Sunny but a cold start. It was -7 when we got up and we waited to leave for Acadia until it reached -1. There was little wind and during our hike it did approach 20 so it turned into a beautiful day. We didn't know what kind of conditions we would encounter so drove to the end of Otter Cliff Road, there being several options for a hike from that point. First choice was the Park Loop Road ( closed in winter except for a section from Sand Beach area to this point). We headed down the closed section and found good footing with only about 3 inches of fluffy snow. A few people had walked before us but we did not see them.
We have seen these ice formations in past years.
Much of the time the road is close to the shore and you get some views of the ocean.
After about 20 minutes the foot prints disappeared and we had snow unbroken except by occasional deer or small critters. It was also very quiet with just the crunch of snow underfoot and the water against the shore when we were close to the shore. Kelley was very happy with the nice fluffy snow and lots of new things to explore. This is something we do only in winter so it's been about a year since she's been here.
As we neared the trail head for Hunters Brook ( a favorite trail in summer) we decided to see what conditions were like and give it a try. Again, no one had preceded us. It's nice if someone has gone before which helps to see where to step -or not step but Kelley is very good at following trails and doesn't like walking on ice. She was glad to be on a trail - I think she gets bored with the roads uniformity.
The stream was mostly frozen. The footing was surprisingly good, especially considering much of it is very close to the stream. It was also quiet and quite beautiful with a lot of snow still on the trees. The trail crosses and recrosses the stream several times and can be tricky even in summer with wet rocks to balance on. Today they were easy because of the ice.
We hiked to the point that the trail turns west toward the Triad and turned back the way we had come. As we neared the loop road we met our first person ( and dog) of the day.Back on the loop road we found that a snowmobiler had passed while we were in the woods but we did not see him. We continued on the road back toward our start point and were then passed by two men on snowmobiles but this did not mar our near perfect day as they wee rapidly gone from sight and sound.
Almost back
A very beautiful and peaceful day. 3 3/4 hours
Nice hike, nice pics
ReplyDeleteThanks John
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, great pics! But very sad to see yet another park visitor with a dog off leash...
ReplyDeleteHi Tori I'm curious as to your objection " very sad ? "- surely it's more than "it's a rule" . Are you afraid of dogs? Kelley is not at all aggressive and most people are happy to greet her -some say she has a 'full body wag'. She does not chase animals and stays close to me. Only a handful of people have objected over the years and if so I put her on a leash. During the summer when more people are around she is more often on leash. Kelley also has arthritis in her back knees and sometimes is not able to jump up or down from large rocky spots. She has become quite good at finding her own way around. Having her off leash saves me (and the environment)from me also bushwhacking off the trail.
ReplyDeleteI'm am totally a dog person, i love my dog, they do not bother me at all in any way shape or form, but I don't think it's fair to the environment at all, or to the parks we all love so much to have a dog off a leash. I've heard rumors of the park banning dogs on trails all together because of the ammount of people who refuse to leash their dogs or pick up after them. The National Park Service actually has handouts that explain the environemtal impact that a dog can have on local wildlife. It's an eyeopener. I hope that Acadia continues to allow dogs on trails, since it is one of the last parks where it's allowed, but I don't want this privilige to be taken away because people can't follow the rules. I hope you continue to enjoy the park with your dog, but maybe consider getting a leash??
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/e-mail/pets.htm
As I said, Kelley does not chase animals so does not impact wildlife, I pick up her poop. I carry a leash but for her protection when we are near traffic- or if there are people who object to her being off leash. My experience over several years is that very few people have a problem with Kelley off leash. I can understand how some animals can be a problem. Kelley is not.
ReplyDeleteBut whether you think so or not, Kelley is a problem. Just the scent of a dog can cause an animal to expend precious energy. Just because your dog doesn't chase animals doesn't mean that animals aren't running away from him. But I'm not going to argue with you, it's not worth it. I was just pointing out the rules of the park that you don't seem to care about and the impact that a predatory animal has on the environment (domestic or not).
ReplyDeleteYour view is too narrow. Dogs are part of nature too, as are we. What about the affect of our scent- you think animals aren't wasting precious energy running away from you? I have hiked all over the U.S. and have never seen a bear and very few other animals on the trail. You think maybe they were wasting precious energy avoiding me? I didn't have a dog with me.
ReplyDelete