Slack Packing The Crockers

Due to the weather forecast, I decided to slack pack to the Crockers and take a zero the next day. I ate an enormous and delicious breakfast at the Maine Roadhouse, which included fresh fruit, and was shuttled to the trailhead.

As I expected, I hiked slowly. My legs tire easily and I am very cautious. At the summit of North Crocker,  I caught up to a day-hiking couple and their dog. We ate lunch together and the husband took my photo below.

At South  Crocker, I passed the girls camp group from Quebec. In the steep rockslide descent, they rock hopped past me as I slowly placed each foot on the precarious rocks.  They camped at the Crocker Cirque Campsite, which I believe has gorgeous views of the cirque. I, however, continued on, missing the views, as I was aware of the forecast of rain.

I arrived at Caribou Valley Road, a 5-mile, rutted, dirt road  just before it started to sprinkle. Jenn, who picked me up, had purchased Epsom Salt for me. When I returned to the Stratton Motel, which provides overflow lodging for the Maine Roadhouse, I enjoyed a long soak in the bathtub, had dinner with a group of hikers, and, before going to bed, did a Feldenkrais lesson on balance. It was a much needed lesson.

Detour Around Impassable Carrabassett River

I was happy to make plans with Georgia, whom I had met in the 100 Mile Wilderness, to hike together. She had slack packed the Crockers the day before me and had been  waiting for a delivery of new shoes. She was now ready to hit the trail with me.

Iver breakfast the next morning at the Maine Roadhouse, Jenn told us that the Carrabassett River, which is at the beginning of our hike, was impassable due to 6 inches of rain received the night before. The high water bypass required us to hike from the base of Sugarloaf Mountain, up alpine ski trails, to the summit. From there, we would take a half mile blue blaze trail back to the AT.

And so we did. Ski trails are not graded for hiking. Due to construction, we were unable to hike on the gravel road to the summit. Before heading up, we looked at the trail map and asked for directions. The cook at the cafe generously came outdoors to explain our route: the Tote Road to Timberline.

As we set out, we quickly discovered that the trails were wet. Ascending, we felt the full power of the wind, which may have been gusting at 40 to 50 miles per hour. The resort posted  occasional signs directing AT hikers. Below is a photo of Georgia at one of the signs.

Near the summit, a hiker stuck his head out of the lift tow operator hut. We joined him and his hiking partner, who were northbound, to get out of the wind and eat an early lunch. They told us that they and 4 others spent 2 nights at the Spaulding Mountain Leanto due to the heavy rain.

Georgia went to the larger ski patrol  hut, where we thought we’d be more comfortable, but she was unable to find an unlocked door. When we later headed out, we mistakenly hiked to the  true  summit before descending on the blue blaze trail to the AT. Thankfully the woods protected us from the fierce wind. However, the trail was a stream bed.

We took another break at Spaulding Mountain Leanto. We had planned to camp at a logging road near Perham Stream. When we arrived, we found 5 NOBOs had already set up their tents. After we set up our tents, we began to prepare dinner. I discovered that the knob on my trusty MSR Whisperlite stove was rusted shut. My 20-some year old stove was inoperable. One of the NOBOs, Ranch, tried to loosen the knob, to no avail. He let me use his stove.

Slow Progress South

The NOBOs all left around 6 a.m. When we left an hour later, we got wet feet crossing Perham Stream. From there it was downhill to Oberton Stream, which was reportedly running thigh high after the rain. I led us the wrong way over Sluice Brook. The crossing had been too easy to be the Oberton Stream. Thankfully we had not gone far when a pair of slack packers, who had detoured around the Oberton  Stream, pointed out that we were not on the AT.  Back on trail, it was a steep descent to the Oberton Stream. A group of NOBOs, 3  of whom are in the photo below, were crossing as we arrived so we could see the best way to proceed.

I was relieved that the water was just above knee deep and the current was not strong.

On Poplar Ridge we took a break to let our feet dry out. At one point that afternoon, my socks and trail runners were nearly dry—until I stepped in mud and water again. We met 2 women hiking Maine. They had coined the term “mudilicious” to describe the conditions.

We were approaching the Saddleback range, which covers over 2 miles of trail above treeline, with views and alpine vegetation, as well as exposure to the elements. Both the ascent to and descent from Saddleback Junior involved challenging rock scrambles, like the one pictured below.

At one point, there was a metal ladder, only partially secured to the rock slab. Just a bit precarious!

The ascent to the Horn was also difficult and slow. From there, we could see the Saddleback ridgeline before us, which is featured at the top of this post. The views were spectacular! The sun was filtered through the clouds.

As we descended from the exposed summit, Georgia took off like a bat out of hell. We knew we would not make it to our intended destination for the night and were hoping to find a stealth site below treeline. As I descended slowly, it started to rain. I found Georgia setting up her tent at a small stealth site.  We squeezed in our 2 tents.

Borrowing Georgia’s stove, I cooked dinner just outside my tent while sitting inside. It was very windy that night and the rain continued for awhile. The next morning we had a slow descent down rocks. I was glad for the metal rungs pictured below.

We stopped at Piazza Rock Leanto  to dry out our feet. We did not go to the nearby cave area, as did many dayhikers.

Daily I have seen a dozen or more NOBOs and a few SOBOs.  This day, I crossed paths with Shoey, a NOBO I recognized. We had met months ago and both remember discussing the AMC. He had been a hut caretaker, I believe planning to return this fall, and remembered that I was a volunteer alpine steward. He is the second NOBO I’ve met whom I knew from the early days. I look forward to meeting more!

Again we did not hike as far as we had planned. My legs felt tired. As I slowly hiked, I grazed on blueberries. When Georgia caught up to me, we decided to camp at the Little Swift Water Pond Campsite. When we arrived, there, we met a SOBO eating dinner. Once we chose our sites, it started to rain. We quickly set up our tents. When the rain stopped, we cooked our dinners.  After dinner, we walked down to the pond, pictured below.

We had agreed to get an early start the next day. Despite our best efforts, the mud, water, and difficult terrain slowed us down. Our wet feet were uncomfortable and Georgia’s feet were worse off than mine. We decided to get off trail and go into Rangeley. Georgia wanted to let her feet heal. I wanted to let my legs rest and hoped to buy a new stove.

We stayed at the Saddleback Inn and decided to take a zero. First night we ate gourmet meals at Parkside and Maine. The second night we ate at Sarge’s Pub. As we were leaving, Mike and Ana arrived. They briefly described their past several days on trail, including spending a night at the Carabassett Stream with others, waiting for the water level to drop,

I was not able to repair my stove at the Rangeley Sports Shop and there was only one backpacking stove available, the Glacier GSI. It is neither lightweight nor compact as was the  Whisperlite, but it will do for the time being.

In addition, I picked up a package waiting for me in Andover. In the heat of Virginia, I mailed home my down puffy jacket, long sleeve merino shirt, and a third pair of socks. Arne and Deborah, who have been house sitting, located the items and mailed them to me, along with dark chocolate bars, dried fruit, and other treats. What a pleasant surprise!

Tomorrow we head back to the trail. Bemis and Old Blue Mountains, here we come!