Penobscot; Penobscot Mountain Trail

Hiking buddy: Becca

Weather: 48, not a cloud in the sky!

Mountain: Penobscot (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 1,194 ft
Ascent: Spring Trail and Penobscot Mountain Trail
Descent: Penobscot Mountain Trail and Spring Trail
Miles of trail: 3.0

Total miles this year: 23.1

Oh, boy... what an adventure today! 

Being cooped up inside for the better part of the afternoon (annual meeting...) while the sun taunted me from the window was NOT enjoyable. My toes were dancing under the table, antsy to get out on the trails. 

My goal for the day: conquer Penobscot. If I had truly had my way, we would have hiked the Jordan Cliffs. However, it was the wiser choice to stick with the Penobscot Mountain Trail. Considering the amount of snow and ice we encountered on that trail... I'm not so sure I want to find out what condition the Jordan Cliffs is in right now. We'll save that for another day.

Start of the Spring Trail

Jordan Stream

The crampons came out immediately, the path down to the carriage road and the start of the trail was covered in ice. I noticed a nice fresh set of tracks in the patches of snow, THANK YOU, whoever you are; you helped us determine the depth of the drifts and the safest route across. Bless you. Boy, was that stream ROARing today! Don't fall in.

We experienced it all...

Snow...

Ice...

Snow covered ice!

And we had yet to reach the official start of the Penobscot Mountain Trail, folks! We knew right away we were in for a challenge. We still had to finish the Spring Trail... it wasn't very... spring-like.

A brief description of the Spring Trail: from steep, twisting steps to tight squeezes between and around large boulders, there is never a dull moment. Wooden bridges and railings, with a few iron rungs, help you along the way. In just under a half mile, the elevation gain is around 650ft!

I know the rangers like to kindly remind us to not stray from the trails; leave no trace! However, if you turned around the corner and came face to face with this:

... you would venture off the trail, too! I made it up to the tree on the right and bailed. I hugged that strong, beautiful tree and veered off onto a ledge to the right. Good decision! Becca and I found another way to the top of this section. Just a little rock climbing involved. No big deal.

The woodpeckers have already been at work! This little guy has some more whittling to do. I've seen much better carvings.

Penobscot Mountain Trail branches off the Spring Trail, just below the treeline. The trail ascends the south ridge of the mountain. A mile long of trail above the treeline with panoramic views of Jordan Pond, Pemetic Mountain, the coast and outer islands, more mountains... so beautiful. We followed the cairns along the exposed granite as the trail twisted its way to the summit, taking in the view each step of the way. Although, Becca was doing her best to wait until the summit to take her full look around; that is so hard to do! 

I always turn around to sneak a peak! This photo was taken looking down the south ridge, Bracy Cove and Seal Cove in the distance. Look at that cloudless sky! 

Yes, there was still snow in patches along the exposed face. Becca didn't hear my warning about the depth of the snow in this spot. She was a little surprised by how far her foot sunk in! Whoops.

I've enjoyed hiking with Becca... she has never done any of these trails and peaks before. She's just on the island for the semester. I'm trying to get her to experience as much of Acadia as she can before she heads back out west. It was funny listening to her commentary today along the ridge. It's very hard to determine where the summit is; you reach the top of one section and glimpse an even taller section up ahead, repeat. Many times! Becca enjoyed every moment.

With nearly a complete 360 degree view, why would you not want to hike this mountain?

The wind was picking up, the sun was going down, we snapped a few fun shots and then began our descent back along the south ridge.

Becca

I knew the hike down would be a little tricky, once we got back below the treeline and the snow and ice came into play again. Surprisingly, we made it down rather quickly. With a few detours, a little tree branch gripping, and some cautious crab-walking and butt sliding, we made it safely down the mountain!

Becca and I both felt rather proud of our accomplishment for the day. Once safely back to the car, I had dreams of a hot shower, warm scrambled eggs for dinner, and a mug of hot cocoa. Perfect.