Horns Pond - This site is part of the 36,000-acre Bigelow Preserve, located in Stratton, Maine. The most popular sites in the Bigelow preserve are two fragile, high elevation zones: Horns Pond and Avery Col.

The Bigelow range is a close second to Katahdin for ridge walking, much of it is above tree line and extremely difficult. Peaks in the alpine zone include Avery Peak (4,088') and West Peak (4,150'). Hikers camp at Horns Pond on their way up to the South Horns and West Peak, then over to Avery Peak.

The total number of trail users recorded by our caretaker in 2004 was 2,332, including 623 day hikers (an increase of 35% since 1980), 421 overnight campers, 765 in organized groups, and 523 thru-hikers.

Horns Pond is the MATC’s heaviest used site for overnight campers, attracting approximately 3,000 – 4,000 backpackers each season. Many youth groups flock to Horns Pond. This camp site can handle fifty people at a maximum, and has seen that many on the busiest weekends.

Geoff Shadman, the Horns Pond and the Bigelow Preserve Caretaker/Ridge Runner for the 2010 Season, is returning to Horns Pond this year for his second season as Caretaker of the Horns Pond campsite and Ridge Runner for the AT through the Bigelow Preserve. Geoff has been a long time member of the MATC as a volunteer with the Maine Trail Crew and CARE Program. (Caretaker and Ridge Runner Education)

A trail maintainer of three sections on the AT for the MATC - two of which are in the 100mile wilderness the other is the trail leading into and out of Horns Pond campsite- Geoff is also the corridor monitors of two on sections of the AT. Along with these responsibilities, he will be the voice of the AT in Maine on the LEAVE NO TRACE Steering committee for the state this year. The Leave No Trace in Maine Steering Committee is a group of people from agencies interested in promoting Leave No Trace education within the State. The Leave No Trace in Maine Steering Committee collaborates across agency boundaries to promote and teach Leave No Trace. The Committee also works closely with the national Leave No Trace organization out of Boulder, CO.

As a hiker, Registered Maine Guide in recreation and Educator of LEAVE NO TRACE Geoff is a experienced outdoors man, who has hiked most of the states on the At and almost all of the Long trail in VT. Having been introduced to hiking and the splendors of the woods at an early age by his Grandfather George Shadman Sr. Geoff spends as much of his free time in the mountains hiking, snow shoeing, camping, working on trails, wandering and doing his best to teach others how to lessen their impacts in the back country through LNT as he can!

Geoff will be setting out this March to hike form Springer to Waynesboro Va.. (or beyond depending on weather and how fast he moves) before reporting back to work on Bigelow for the start of the 2010 season at the end of May. This will leave only Md, PA and NJ. Before earning his 2000miler.By doing this he hopes to be able to meet and interact with Thru-hikers early in the season who may not know about LNT to help keep the AT’s resources intact as possible and encourage them to do the same.

Come visit him on the Bigelow’s this season!!