Gorham Mountain

Hiking buddy: The pup; Phoebe

Weather: 45 and sunny!

Mountain: Gorham Mountain (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 525 ft
Ascent: Gorham Mountain Trail
Descent: Gorham Mountain Trail, Cadillac Cliffs Trail, and a walk along Ocean Drive back to the car!
Miles of trail: 3.1

Total miles this year: 19.0

I had been watching the weather report for this weekend obsessively all week. Good news! Saturday's weather report was looking promising. Warm (for March) and sunny! Wouldn't you know it, amidst the snow, sleet and rain was a clear and sunny day, just as was promised. Go weatherman!

Phoebe and I set out to take a stab at Gorham Mountain; one of my favorites. Of course, I say that about most peaks on the island. But, truly, I love Gorham Mountain. It's not too hard, not too easy, and there are some amazing sights along the way. During the summer months, you can catch a frog in the stream. There are caves to walk through, over and around. An exposed rock face that overlooks the ocean, Sand Beach and Ocean Drive. A breathtaking glimpse of "The Hive", which, by the way, is looking wonderfully dry! Gorham Mountain trail goes up, down, this way and that; never a dull moment. And, if you listen carefully, you can hear the waves crashing on the beach, children squealing with delight, and a distant thundering at a famous hole. 

I decided to park the car by Sand Beach and hike the Gorham Mountain trail north to south, with a nice walk back along Ocean Drive afterwards. I wasn't exactly sure what condition Phoebe and I would find the trail in. Like I said, we've had a blizzard, rain, sleet and warm temps this week. The perfect ingredients for... a mess. 

Well, folks, we experienced it all; puddles, running water, snow drifts, sheets of ice, and... mud. Lots of mud. 

The higher up we hiked, the deeper the snow we encountered. Piece of cake for light-weight Phoebe. Not so much for me. I lost my balance a couple times. 

I love hiking down the south side of the trail; that is where the exposed rock face opens up to the ocean. What a view to hike towards. 

Sand Beach

The trail was fairly dry on this end, and wouldn't you know, it was the one place where I took a digger. The driest patch... I fall. I'm going to be sore for a few days. It's a good thing that the sound of the leash bouncing along the rocks scares Phoebe to a halt every time without fail. I was able to collect myself (and my pride!) and take a breather before grabbing her; she would eventually take off otherwise. Phoebe likes to get a little ahead of herself (and me!) on the downhill climb. I was getting ready to (gracefully) jump off a five foot boulder when she decided to jolt ahead... and down I went. Luckily, perhaps, I landed squarely on my behind, and only suffered a few scrapes to my right hand. Unfortunately for me, I was using a new pack, which I hadn't put any bandaids in yet. Oops.

I strapped the crampons back on my boots, brushed the dirt off, and onward we went. 

Okay, so here comes one of my not-so-bright ideas (although, when all is said and done, it WAS worth it). The south side of the trail splits into two; you can continue along the Gorham Mountain trail, or you can venture onto the Cadillac Cliffs trail. I thoroughly enjoy the Cadillac Cliffs trail. Any trail, for that matter, with the word "cliff" attached calls my name. It's an adventurous route! Along the various rocks and ledges you scramble away. Was it smart to take a "cliff" trail with snow and ice in abundance? Probably not. Did I listen to my conscience telling me, "no, don't do it!" Absolutely not. Down the Cadillac Cliffs trail we went. 

It was a bit dicey at first. Phoebe does not have the words "wait" and "stop" in her vocabulary. Must work on that. We had a nice crawling-on-all-fours moment together. 

One of my favorite sights is what I call the "tower" of Gorham Mountain; a natural stack of rock slabs, towering high over the trail. I will admit, the first time I hiked down this trail and saw the blue blaze painted on one of the slabs... I thought for sure we had to climb up! That moment was my first lesson on trail markings; the blazes not only let you know that you are still on the trail, they also point in the direction you are supposed to take. To make this long story even longer, the blaze in this spot is parallel to the ground, NOT perpendicular, therefore, you do not climb up, but around. 

Taking a turn around the corner, you'll see a little cave off to the right. Normally it is just a little wet and slimy, but today it was ALL ice. 

Doesn't that look like a little Alien colony? 

The Cadillac Cliffs trail goes up, down and around some more. There's a short natural tunnel to walk through, its floor was an entire sheet of ice. Poor Phoebe, she went slipping and sliding. We carefully walked around the corner and I just saw ice... Ice covering the ground and boulders, ice "streaming" down the ledges onto the trail. Ice, ice, ice. I guess it's not quite spring yet!

Phoebe and I finished the descent with no more mishaps. Phoebe was happy to reach dry pavement and civilization. She tried to knock down a couple fellow hikers. I was glad to take the crampons off. 

We turned onto Ocean Drive and started walking back to the car. There were a LOT of people out and about. I asked the first couple I saw with a pack if they had any bandaids; I was still slightly gushing blood from my right hand. No luck. But, they asked me an important question that not many people actually know the answer to: "We noticed cars driving down the road here, how do they do that? Isn't the park closed this time of year?" Well, the park IS partially closed for the winter, but rangers keep Ocean Drive (up to Otter Creek) open to the public. All other entrances to the park are gated off. In fact, the park services keep Ocean Drive paved for walkers, bikers (daring!) and runners (right lane) and groomed for snowmobiles and skiers (left lane). 

So, there you have it, you don't even need a pass to get in!

It was lovely and freeing to be out in light-weight gear, to smell the ocean air, hear birds chirping and woodpeckers hammering away. Spring is finally on its way. Let the hiking season begin!

Acadia Mountain

Hiking buddy: Becca

Mountain: Acadia (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 681 ft
Trail up: Acadia Mountain Trail
Trail down: Acadia Mountain Trail and Man O' War Brook Fire Rd.
Miles of trail: 3.2

Total miles this year: 15.9

The bad news: Most ladder trails are now closed (or will soon be closed) until mid-August because of the peregrine falcons getting ready to nest. Precipice and Valley Cove are already closed, Jordan Cliffs and Beech Cliffs will likely follow suit soon. Booo!

The good news: Today was a BEAUTIFUL day and we hiked Acadia Mountain, one of my favorites. 

WARNING: The west face is basically an entire sheet of ice, wear your crampons! 

Trail Head

To start out, you hike about 0.3 miles to the Man O' War Brook Fire Road intersection with the Acadia Mountain Trail. Normally, I would walk down the fire road and ascend Acadia from the east. However, with ice, a dog in-tow, and the stubbornness of not wanting to hike the same trail up and down... we ascended from the west. We're talking multiple inch thick ice, covered in spots with water or snow. I would much rather slap the crampons on and hike up a sheet of ice, than slide on my butt the entire way down. With Pheebs, you know that is what would have happened!

Like a champ!

Holy ice. It is 1 mile from the trail head to the summit; a strenuous (if you're not accustomed to rigorous hiking trails) hike from start to finish. I love winter hiking; it gives old and familiar trails a different appearance, the snow and ice adds a little adventure and thrill for the avid hiker.

The view from the summit offers a breathtaking shot of Somes Sound and the Cranberry Isles. The ocean was a deep shade of teal, absolutely beautiful! There was a slight breeze, but it didn't hinder the need to snap shots and peacefully take in the view. As soon as Phoebe became antsy to get on moving, we packed up and started the descent.

I thoroughly enjoy the trail that winds along the Sound, the views are never-ending; each captivating enough for one to pause, breathe, and take it all in. There are a few steep scrambles along the way. Pheebs and I usually try and find a quick detour, there is only one spot where she needs to walk off the trail. Other than that, the trail is super dog friendly; if your dog enjoys hiking and is good at jumping! 

Just before the Acadia Mountain Trail ends, and the Man O' War road begins, there is a little trail that veers off towards the Sound. The sign on the post will say "overlook", and it is highly recommended that you follow. Large steps will take you down by the water. Straight ahead will take you to a low ledge just above the ocean shore. During the summer months you'll see boats roaming the waters and gulls flying overhead. However, during the winter the water and skies above are perfectly serene. Off to the left, there is a tiny trail that will take you to the waterfall. Today, the rocks were too slippery and snow covered for exploring.

The Sound

The trail down towards the east and the Sound was wonderfully dry; a nice break from the ice sheet of an ascent along the west face. However, once we reached the old fire road we discovered more ice and snow. Just under a mile, the old fire road leads directly to the main road, with the parking area to the left within a short distance. We opted out of taking the 0.3 mile trail back to the trail head, Pheebs appreciated the gesture.

Looks like we're in for a "Nor'estah" this week, with possible blizzard conditions. Boo. Enjoy the park while you can! Winter may never be over.

Bass Harbor Head

I have an embarrassing confession to make; I have lived on MDI my entire life, I'm almost 28 years old, and I had NEVER been to Bass Harbor Lighthouse... until today.

Seriously.

If my parents ever took me there as a child, I obviously don't remember it!

I spent a good part of the day with a dear friend who is moving out west. We had discussed being adventurous on this beautiful spring-like day... I really wanted to climb a mountain. I've been getting antsy, but it is still too icy for normal people to hike the peaks. I could have managed with my clamp-ons, but Krista wasn't able to safely hike the ice covered trail.

Then Krista had a brilliant idea. Why not go explore around Bass Harbor Lighthouse?

We took the regular path that goes down to the house, the air smelled so good and fresh! I can't believe a family lives in the house year-round. I wouldn't want people and tourists roaming around my home. No, thank you...

I've seen a lot of beautiful photos taken of the lighthouse, obviously, they hadn't been taken from where we were standing next to the house. We weren't allowed to go down around the other side of the house, it is government property, after all. But, I was determined to find the right spot to give me the view of the lighthouse I am so accustomed to seeing through photographs and postcards.

I noticed a trail head sign near the back end of the parking lot. We decided to check it out...

 

After a minute or two, we came across a set of wooden stairs, we followed along until they came to an end along the coast. I love jumping rock to rock along coastlines, it can be quite exhilarating. Hearing the waves crashing, watching the tide creeping in and sneaking back out, feeling the ocean breeze... Heavenly.

Thank you, Krista, for this photo :)

 

There's that view I was looking for! What a gorgeous day. Even though I didn't get the mountain climb I wanted today, I enjoyed this new adventure. It was peaceful, relaxing, and wonderful to spend time with Krista before she leaves.

Krista, with Bass Harbor Lighthouse

We walked back up the stairs and continued on along the trail. Without blazes on the tree trunks and rocks, I wasn't entirely sure where to go. It was kind of freeing to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, letting them find the trail.

Evidence that Winter is still present...

Ok, Winter... it is time for you to go. I'm ready for Spring. Warmer weather, more sunshine. The ice can take a hike! I'm ready to hit the trails again and accomplish new goals for this new year.