Acadia Trails...

Sand Beach from near the summit of the Gorham Trail

 

We were able to get some serious hiking done during our almost two weeks in Acadia National Park.  There were no shortages of peaks to climb, ridges to traverse, thick mossy forest trails and lakes and beaches to explore.  Nearly every trail gave us breathtaking views of pink granite peaks with ocean views in the distance.  Other trails led through dense spruce/fir forests up steep, rocky gorges and some circumnavigated deep blue lakes - no such thing as a bad hike in Acadia.  They were all beautiful!  

We summited 7 mountains, traversed 4 ridges, struggled up 2 steep gorges, strolled around 3 lakes, walked several different beaches and enjoyed 2 sections of Carriage Roads.  And still we left so much undone.  Acadia National Park is such an amazing place.  

Walking to the sea on the Mt. Champlain Trail


Rock Cairns

 

 

Unique Acadia rock cairns mark the trails

 

 

 

Tranquil Jordan Pond

 

 

 

Maple Springs Trail 

Moss covered rocks on the Maple Springs Trail

 

 

Climbing up the rocky chasm to Maple Springs

 

 

Carriage Road Bridge over Maple Springs Trail

 

 

 

Parkman Mountain Trail 

Heading down Parkman Mountain

 

 

 Down is trickier and scarier than up

 



 

Wind Blown Maya

 

 

 

David's Stats:

Days Hiked  8

Rain Days    2

Total Miles Hiked    36.29

Ave. Miles per Day      4.41
Total Elevation Gain       6,725
Ave. Elevation Gain per day   838

 

 

 

 

 

Summertime on Mount Desert Island

Bass Head Light House

Pink granite rocky coast of Mount Desert Island

 

The biggest part of Acadia National Park is located on rock-bound Mount Desert Island nestled close to the ‘mainland’ of Maine.  (And by the way, the locals pronounce it like the dessert you eat and not like it is spelled.)  As with most of the eastern national parks, Acadia has a long history of people living on the land before it became a park.  Indigenous people and then other island settlers fished, farmed, quarried granite and engaged in trade and shipping on the island. 

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain overlooking Bar Harbor

 

 

In the 1800s, the beautiful landscape paintings of the Hudson River School inspired city dwellers on the east coast to seek out Mount Desert Island.  Huge wooden hotels were constructed and many wealthy families built their summer ‘cottages’ on the island.  But amid all the lawn parties were those people that appreciated the natural beauty of the island and who worked to establish a park.  5,000 acres in donated land were acquired and presented to the federal government.   In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area Sieur de Monts National Monument and then in 1919 Congress redesignated it as a national park – the first to be established east of the Mississippi River.

 

Pink granite mountains, forests, a lake and the Atlantic ocean

Cobblestone beach

 

 

“Summertime and the living is easy…” described our time in Acadia.  We had two glorious weeks of breathtaking hikes up pink granite cliffs surrounded by blue sea on two to three sides.  Some hikes took us through dense evergreen forests to glacier carved mountains with views of valleys that cupped deep blue lakes.  We strolled down cobblestone beaches and rocky sea shore and the streets of nearby Bar Harbor.  Acadia allows dogs on its trails except for the  'ladder' trails, so Maya was able to accompany us most everywhere.  The food was so delicious and fresh from the blueberries we picked ourselves to the fantastic seafood, to the homemade ice cream at the store next to our campground.  Everything was as near perfect as possible.

Blueberry ice cream and 'Moose Tracks,' vanilla with a chocolate and caramel swirl

 

The weather was ‘easy’ too.  With sunny days in the 70’s and light breezes to cool us after strenuous climbs and then nights in the low 60’s, perfect for snuggling and sleeping – we couldn’t have dreamed any better.   One day it clouded up and rained on us while we were hiking but the sun came out and we were soon warm and dry again.  It rained heavy enough to keep us from hiking only two days out of thirteen, and we welcomed the time to relax, read and take short sightseeing drives.

 

The rock 'bar' across Bar Harbor 

 

Another thing that makes it easy to enjoy life on Mount Desert Island is the free bus system.  You really don’t need a car once you arrive in Acadia.  Buses stop at the campgrounds and in Bar Harbor and the other villages on the island.  There are designated stops throughout the park and at many of the hiking trailheads.  And anywhere in the park you can ‘wave’ a bus down and it will stop and pick you up – for free.  L.L. Bean and a few other organizations have underwritten this bus system in hopes of cutting down on traffic and pollution on the island.  As popular and crowded as the park can get in the summer, the buses are really needed.  It was nice not to have to drive and  jockey for parking at the trailheads.  Maya turned out to be an amazing bus rider and always got compliments and pets for her good manners.

 

Mennonite women enjoying the beach

Trails in Acadia range from the very strenuous climbs, some with rungs and ladders over granite cliff faces like a jungle gym for adults to the 45 miles of rustic ‘Carriage Roads,’ a gift of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family to Acadia National Park.  The Carriage Roads weave around the mountains, lakes and valleys of Acadia and are beloved by park visitors.  An avid and skilled horseman, Rockefeller built these roads from 1913 to 1940 so that he and his guests could enjoy sweeping vistas and close-up views of Mt. Desert Island by horse and carriage on motor-free byways.  You will see hikers and a few horses and riders on the Carriage  Roads, but bicycles are the preferred method of travel these days.  It may not have been Rockefeller's original intention, but the fantastic views combined with no automobile traffic make these roads perfect for cyclists.

David and Maya share the Carriage Road with cyclists

 

One of the seventeen beautiful stone bridges on the Carriage Roads

 

Much handwork went into the making of the stone bridges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Maine Coast and Lobstah...

The Maine coastline is so beautiful!

The Maine coast is just about the perfect place to be in July and August.  And as we were discovering, a lot of people know this fact.  We had originally planned to go to northern Maine first and up to Canada then back down to the coast.  But we had to change our plans a little.  David had turned too close to the gate at Moose Brook Campground while we were in New Hampshire and though it didn’t put a scratch on the gate, it did some damage to the passenger side of our car.  At first we thought we would wait for repairs until we got back to Texas but the passenger side door wasn’t opening and that had to be fixed.

So instead of heading to northern Maine, we headed to Portland to drop our car off for repairs.  The Portland area was jammed with people and campgrounds were full.  We got the very last place at the third campground we tried. Then we got the bad news that it would take about 10 days to 2 weeks for our car to be repaired.  We had some serious rethinking of our travel plans to do.  But first we needed some lobster.  Not too far away down US Highway 1 near Wells, Maine was the famous Maine Diner, voted best restaurant in Maine for the past several years.  The Maine Diner was also featured on the Food Channel’s show, ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.’  We headed there to have some great seafood and discuss our traveling options.

 

 

Lobster Pie - amazingly good...

 

The Maine Diner was no dive and at 3 pm there was still a 30 minute or more wait to get a table.  This was one popular place.  Breakfast is served all day and fresh seafood is featured prominently on the menu.  David ordered the house specialty – Lobster Pie and I ordered the Stuffed Shrimp with crabmeat stuffing.  Both dishes were wonderful but the Lobster Pie was just about the best thing either of us had ever tasted.  I was expecting some sort of pot pie, but it was not that at all.  The pie was stuffed full with tender and buttery lobster and topped with a crisp, yet tender crumb crust.  Oh, my!

Bar Harbor

Fortified and in a much better frame of mind after such delicious fare, we decided our next destination would be Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor and we would hang out there until our car was fixed.   As we left the Maine Diner, we drove back to our campground following the coastline as closely as the roads allowed going through Kennebunkport and other coastal towns.  We stopped for a short nature walk at the Rachael Carson National Wildlife Refuge along the way.  The coast was so beautiful in the late afternoon light.

 

Looking at Bar Harbor from Cadillac Mountain

 

It was about a three and a half hour drive the next day to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.  We arrived in the early afternoon and got settled in our campground.  There was a little time to explore, so we went to the park visitor center and collected some information about the park and trails and then went on a nice afternoon drive along the coast. 

 

Lobster stand at the campground

 

 

 

 

Our campground had its own ‘lobster man.’  From 4:30 until 7:30 you could pick out your own freshly caught lobster and have it cooked right there to eat at picnic tables by the ocean or take it back to your campsite.  Of course we had to try it.  Being from landlocked West Texas, lobster is not something that we are used to eating regularly.  But we may be getting addicted... 

 

 

 

Green Mountains - White Mountains

Little Rock Pond in Vermont's Green Mountains

With Maine on our minds, we left the Adirondacks and New York behind and headed to Vermont first, and then New Hampshire.  We decided that we would stay only a few days in each of those states now as we would be coming back through the area in September to enjoy the fall color. Although not yet in brightly colored fall leaves, Vermont and New Hampshire were gorgeous, green and lush. 
 

Vermont has many 'swimming holes'

 

Our first stop was at a campground on Lake Bomoseen.  We were just on the edge of the famous Vermont Green Mountains and near the Appalachian Trail again.  The temperatures were finally out of the 90s but still very humid and warm, so our first few days we took short hikes and did some car touring of the area. 

 

Bentley House B&B across from Green Mountain College in Poultney

 

 

We went into the nearby town of Poultney to see Green Mountain College.   David has been interested in the college’s environmental science program for many years and wanted to visit the school.  Recently our friend, Sasha, was accepted for an on-line master’s program at Green Mountain College and we will get to see her there over the Labor Day Holiday when she does her orientation and residence requirements.

 

AT in White Rocks National Recreation Area - very rocky 

 

 

We looped through the southern part of the Green Mountains and hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail in the White Rocks National Recreation Area.  It was good to be back hiking on the AT again after being away for almost a month.  We also visited the Cabot Cheese Factory.  We went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Oregon last year, so it was only right that we should compare.  It was great getting to taste all the different cheeses Cabot makes.  Many I had never seen in stores before.  I think Tillamook has a bigger presence in Texas.

Cabot Cheese Factory

After a few days in the southern portion of Vermont, we traveled north to the Groton State Forest and Stillwater State Park for a couple of days before heading to New Hampshire.  Stillwater State Park was a breath of fresh air.  For one thing, the temperatures finally were back in the ‘normal’ summer range of 70s in the day and high 50s – 60s at night.  That was so welcome!  But the park was also nestled on the shores of Lake Groton which was the home of several pairs of nesting loons.  We felt like we were ‘On Golden Pond,’ with our mornings and evenings marked by the haunting calls of loons.

 

Road to the Sky, Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

 

 We crossed into New Hampshire and headed for Moose Brook State Park in the White Mountains.  This was certainly a beautiful area.  The famous Presidential Range of Mountains was just ten miles away with Mt. Washington being the highest peak in the Northeast and known for the worst weather in the world.  The highest wind speed ever recorded by man, 231 mph, was recorded on Mt. Washington’s summit in 1934.  The building where the wind speed was recorded was actually chained down!

 

At the summit of Mt Washington, looks like you could walk on clouds...

 

The Appalachian Trail summits Mt. Washington and there are several other trails to the top as well.  But we took the ‘Road to the Sky’ to the summit. The Road to the Sky is an amazing and historic road.  It was completed in 1861 and was first traveled in horse-drawn coaches built by the same company that built the stagecoaches used for travel all over the west.  That would have been some trip!  Driving the road in a comfortable car was still pretty exciting.

 

The AT is also 'Crawford Path' near the summit

 

Follow the rock cairns but the trail is almost as rocky...

There were many places on the road to stop while on the way to the top and many trails to hike.  It was so incredibly rocky.  We met some hikers on the AT near David’s and my ages. Their knees were wrapped and they were hiking with poles and they really looked weary.  Even younger hikers were treading carefully and slowly.  David, Maya and I walked on a small portion of the trail at the top and it was very slow going.  This was one part of the AT that I didn’t envy the hikers.

 

The trail may be rocky but the view is from the top of the world

We hiked a few other sections of the AT near Pinkham Notch just a few miles from our campground.  They were not as steep but in places, those sections of the AT were pretty rocky too.  These Appalachians Mountains are some pretty old and rugged mountains. 

Silver Cascades near Pinkham Notch

Lost Pond - but we weren't...

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked   2

Rain Days   1

Total Miles Hiked    10.33

Ave. Miles per Day      5.17
Total Elevation Gain       1,394

Ave. Elevation Gain per Day   697