6/29/12 Not Great Hill, McFarland Mtn., and the Breakneck

We got directions for this trail to Great Hill from the internet and  they were not correct. According to that source the trail started on the east side of the loop road before the exit for 233 ( the red circle on the map above) . To reach the Great Hill on the map  would take more than 10 minutes and from that staring point you would cross two roads.

We took the short trail anyway and the instructions  correctly described a large boulder about half way up and some nice views from the top.

 

And there was even a little water for Kelley

Since that took only 15 or 20 minutes we headed to nearby McFarland. This trail starts from a park service road ( a couple of hundred feet in) about a tenth of a mile past park headquarters.  People have placed more cairns so the trail is easier to follow than in the past. The ridge is fairly open and pretty with views. 

We spent some time wandering the brush looking for another abandoned trail ( which we have failed to find in the past) and then head back down and went over to the Breakneck road and followed that to the ponds

 

This is entirely Kelley's work- I was focused on a leaf floating on mirror smooth water until she jumped in.

A good mix and an interesting hike 2 hours                                                                                                                                     

6/28/12 City Forest

Yet again, another rainy day. We managed to get in two hours at City Forest without getting rained on. Water everywhere which was fine with Kelley. We met Katurah and her owner on the West Trail ( old friends of Kelley) and walked with them to the rail bed- the dogs get along well. We met several other friendly hikers, dogs and bikers ( everyone taking advantage of the absence of rain)and all of this made Kelley a happy dog.

There were several of these tin butterflies  on a trash barrel at the parking area - we found several more on limbs next to the beaver pond

The meadow with the path down to the pond continues to grow- it seems happy with all the rain

Some of the other things we saw

A wild solanaceae

  

Crab spider having lunch

 
Crown Vetch

A pretty good hike in spite of very wet feet and annoying deer flies- they didn't seem to be the problem they usually are for Kelley                                                                                                                       

6/27/12 Bangor

Rained pretty much all day yesterday ( we just walked around the neighborhood) and was forecast again for today - raining when we got up. We went downtown and walked around for an hour anyway when the rain became lighter. I took few pictures as I was trying to keep my camera dry.

A small park in town

This leaf was flattened and plastered to the bench

A bright spot in a dreary day

6/25/12 Bangor

Rain predicted so we just went downtown and walked some neighborhoods for awhile. Kelley me a nice lady who had dog biscuits in her bag.

                

                                                                                                 

6/24/12 Ragged Mountain

One of my blog readers Invited us to hike with her, a friend, and her dog on Ragged Mountain. There was a threat of rain and quite high humidity but for much of the hike we were provided with a nice breeze.  We started from the trail head on Barnestown Road.

Looking back as you climb you can see Bald Mountain

After a section of woodland trail there are some open ledges that provide very nice views            

 

A lunch/ snack break and Kelley is hoping for another bit of food                 

Meanwhile Ellie is trying for a little shade.

We had hoped the dogs would get along with each other and they did . Ellie was more athletic than Kelley and there were spots where Kelley had to find her own route  or a boost             

A view as we near the top

    
 Almost there

 Summit view

           
Almost back to the start

This turned out to be an enjoyable hike for both me and Kelley.   4  1/2 hours               

6/22/12 Saxl Park

Rain and thunder storms predicted so we went to nearby Saxl Park to wander for an hour. It was still partly sunny and quite pleasant.
There is a small pond near the start and Kelley found it quite nice.

The fields were pretty with a sea of buttercups

and some daisies

                                                                                                                     

6/21/12 Little Long Pond - Harbor Brook

Another very hot forecast ( plus rain) so it's off to Acadia where it is usually about ten degrees cooler than Bangor. We picked one of Kelley's favorite routes with lots of water for her to get into and cool off.  Friends Path to the pond > along the pond and then Jordan Stream to the cobblestone bridge > carriage roads > Asticou > Harbor Brook > back down to Rte3. and a short walk along the road back to our car.

  

This guy was crawling on my leg as we had our apple break.

           
Been awhile since I've posted a lichen

This little family quickly moved across the wide area near streams end even though Kelley showed absolutely no interest in them.

         

 This Rosa rugosa was in someones yard as we walked along the road.

Very pleasant hike- we met some nice folks on the carriage road and then a woman on the Harbor Brook - her first time - said she had been hiking 30 years and was the worst trail she had ever been on. Kelley and I think it's a pretty trail. 2  3/4 hours