Dorr Mountain is not where we planned to hike. A nice sunny day and we decided on Acadia- still concerned about ice so decided we would walk the ( closed) road up Cadillac Mtn. But during the drive over this seemed less interesting so we changed plans. We would do parts of several trails. Canon Brook to the intersection of A. Murray Young is mostly flat and usually pretty good. The extension off Dorr South Ridge would also be easy. In addition we would do the first part of A. Murray Young ( which we never complete because of a section too difficult for Kelley) and the first part of Dorr which we thought would also get hairy. All together this would make a descent hike.
We started from Rte. 3 and the trail was good - some small ice patches easily got around.
The pond at the start of Canon Brook Trail
Next we did the extension off Dorr and it was also easy. This is part of an abandoned trail that leads to the Pothole Trail but we only went as far as Otter Creek and then turned back and continued on Canon Brook.
A cairn someone had placed since our last visit
Next was the A. Murray Young and that was fairly difficult from the start with lots of ice. As we climbed it became snow but then reverted to even worse ice and we turned back.
Point at which the trail crosses the stream
We head back down the Canon Brook to try Dorr S. Ridge. There were some small patches of ice at the start but then we found ourselves on a trail with neither ice nor snow. A big surprise.
We did not expect this to last but it did so we continued up the mountain. As we neared the summit there were some small patches of ice and snow but even at the summit it was mostly clear.
We had our lunch on the summit and headed back down to the Canon Brook and that back to our start.
A beautiful day and a good hike with a mountain we didn't expect to get. 4 hours
These are some excellent updates on trail conditions – thanks for posting them.
ReplyDeleteLast week I did the absolute dumbest hike of the year up Bernard (via Cold Brook>Bernard Mtn. trail>West Ledge Trail loop). Actually it wasn’t all that bad, like your Dorr Mtn. trip, except for just past the summit and on down into Great Notch. Spectacular sheets of ice glazing everything, everywhere, resulting in some spectacular falls on my part, somehow missing all the padded parts. Lucky that I didn’t wind up like the poor woman who just recently in the same area (Mansell?) slipped and broke her ankle, and then crawled for seven hours before they rescued her. But after some lengthy bushwhacking to find an alternate route down the steep section, and eventually rejoining the blazes (only slightly more dependable than breadcrumbs), I bailed out on coming out via the Razorback Trail - not a name that particularly inspired confidence - and opted for Great Notch Trail instead, which was a cakewalk in comparison.
Also explored the Petit Manan peninsula last week, using the Hollingsworth Trail as a jumping-off point. Similar trail conditions as MDI.
This weekend we did the full loop around Eagle Lake, including the couple miles of trail. The carriage road was intermittently icy on the Eastern side and muddy on the Western side. A good part of the way we just walked right on the pond itself, until even poor Bird-Dog pulled a Bambi impersonation. The new pair of slip-on ice grippers work great,…when I don’t leave them behind in the car.
Hi Jamie
ReplyDeleteThanks for your update on Western Mtn. trails. It is really hard this winter finding good hiking spots. You made the right decision about Razorback which is aptly named- lots of steep granite on part of it. This morning we awoke to about a half inch of snow - just enough to hide the icy patches - and then rain. We settled for a walk downtown. Be careful out there.
I'll never be a winter hiker...I lack the daredevil gene.
ReplyDeleteHey John- It's not usually dangerous- this has been a bad bad year for ice.
ReplyDelete