring I should be able to claim I climbed the whole mountain, I walked about 0.3 miles to the trail sign and then started towards Georgia (SOBO). While walking across the rocky, nearly treeless “bald”, I could see landmarks, in a 360 vista, from the Whites to the beginning of the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Spectacular! During the time that I was in the vicinity of the Resort, I saw a lot of other people coming and going - I think most were bound for The Horn (a mile north). But after I left the top, I started meeting lots of other hikers like myself. The first woman I passed was a wealth of knowledge about all the nearby peaks. I talked to her for a while and she even gave me some of her maps! I next encountered a young lady who was decked in all kinds of AT gear - I thought she was a Thru hiker but she turned out to be the Ridge Runner for the section. I talked to her for a bit and then proceeded towards the tree line again. After this, I didn’t spend any more time socializing (out of the 8 other people I passed in the descent, only one was a Thru hiker). Instead, I had to use all my mental capacity, muscles and energy to keep from falling on the steep, rocky, muddy, rooty and frustrating trail. At times, literal creeks of water gushed over the already slippery rocks and I could barely stand up straight - sometimes, I resorted to a crab walk. After a few miles, the steepness slackened but the rest of the difficult conditions never did. I tracked around some pretty ponds and also got some nice views of the mountain ridge from where I’d come. I passed a blue blazed trail that tracked through a series of huge rocks (“The Cave”). Eventually, I reached a major shelter/camp complex (right near the Piazza Rock) but I didn’t stop because I was ready to be finished by then. With two miles to go, I could already hear the traffic on ME-4 but I never got a break from the obstacle course this section felt like... Because I’d already hiked the last 3/4 mile in 2021, I finished up my day with a "re-tread" before I was in the AT Parking Lot (1330) after 9ish miles. My dad was waiting with a cold drink and some food and I was able to get a nice rest in the cool breeze coming through the area. Overall: tough terrain but great views. Very glad I hiked this separately from the other 16 miles I have left towards the north. Using Saddleback trails to start or finish that hike will be just fine! After I felt like myself again, we cleaned up the RV and drove south to Farmington. After getting on US-2, we stopped for a long break at the Walmart again. While there, I searched for a place to stay and I found one that looked promising: the Mountain View Campground, just north of Dixfield (on ME-142). A bit later, we drove there and arrived at around 1700. The place was totally different from the other campsites we'd seen recently. For one thing, it was really just a big field and we were parked right next to other guests. Still, the campground had a warm shower, live musical entertainment and, at around 2100, a big fireworks display. Before bed, I did some more reading and managed to stay awake until 2200. Crossing fingers I’ll get some more miles tomorrow! AT Today = 5.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 1948.1 miles
