A (soggy) post-hurricane adventure in Acadia NP

Spoiler alert: this hike includes excessive water content, and limited visibility at viewpoints.

I did things a bit silly this week, and hiked on the wetter of my two days off from work.  Oh well!  True adventure takes place in all weather conditions right?  That's correct.  I certainly got my fair share of wet trails.  I thought for some reason I might be able to get through the day with dry feet.  Several minutes after departing from Jordan Pond House, the concept of dry was to be erased from all memory.

A stream crossing on the edge of Jordan Pond

The crossing immediately soaked my feet because the rocks were submerged a few inches.  With the day off to a good start, I headed up the trail to Pemetic Mountain (1247'), a new destination for me.  And I may as well have not gone because this is basically what I saw for the whole time I was above tree line:

Killer views from Pemetic ridge

Instead of the typical hike where you look forward to the summit and other points along the trail where you can look out to the ocean and see how picturesque Acadia is, my goal for the day was not to kill myself on the trails, which were dressed up as streams for Halloween (a few days early).  The trail I took down from the summit was the Pemetic Northwest Trail, which leads to the Park Loop Road and later to the Bubbles, which were my next target in sight.

An example of the trail conditions we're talking about

I was surrounded by waterfalls all day today.  It may have something to do with that 2 inches of rain we got last night.  But for those of us who are waterfall enthusiasts, today is the day for you!  Here is one of many I saw.

Waterfall on Pemetic Northwest Trail

I soon discovered that the stream that was running next to me on the right was normally a trail in lower water levels.  Thankfully, there was an option to stay on the ledge, which I took as a safety measure.

I don't think this is what a fish ladder is...

I crossed the Park Loop Road, and began the trek up to the Bubbles, and hopefully the notorious Bubble Rock (or Bubble Erratic as it's sometimes called).

The trail up to the Bubbles Divide

The Bubbles are very accessible, seeing as there is a parking area right off the Loop Road if you are interested in doing a short hike up to just the Bubbles.  However, they make a nice addition to a longer loop hike.

Summit of South Bubble (766')
Again, terrific views all around!

Bubble Rock is right past the summit of South Bubble, and I'm guessing it would be quite spectacular on a sunny day.  It was indeed a step up from mediocre on a day like today.  My face is in the photo for scale, if it helps at all.

Just opposite the Bubbles Divide lies North Bubble, at 872'.  I cannot comment on the comparative views from each.  I think they were both equally okay, though the South Bubble can claim the erratic as its own.  If you must hike only one, I vote for South Bubble.

On the east side of the Bubbles Divide

The trail then led to the north shore of Jordan Pond, which was quite spooky with today's weather.  Maybe spooky is the wrong word...ominous is better.

Spooky belongs to the photo below, some trees I saw jutting out over the edge of the pond.

Kudos to the trail crews in the park for building this nice bridge.  I never got to build bridges on trail crew at BSP, but I can appreciate the work that goes into maintaining trails nonetheless.

Fancy bridge!

From this side of Jordan Pond, I headed up to Penobscot and Sargent Mountains.  I hiked both of these in November of 2013 with Gugen and my cousin Julia.  This was my first cold-weather hike, and I was really badly dressed.  I have learned much on layering since that hike, not to mention that microspikes are a great idea if you are hiking on icy trails.

This trail to Penobscot Mtn. was perhaps one of the most wet experiences I've had aside from the occasional swim.  The trail crosses back and forth many times, which normally is not an issue, but with high water, each crossing takes a bit of planning to not slip in and die.

Another roaring waterfall along the Deer Brook Trail up Penobscot Mtn.

I came upon one of the many beautifully constructed granite bridges of the carriage trails in the park.

A peek through the bridge

I didn't take a picture at Penobscot Mountain, but the elevation at the summit is 1196'.  About a mile further is Sargent Mountain, the highest point on my hike. Below is my summit photo from there.

Sargent Mountain, 1379', mountain #5 of the day

From here I went on to explore some more peaks that I hadn't been to before.  Next up was Gilmore Peak, just across a small valley to the west.  Because everything (I repeat, everything) is soaking wet, I found a section of trail between Sargent and Gilmore that had some epic foam on it from the excessive water flow.  I still don't really know what causes the foam, but it's pretty cool.

Right before Gilmore, I saw some people, the first ones of the day.  To be honest, I was surprised to be seeing anyone at all on such a dreary day.  A quick jaunt up from a stream brought me to Gilmore Peak.

Gilmore Peak, 1036'

The ledges around here were bright with the red leaves of [insert plant name here]. It was a great contrast against the green of the conifers.

I went to Parkman Mountain and Bald Peak via the Grandgent Trail, on the next set of hills west of Gilmore.  (This may sound like a lot of mountains, but keep in mind these are all pretty close to one another.)

After coming down Bald Peak via the...you guessed it: Bald Peak Trail, I came to a carriage trail.  From here, I was going to walk along that for a few miles until a foot-path took a shortcut back to Jordan Pond House where I was parked.

Another bridge on the carriage trail

Not far along the carriage trail, I met some people who were from New Mexico, visiting Maine for the first time.  They were photographing this very waterfall (below).  I was excited to share my three days worth of experience in NM from the road trip I took this past spring.

Well marked junctions on the Carriage Trails

And because my feet weren't wet enough from all the stream crossings, and trails that were gushing water themselves, I had another wider crossing with submerged rocks once again.  ALWAYS make sure you re-soak your feet in a stream or puddle at least every 30 minutes on a hike.  It makes them disintegrate faster.

The last portion of my hike was along the Asticou & Jordan Pond Path, which takes a more direct route than the carriage trails.  It is pretty flat around this part of the park, so it's not a hard end to the loop, but just a bit wetter than the dry carriage trails.

Along the Asticou & Jordan Pond Path - still cloudy up there

A funny tree root made an appearance around the last mile or so.  It seems as though maybe a rock was in there, and then they pulled it for trail work or something?  Typically trees do the whole path-of-least-resistance thing, and that doesn't seem to fit the pattern any other way.

Soon, I made it back to the parking area (marked with the arrow below).  Despite hitting two previously done peaks, I did some serious red-lining in the park today, though I'll have to go again to get the views.  Maybe this winter will allow for some snowshoeing in the park.

Here is the Google Earth track and elevation profile.  The mileage was about 11.5 miles, including the carriage trail component.  (I went anti-clockwise, just FYI.)

Hike Data
Miles hiked: 11.5
Time elapsed: 5.25 hours
Total ascent: 3840'

Here was a shot of the (finally!) clearing skies as I drove home.

Elliotsville Plt. Excursion: Toby Falls

The final part to my trip up to the Moosehead Lake region - Toby Falls.  I saw it on the atlas on my way back south as another one of those Unique Natural Features they advertise.  It's in Willimantic, which I'll be frank - it's not much of a town. Maybe like 6 houses.  And a field.  Perhaps one of the more picturesque downtowns in Maine.

Access is not difficult, but also not well marked.  I had to do some guesswork.  There is a road aptly named Toby Falls Road, which is the main access.  You pass a gate, and then a small wooden bridge shortly after.  There is a turnoff immediately after the bridge on the righthand side.  This is where I parked.  You can walk along a track for a little bit and there is yet another great picnic spot with a table and space to frolic around on some rocks.  (This is best done when they are dry.)

Rocks to be frolicked upon

Now there are a few sets of falls, each of which were quite roaring during this wet day.  Or maybe they roar like this every day.  I can't say, since it was only rainy when I visited.  Here are the lower falls.

Lower Toby Falls

To access the upper set of falls, there is a track you can follow that heads off a little to the left from the picnic area.  You will pass under some trees, and then a deer path or something of the like veers off to the right (toward the river, obviously).  You'll come out to a similar set of falls, equally as roaring, I'd say.

Upper Toby Falls

Here is a wide angle shot from a rock out in the falls.

I would very much like to come here for a picnic of sorts on a sunny day or perhaps in the winter.  Good snowshoeing opportunity since it's mostly flat and you could retrace your steps easily with snowshoes on.

Elliotsville Plt. Excursion: Barren Mountain Overnight (Brrr!)

Having spotted evidence of a tower on the summit of Barren Mountain, my interest was piqued.  After my walk out to Little Wilson Falls Gorge, I was ready for another hike.  I had planned (barely) for an overnight somewhere out in this area.  I wanted to test out more thoroughly my new overnight pack I purchased from REI along my Road Trip this spring.  Without any definite plans, headed toward Barren since I knew I could at least climb Barren that afternoon/evening, and maybe go further if I was interested.

I returned to the Borestone trailhead, and continuing past that on Mountain Road (which turns dirt after the parking area), I ended up in a field, pictured below.

Barren Mountain from a field

Looking at the map below, you continue through the field, through a gate (which was open) and over a bridge.  From there, drive 0.5 miles and you'll see a gravel road to the left.  This will lead to a parking area after an additional 0.7 miles.  You can't really drive much farther anyway, so this is where I parked.

Access map

From the parking area, I packed my stuff, and prepared myself for a heavier pack than I normally carry.  I may be good at day-hiking, but within minutes, I realized that I am not at all used to carrying around overnight gear with me.  The panting began.

The trail begins as an access trail for the AT, roughly three tenths of a mile long.  It is quite wet this time of year.  I tried and failed to keep my feet dry.  The trail dries up with elevation gain, and there is a pink flag where the trail joins the AT.  (This is especially helpful when returning back to the access trail.)

From here, the trail ascends steeply.  After about 1.6 miles, there's a small spur trail to the Barren Slide, which was prominent in the photo from the field.  I had beautiful evening lighting, looking off to the mountains to the west.

Walking down a bit onto the boulders that make up the top of the slide, you are reminded of all the shale in this area.  Sharp edges are everywhere, since shale is constructed in planes and will often break along those planes.

Here is Borestone and Lake Onawa from the Barren Slide:

After this overlook, the trail is mostly flat, and makes for some easy going.  It's about the same distance from the parking area to the slide as it is from the slide to the summit.  The last portion of the trail prior to the summit is unexpectedly steep, though nice rock steps are in place to make it a bit easier.  I did see one patch of ice about one foot square, so this is evidence that winter had dipped its toes around this area already.

I spotted a glimpse of the old fire tower through the trees, and I knew I was just about there.  I was hoping to catch a sunset from the top of the mountain, and the way things were going, I was going to be just in time for it.

Looking to the north, the Second Narrows is visible in the valley, and various mountains past that, including West Peak, Big and Little Spruce Mountain, and White Cap Mountain if I'm not mistaken.

Using the tower as my tripod (I sure am resourceful), I got to photograph one beautiful sunset from a mountaintop.  I have never done this before because I usually try to be off the mountains before sundown.  But with overnight gear at my disposal, this was now an opportunity for me!  I decided to camp up at the top since that was convenient, and I was a bit wiped from carrying more than I'm used to.

Sunset from Barren Mountain

I had a hot dinner with my $7 stove from Amazon (yay bargains!) consisting of instant potatoes and ham.  Oh, and chocolate.  Lots of chocolate.  There is just barely enough room for a one-person tent up there just beside the old roof to the cabin that used to sit on the tower.  And mister smarts here accidentally put the head end of the tent downhill.

Despite all complications, I was able to stay warm with fuzzy socks, hats, mittens, and a 20° sleeping bag.  Except for my nose.  The moon gave off some light through the early part of the night, but I was awoken by pattering on the tent around 11pm.  Here was that forecasted rain...

I didn't sleep great that night, mostly because of waking up so much.  But I got many more hours than usual, so if that counts, I count it.  The wind was very blowy in the morning, and I was not looking forward to packing up in such wind, so I applied all layers in inventory, and made a break for the outdoors.  I skipped official breakfast due to wind (not good stove conditions) and ate chocolate and saved the gritty stuff for later on.

For some reason, I missed the sign for Barren Ledges on the way up, but I saw it on the way down, and it was pretty cool.  The clouds were high enough to have Borestone visible to the south.

The rain had stopped for the most part while I was hiking down, despite the forecast saying it was supposed to rain most of the day.  I got some sprinkles toward the bottom, but I was plenty warm by that time, so no worries of hypothermia.

Borestone from Barren Ledges

The trees in the fall colors under diffuse overcast light made for an interesting hike down.  It seemed as though the trees made the forest brighter...an odd concept at best.

Going down is really nice, but going down slowly is even better.  With an early start, I got down with plenty of day to start.  Below is the Google Earth track and elevation profile.

Hike Data
Miles hiked: 7.0
Time elapsed: 3.4 hours
Total ascent: 2430'

On my way south, I stopped at a neat bridge I had seen on the way up, but I was slightly rushed for time because of a late start.  I always like a cool bridge.

A cool bridge between Elliotsville Plt. and Willimantic

Stay tuned for the last part of the Elliotsville Excursion!

Elliotsville Plt. Excursion: Little Wilson Falls Gorge

I'm a sucker for the "Unique Natural Features" in Delorme's Maine atlas, and there's a few of these places scattered up around Borestone, one of which is Little Wilson Falls Gorge.  It is right along the AT, and it has a mile-long access trail that is marked on some maps, but not on Delorme's atlas.  From the bridge over Big Wilson Falls, there is a bumpy road called Campground Rd. that goes up to the northwest roughly one mile.  There is a beautiful picnic area at the end of the road, with a few short drops in the Wilson Stream that make for a pleasant place to stop by for lunch if one were so inclined.

Instead, I followed the path upstream marked with blue flags (and later pink and orange ones).  This is a gentle walk through the forest, with the stream audible to the right for nearly the whole way.  After joining up with the AT, I came across the most odd piece of rock I've ever seen.  It was a slab about four inches thick and probably a good 12 feet tall, jutting out of the ravine almost vertically.

Slab from the left

Of course I had to go and walk out on it a bit.  Here is the right side of this crazy rock.

I walked around past it a little to get a better side view of it.  How it's still in place in such an  obscure position is a mystery, but I thought this was a super cool surprise to see along the trail.

A few hundred yards after the strange rock, you can start to hear the falls.  You approach from the top, so it's not apparently quite how large of a waterfall this is at first glance.

I peered down into the gorge, and I swear it's a scene straight out of Minecraft.  All the rock is shale around here, and it's comprised of layers that have broken off in square chunks almost exclusively.  This made for an easy walk down into the depths of the gorge.  Just watch out for the wet spots, because falling in here would mean certain death!

Down into the gorge

From the base, you are able to look back up the opposite side, also composed of these thin layers of shale.

After debating for far too long which way to orient the panorama, I present a horizontal one of the falls from top to bottom.  The atlas says the falls are about 40 feet tall, and that seems about right to me.  Not a terribly large stream, but it makes a roar as it plummets down this drop.

This really wasn't too much of a hike, but I'll include the data for your entertainment anyway.

Google Earth track and elevation profile

I started on the right, where the Campground Road ends, and traced my steps back to the start.  (There was a sign for no camping, which seemed odd considering the road's name....but I suppose I'm not one to assume.)

Hike Data
Miles hiked: 2.5
Time elapsed: 1.3 hours
Total ascent: 530'