Saddle Ball Mountain
| Saddle Ball Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,238 ft (987 m) |
| Prominence | 207 ft (63 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°37.059′N 73°11.379′W / 42.617650°N 73.189650°WCoordinates: 42°37.059′N 73°11.379′W / 42.617650°N 73.189650°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Berkshire County, Massachusetts |
| Parent range | Greylock Range |
Located in Berkshire County, Saddle Ball Mountain is the 2nd highest peak in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Other than the Mount Greylock summit itself, Saddle Ball is the highest in a series of four outcroppings or lobes along the southern ridge of the Mount Greylock Range. The Appalachian Trail (AT) intersects and parallels this ridge as it heads north toward the summit of Mount Greylock.
The Albany 30 x 60 Quadrangle map locates the highest outcropping of Saddle Ball on the Appalachian Trail, about 0.2 to 0.3 miles north of its junction with the Jones Nose Trail.
Mount Greylock was known to 18th century English settlers as Grand Hoosuc(k). In the early 19th century, Greylock was called Saddleback Mountain because of its appearance when viewed from the south. From this view, Saddle Ball Mountain is the cantle of the saddle and Mount Greylock the pommel. Saddle Ball Mountain itself was formerly known as Mt. Griffin during the early 1800s. By the mid-eighteen hundreds, the name controversy between Greylock versus Saddleback was resolved, leaving Saddle Ball Mountain as a remnant of Greylock’s earlier name.John Bascom’s 1907 monograph suggests its location along the ridge: “Mount Griffin still another two miles to the south and 220 feet lower than Greylock, which is 3,505 [sic]”.
There remains some controversy about the exact location of the highest peak.
Mount Greylock and the neighboring Taconic Mountains are comprised predominately of Ordovician phyllite, a metamorphic rock, overlain on younger layers of metamorphosed sedimentary rock, especially marble. Mount Greylock is the product of thrust-faulting, a tectonic process by which older rock is thrust up and above younger rock during periods of intense mountain building.
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Wikipedia