Acadia Memorial Weekend Bash - 5-25 to 5-28-12

[mtruman]

Had a fantastic four days in Acadia last weekend. Lots of hiking, hanging out, great food, fun and amazing people! Can't imagine a better way to spend a few days in one of the most beautiful places on the planet! From a rambling hike across Cadillac, Pemetic, Jordan Cliffs, Jordan Pond and South Bubble, a visit to Anemone Cave, a Shore Path hike, climbing on Otter Cliffs and a visit to Asticou Azalea Gardens the fun was non-stop.

The whole story is on the blog: http://theramblingsblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/acadia-memorial-day-weekend-bash.html
(Links to lots more pictures are at the end of the blog post)

Here's a couple of samples...

Foggy and beautiful coast of Acadia

The Bubbles over Jordan Pond

Assault on Bubble Rock

Anemone Cave

Climbing at Otter Cliffs

Asticou Azalea Gardens

 

[ow2010]

Impressive how much you were able to fit into one weekend! Sounds like a blast! Beautiful pictures.

 

[tomcat32]

Acadia is a great place. I usually make at least half a dozen trips down there each year, mostly for hiking but occaional biking or xc skiing. I think it gets overlooked by hikers because its low elevations and lack of peaks on checklists. I've done numerous 8+peak 12+ mile hikes and it wears me out more than a day on Katahdin. Must be all the 1000' ups and downs. I love hiking with views of all the mountains and ocean at the same time. I live close enough to visit regularly and tend to avoid summer season. Late fall to mid spring you practically have the place to yourself.

 

[Adventurous]

It is amazing how much we were able to fit into the weekend. The strange thing is, we were never rushed, didn't start early and had plenty of relaxation time around the fire each night. It was a great group and everyone meshed so well - I'm glad you and Nat were able to join us.

 

[buckyball1]

thank you--enjoyed your blog and all the pics

jim

 

[Jimmy Legs and Little D]

Wow!

Mark,
You can just imagine my face, with a huge smile, while I read your account of the weekend and seeing the photos. It's doesn't get any better than being in Acadia this time of the year. Even though we've been there many times as you have it never gets old. The lupines were fabulous.

Donna

 

[mtnpa]

Great pics Mark. Nice to meet you & Natalie.

We can add a new saying to Maine lore:
"You've been berkled"

 

[chinooktrail]

frankly i am SHOCKED that no one got a picture of the 27 blue coolers and the one red one...
oh that? it's over there in the blue cooler, no, not that one, no, not that one, no, not that one either...
made late night cooler raiding way more interesting!

 

[NH Tramper]

Sounds like a good time. Nice pics.

 

[JacobH]

Nice TR! Great pictures. We took our family to Acadia for the first time ever in April. I enjoyed the hiking a lot! As tomcat mentioned, I think this place is overlooked quite a bit due to the lack of lists/high peaks.

We'll definitely be going back many times. We missed Anemone Cave but from your pictures it looks like a great place. That one is definitely going on the itinerary for next trip.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I think this place is overlooked quite a bit due to the lack of lists/high peaks.

I'd bet the 5+ hour and 265+ mile drive (from Greater Boston) have something to do with it.

Tim

 

[JacobH]

I'd bet the 5+ hour and 265+ mile drive (from Greater Boston) have something to do with it.

Tim

And yet, people make the 6+ hour, 265+ mile trip to viewless peaks on the border of Canada for list bagging. I guess everyone has their own idea of what's "worth" the trip.

mtruman: We visited Asticou Terraces (but not the gardens) and there is some amazing rock work there. That was a great side trip on a cloudy day.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

And yet, people make the 6+ hour, 265+ mile trip to viewless peaks on the border of Canada for list bagging. I guess everyone has their own idea of what's "worth" the trip.

Guess what I have left for the NEHH? (here's a hint - 13 peaks, all 6+ hours away, all in Maine )

Tim

 

[DougPaul]

Yes, Acadia is a long drive from Boston. But it is worth it--Acadia is a very special place.

"Need" to get back there myself...

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

This trip reminds me so much of one I did many years ago, so I can totally relate to just how special a place Acadia is (and how glad we are that those rocks up on the Bubbles do not move easily). It is well worth the drive to be able to hike that terrain from literal sea level to a summit and back.

Congrats on a beautiful trip!

 

[mtruman]

Acadia is a great place. I usually make at least half a dozen trips down there each year, mostly for hiking but occaional biking or xc skiing. I think it gets overlooked by hikers because its low elevations and lack of peaks on checklists. I've done numerous 8+peak 12+ mile hikes and it wears me out more than a day on Katahdin. Must be all the 1000' ups and downs. I love hiking with views of all the mountains and ocean at the same time. I live close enough to visit regularly and tend to avoid summer season. Late fall to mid spring you practically have the place to yourself.

We'd love to get there in winter someday (or be close enough to visit more often). Acadia has been perhaps my favorite hiking location since the first time we visited 17 years ago. I wouldn't care if I ever saw a checkmark on any list ever again as long as I could keep hiking there! You hit the nail on the head - hiking an average of probably 1/2 hour to get to open ledges and mountain/ocean views is really hard to beat. Nowhere else like this in the east (and not many places anywhere).

It is amazing how much we were able to fit into the weekend. The strange thing is, we were never rushed, didn't start early and had plenty of relaxation time around the fire each night. It was a great group and everyone meshed so well - I'm glad you and Nat were able to join us.

Same here Kim! It's been 5 days now and I'm fully recovered (and ready to go back)

Mark,
You can just imagine my face, with a huge smile, while I read your account of the weekend and seeing the photos. It's doesn't get any better than being in Acadia this time of the year. Even though we've been there many times as you have it never gets old. The lupines were fabulous.

Donna

Great pics Mark. Nice to meet you & Natalie.

We can add a new saying to Maine lore:
"You've been berkled"

Great meeting you and Ma too! Always room for a few new sayings

frankly i am SHOCKED that no one got a picture of the 27 blue coolers and the one red one...
oh that? it's over there in the blue cooler, no, not that one, no, not that one, no, not that one either...
made late night cooler raiding way more interesting!

I can't believe that I didn't take any pictures in camp. Fortunately several others did, so the citation inducing 5-tents-on-a-site and the game of musical coolers and who-has-the-IPA are fully documented

Nice TR! Great pictures. We took our family to Acadia for the first time ever in April. I enjoyed the hiking a lot! As tomcat mentioned, I think this place is overlooked quite a bit due to the lack of lists/high peaks.

We'll definitely be going back many times. We missed Anemone Cave but from your pictures it looks like a great place. That one is definitely going on the itinerary for next trip.

Once you've been there you just HAVE to go back! We didn't know about Anemone Cave before this trip. It was so cool!

I'd bet the 5+ hour and 265+ mile drive (from Greater Boston) have something to do with it.

Tim

Bah! 7+ hours and close to 350 miles from RI for us and it's worth every minute/mile!

Yes, Acadia is a long drive from Boston. But it is worth it--Acadia is a very special place.

"Need" to get back there myself...

Doug

See Tim, Doug agrees with me.

This trip reminds me so much of one I did many years ago, so I can totally relate to just how special a place Acadia is (and how glad we are that those rocks up on the Bubbles do not move easily). It is well worth the drive to be able to hike that terrain from literal sea level to a summit and back.

Congrats on a beautiful trip!

You're right Michael - it would really be a shame (and a shock) if one of those assaults on Bubble Rock actually worked. Hope it's there for another million year!

 

[PamW]

Really terrific report Mark. The pictures are amazing as always and the narrative is descriptive and engaging. Sounds like a great trip! I enjoyed my vicarious visit along with you guys!

 

[DougPaul]

Once you've been there you just HAVE to go back! We didn't know about Anemone Cave before this trip. It was so cool!

It used to be on the park maps back in the 1970's when I first went to Acadia with my college outing club (several years).

After a long gap, I joined the Oct 28-30, 2005 VFTT trip* and it was no longer shown on the park maps. We took the walk over Great Head and I led the group down into the cave. A few of us "older timers" still remember... When I asked at the Visitor's Center, I was told that it had been removed from the maps to reduce the visitor impact on the cave.

* The trip report and planning info threads can be found with an advanced search on "Acadia" in the title. And, of course, there is the NPS website: http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

If you looked really closely at the rocks as you went down into the cave, you may have noticed the cut-off bits of steel that used to form a railing that provided a path into the cave.

It's definitely slippery as heck on those rocks - at one point I had to retrace my steps and try a different way out.

 

[mtruman]

One of the articles that we found about Anemone Cave said that it was taken out of the literature because there had been too many cases of people getting stuck in there when the tide came in and having to be rescued. Having been in there it's hard to see how you wouldn't be able to get out once you saw the water rising. The tides come up fast in Maine, but not THAT fast. Then again, people are dumber than just about anyone

I'd like to think that the reason was actually to reduce impact like Doug said. Pretty fragile area to be getting the kind of traffic that national park tourism creates.