3/30/11 Penobscot Mountain

A beautiful sunny day.
Still hard to predict what shape the trails will be in so we picked the Asticou from Jordan Pond for it's many alternatives( the Asticou was mostly packed snow and easy walking) . When we got to the Harbor Brook Trail we took that thinking we would go down to the Eliot Mtn. Trail, up to Eliot and then down to the Asticou and loop back. We soon lost the trail ( no visible blazes and no tracks from others) which we had done before from this end of the trail. We basically bushwhacked trying to keep near the stream but there are branches which makes that also problematic. Eventually we came to a carriage road and after a brief start in the wrong direction had our bearings again and decide that since that had gone so well we would give the Penobscot a try. This trail was easy to follow and once we were above the trees there was little snow. Original plan was to just do a portion but we ended up going to the top and then back down.

Going up the Penobscot Mtn. Trail


Looking north from the summit


A good hike though perhaps a bit much for Kelley who has been a little gimpy the past few days. By the end she was looking tired, which is unusual for her. 4 hours

3/29/11 Snowmobile and Other Trails Near Home

A sunny day with temperatures in the 40's. There is still some snow and ice but,now, also bare patches and water. We decided to walk from home and the trails were not bad with no wet feet for me--Kelley found water to get into and also seemed to enjoy breaking up thin ice which in the past she has avoided.

3/26/11 Day Mountain.

A bright sunny day. The trails are still quite variable so we decided to do carriage roads again. We started from Jordan Pond House and found the first stretch of road had quite a bit of snow yet and was not the best walking but still not bad. The trail up Day looked pretty good so we took that and it was nice to be on a trail. Carriage roads down and back to the park loop road to finish our loop. Kelley was happy to be out and running off leash. A good walk 2-1/4 hours.

More lichen

3/24/11 Carriage Roads

A gray dreary day with snow flurries and more forecast. We decide to head to Acadia anyway and by the time we got there it was mostly sunny and a nice day. Still some snow left but the roads were mostly well packed with easy walking. We started from the parking lot on Rte. 3 and made the loop shown above.

Jordan Stream




We met two men with two labs and walked along with them. Kelley was very happy to have them to play with. I kept trying to get a picture of the three of them but was only able to get this shot of Divot and Kelley.


Two views of Little Long Pond - from the east side and the south end.




Turned out to be a nice day and a nice hike. 2-3/4 hours

3/22/11 Neighborhood

More snow and three driveways to clear so we just walked around the neighborhood today. Very pretty but I have had enough snow ( Kelley thought it was great). Also still working at bring things ( mostly books and bookcase and odds and ends) back into the house from the garage

3/20/11 Carriage Roads

A beautiful day . After yesterday's adventure we decided to stick to the carriage roads. Packed snow, small sections of easily avoided ice, and some strips of bare ground along the sides made for good walking. Kelley was glad to be out and did a lot of running up and back and exploring along the sides. The roads are pretty much not usable by skiers and bikers so we had them to ourselves until the very end when we met a couple and a small family with a large dog. The dog was friendly but it took Kelley a few seconds ( she usually rushes right in) to assess his size and decide he was OK.

A nice hike 3-1/4 hours


More ice

3/19/11 Pemetic Mountain

Sunny but with a cold wind when we were in the open-quite nice when protected by trees. We started from Jordan Pond parking and took the Pond Trail to the Pemetic Trail. The trails were a mixed bag with sections of snow, ice, and even plain ground. Pemetic has several areas with large rocks and Kelley has become quite good at finding ways around.


These stones and ice were in small depressions in the rock




From the summit we took the Pemetic North West Trail down and this was a mistake but the easiest way to do a loop hike. The trail was icier and had more snow and was difficult to follow and at times I descended on my butt. Once down we took the Carry Trail ( not a problem) to Jordan Pond and walked along the pond back to our car.


A nice hike in spite of difficulties on one section - section 3 hours

3/16/11 Snowmobile Trail Along the Kenduskaeg

A gray dreary day with rain forecast so we stayed close to home and did a 2 hour walk on the trail along the Kenduskaeg Stream. The ice is breaking up in the stream and there was also water running across the trail in places and some mud. Kelley was happy to be out and managed to get into a fair amount of the mud and water. The rain held off until just as we were ending our walk.

3/15/11 Witch Hole Pond Carriage Road

Back hiking! Yesterday they pulled up all the carpet ( after the flood) and left us with a cement slab. The whole thing weirded Kelley out big time so it was off to Acadia today. Beautiful sunshine, upper 30's. little wind. A really nice day.


The carriage road had areas with a fair amount of snow left but it was firm with good footing.



There were also areas that had lost all their snow and Duck Brook was running strong with melt water.


Witch Hole Pond, to Kelley's dismay, was still frozen. But she did find other water to get into.


After following the carriage roads around to the junction between the Breakneck Ponds we crossed the beaver dam and took the Breakneck back to the road. There was still snow and ice on this route too.


A very nice hike for both of us. 2-3/4 hours

3/12/11 Update

Weather has kept us close to home - snow alternating with rain - and then we got water in the house. Hope to have that repaired this week and then get back on the trails.