North and South Bubble

Hiking buddies: Marina and Pheebs

Weather: Mid 50s, sunny

Mountains: North and South Bubble (Acadia National Park)
Elevations: 872ft (North) and 768ft (South)
Miles of trail: 2.0

Total miles this year: 33.2

The Bubbles, less formally known as "The Bubble Butt", is one of my favorite quick hikes on the island (next to the Beehive, of course). In just two miles you can reach the top of two peaks and see wonderful views, one of them being my all time favorite. 

Marina and I were supposed to do a 6 miler today, with 4 peaks, but I got a text from her this morning saying she wasn't feeling up for it. Darn breathing problems, who needs to breathe anyway? Not going to lie, I wasn't totally feeling up for it yet, either. 

I headed out for The Bubbles, my go-to hike for something short and moderate, and heard from Marina along the way. She decided to join me!

From the park loop road, after the parking area for Bubble Pond, there will be a parking lot for The Bubbles on the right. From there, the trail heads towards the base of both peaks. They have actually done some re-routing in this area. The trail heads towards North Bubble more before dividing. We decided to shoot up North first. 

Pheebster jumped up the peak like it was nothing to her. I still haven't decided if she truly enjoys the hike, or if she's absolutely terrified and is just trying to get it over with. Ha. North Bubble has a nice view of Jordan Pond, with Pemetic Mountain to the left and Penobscot and Sargent to the right. But, it's not my favorite view. Not yet! 

Once down North, take a right back onto the first trail and continue towards the Bubbles Divide path (less formally known as "The Butt Crack"). The Bubbles Divide trail heads to Jordan Pond, the trail for South Bubble will branch off on the left. A hop, skip, and a jump and you're at the summit! 

Continue on the trail to the right, towards Jordan Pond, for my favorite view on the island...

Perhaps, it's because South Bubble was the only "mountain" I would hike back in the day when I actually hated hiking. It was the only view from above I had ever witnessed. I just love the open face overlooking the pond, with mountainous creations flanking each side as the view opens up to the ocean and beyond. It really is quite wonderful, and you don't have to overwork your body to get a glimpse. That's why it's my favorite. 

Heading back towards the summit, a trail will branch off to the right heading towards Bubble Rock: a glacial erratic on the edge of a cliff. I remember taking a science field trip in high school to Bubble Rock. We took all kinds of measurements and such to determine the density and other cool science stuff. I'm so glad the schools on the island take the opportunities they can to get students out into the park. Why wouldn't you? The park is in our backyard, what a learning tool it could/can be! 

Bubble Rock

Pheebs enjoyed watching the cars zoom along the Park Loop Road below us. I always wonder what's going on in her brain while we're hiking. Does she know we're so high up? She kept looking at those poor cars as if they were ants... Phoebe loves ants. 

Another beautiful day, and an easy hike! It wasn't the 6 miler we originally planned on, but it's important to listen to your body and only do what you know you can handle in the moment. Hiking season is just beginning! Don't push it... yet!

Dorr Mountain; Ladder Trail

Hiking buddies: Marina and Becca

Weather: 50s, partly cloudy, short rain shower and rainbow!

Mountain: Dorr (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 1,270ft
Ascent: Ladder Trail and Schiff Path
Descent: South Ridge Trail and Canon Brook Trail
Miles of trail: 3.3

Total miles this year: 31.2

Well, I'm back from the hot and humid Dominican Republic. What an amazing trip! I am glad to be home and I am ready for the hiking to recommence. I certainly missed the trails while I was away. 

One of my favorite hiking buddies is in town for a week, so, of course we have some great hikes planned for the weekend! 

To start: Dorr Mountain

It always sounds like a great idea before the hike begins. The ladder trail has... well, ladders. There are also some great overlooks, steep cliffs, slanting rock faces, and MANY granite steps. It's a fairly strenuous hike. I repeat; I almost died.

The stairs are actually a fine example of the amazing stonework produced by the early trail builders here on MDI. Cut, carried, plopped accordingly. Props to them, it took a lot of hard work and sweat; glad it wasn't me! It takes a trail full of these suckers for me to really remember the people who helped make all these hiking trails, on the island, possible. Thank you! In all seriousness.

After the first set of stairs, I am always quickly reminded how much I hate this trail. Ok, hate is a strong word. Obviously, I don't mind the trail, since I hike it at least once every year. But, that's where it ends; with once. It's kind of like the Perpendicular Trail of Mansell; once a year. I'm kind of a loud hiker, I always warn my hiking buddies. But, don't let the mumbling and grumbling fool you; I really do love to hike and enjoy every minute of it, mostly.

It was nice to be outdoors after working through a gorgeous day. After working up a sweat within the first 15 minutes, I was able to take my long sleeve layer off and go in a tank... until it started drizzling. Rain was not in the forecast! Thank you, weatherman. 

After the first stretch of granite steps along a cliff band, you come to a break through a large boulder that you walk through. Immediately at the end of the break you are greeted by your first set of rungs! Warning: This is a very old ladder. It is not completely attached to the rock. Use the lovely rungs to your side to keep your balance!

Photo courtesy of Becca

After a couple more sets of ladders and rungs, say goodbye to the iron! The rest of the trail winds along the cliffs, up more granite steps, and scales up the slanting rock faces until you reach the summit. 

The rain eventually subsided, so, you know what that means...

Rainbow!

Eventually, the Ladder Trail branches off; continue onto the Schiff Path, which will lead you to the summit. At this point, MOST of the hard work is done. The incline is less steep, as you have just gained most of the elevation climbing a million stairs and ladders. However, the job ain't done yet! 

The Schiff Path winds along the cliffs and up the slanting rock faces... which were a little wet today! I'll tell you what though, I will gladly take on the steep, slanting rock faces to the never ending granite stairs. If I want a StairMaster workout; I will go to the gym, thank you. 

All kidding aside... this is a great route up Dorr; it's actually my favorite hike up the mountain. Perhaps because the other trails, up this peak, have even more stairs... but, at least this trail has the thrill of ladders, rungs, and exposed cliffs that overlook the valley and ocean. The sights are glorious and breath taking!

Continue south to hit the summit...

A quick glance to the right, and there's the tallest peak on the island: Cadillac!

Important: When one is on top of Dorr, one must always practice some yoga moves. I'm not entirely sure when this tradition started... but, it keeps happening. And, why not?

And, some jumping ensued...

One more click of the camera, and we were on our way down the mountain...

I don't recommend taking the same route back down. You know me, I love making complete loops! I suggest taking the South Ridge Trail and Canon Brook Trail back to the starting point. When you hike down the South Ridge Trail, you get to hike towards this:

Yes, please!

At the base of the mountain, the trail will intersect with the Canon Brook Trail; take a left! The last mile or so will be relatively flat, with beaver ponds, planks, and thick woods. Nature at it's finest. 

By the time we made it back to the car, the sun was nearly gone and the sliver of a moon was shining brightly. A great hike, a wonderful welcome back to the hiking trails, and a great time with good friends. 

Marina and I have a 6 mile/4 peaker hike planned for tomorrow. The weather is foretold to be in the upper 50s with plenty of sunshine. Oh, it's going to be a good one! Happy hiking.

Beehive and Champlain; South Ridge

Hiking buddy: Ian

Weather: 60, sunny!

Mountains: Beehive and Champlain (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 520ft (Beehive) and 1,058ft (Champlain)
Ascent: The Beehive Trail, South Ridge Trail of Champlain
Descent: North Ridge Trail, Orange & Black Path, and the Park Loop Rd.
Miles of trail: 4.8

Total miles this year: 27.9

After a long evening and day of strategic planning, aka; sitting for hours on end,  I was ready for a nice, looooong hike. Probably should have shared that information with my hiking buddy, but I had a feeling he wouldn't want to go if he knew it was going to be a long one. And, I really wanted the company.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for a long leisurely hike. The air was warm, the breeze was warm, the sun was shining. A beautiful spring day!

I wanted a challenge; something fun, interesting, and exerting of strength. The answer was very easy; Beehive! It is, after all, Acadia's very own jungle-gym. But, Beehive just wasn't going to be enough for me, I wanted more trail under my feet. Gorham would have been a nice addition, but not quite long enough. Champlain was the only logical answer. Luckily, I didn't have to twist Ian's arm too hard. Off we went!

I'll spare you the details of both peaks, since I have already described the trails in previous blogs, but I will share pictures with you from today's hike.

First off:

For my original post on Beehive, click here. 

For Champlain, click here.

The only change to the Champlain hike, is that we took the Orange & Black Path down to the Park Loop Rd. This trail branches off the North Ridge, and brought us closer to our end point than if we had continued down with the North Ridge. The Orange & Black Path winds along the east side of the mountain, eventually splitting into two options; one path meets up with the Precipice Trail, the other continues on down to the Park Loop Rd.

Pictures from today... enjoy!

The *classic* Sand Beach shot from Beehive

Weird lighting, but interesting perspective! Beehive

Champlain summit

Good company, sun shining on my face, a beautiful creation all around to explore. A wonderful day!

That's all, folks.

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.