Adventurous
New member
The Plan: Start on the Precipice trail and end at the Parkman parking lot climbing over 11 peaks in between
Assumption: Take a leisurely 8 hours to do 10 miles and 5,500 vertical feet
Reality: 10.5 hours to do 15.5 miles with 6,381 vertical up and 6,155 vertical down
The crew: HuiYeng (7summits), Darlene (Darl58), Jen (Nif), Stevo, Phil (Prino) and myself
A few of us decided to join Darlene in Acadia for the long holiday weekend. We had two items on the agenda that were a must do…an Acadian Traverse and going out on Darlene’s uncles lobster boat in Stonington, ME.
A brief summary of Saturday – Jen and Stevo hadn’t been to Acadia before so we decided to take a short hike up the Beehive after breakfast. As they quickly found out, it takes very little climbing before you’re rewarded with awesome views. Next stop…Sand Beach…too cold for a dip so we were off to Thunder Hole. It was a very calm day so they didn’t get to hear the roar of the ocean that’s typically heard at Thunder Hole. Onto the Cobblestone Beach - it looked like the recent tropical storms had taken a toll on the beach since the slope of the beach was no longer gradual. Last stop was Stonington for a trip on Juniors lobster boat. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be out on the water…sunny and hardly any wind. He hauled a few traps and gave us a lesson on how to tell if the lobster is legal and whether it’s a male/female. There are lots of islands in this area and I kept saying how much fun it would be to kayak the area someday. Keeping us entertained, he took us out to an area where there are dozens of seals. They were timid so we couldn’t get any close-ups of them. Before leaving, we bought 18 lbs of lobster to feast on when we got back to the campground. We had our first injury of the weekend when Phil tried to crack open the claw with his fist…ouch.
Sunday - The Acadian Traverse – Phil had been trying to recruit people to do this traverse since 2005 but was unsuccessful until he mentioned it to all of us. Without looking at the map…we all said yes (we would have said yes even if we had looked at it).
Peak 1 – Champlain Mountain via the Precipice Trail – We were all excited about hiking this trail – Darlene and Phil were the only two who had done it before. It’s a series of iron rungs and ladders that climb 930 vertical feet to the summit of Champlain. The views are absolutely phenomenal and the climb itself felt like a playground for adults. We took our time and thoroughly enjoyed the climb up this awesomely fun trail!!! Phil’s idea for the future – climb the Precipice without touching any of the iron rungs or ladders…easy for you Phil…you’re a foot taller than most of us
Peak 2 – Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail - At the summit of Champlain, we met a woman who suggested hiking the Ladder Trail up Dorr since we loved the Precipice. Down, down, down we went off Champlain. The stonework on this section of trail down to the road is amazing and you have awesome views for most of the descent. It’s steep but it switchbacks on nicely placed rocks. We crossed the road and hiked the half mile around The Tarn to the Ladder Trail. I will say - I’m not sure why it’s called the Ladder Trail since there were only two small ladders. It should have been named the Stairs Trail because there were stone steps for most of the way up. While this sounds lovely…it’s torture on the knees – as I can attest to. This was the first time that my knees have ever hurt while ascending. We soon reached the summit of Dorr and spent a little time basking in the sun and talking summit stewards. They had suggestions on our route up Sargent which we listened to.
Peak 3 – Cadillac Mountain – We descended Dorr and it wasn’t long before we’d be joining the hordes of people on top of Cadillac. We arrived to find hundreds of people hanging out (most had driven up). We left the crowds and headed over to the tower which was supposed to be the official summit. Darlene took our group summit shot and we were on our way.
Peak 4 – Pemetic Mountain – The descent of Cadillac was more rewarding than the climb. It’s open ledge for quite a distance and the views of Bubble Pond and the ocean spectacular. Once off the ledge, the descent became more difficult. There were no longer nicely placed steps; instead, we were descending on jagged rocks mixed in with ledge. We opted to leave the trekking poles in the car because we were sure that we’d need all fours for much of the traverse. This proved to be true since most peaks had a steep rocky ascent and a steep rocky descent. It was also a killer on the knees. When we reached Bubble Pond, we stopped for a much needed snack break. At this point, we were beginning to realize that we were in for a bigger hike than we had planned for. Running out of food and water were a potential problem. After the snack break, we began climbing the moderate climb up Pemetic. This was a long section since we weren’t rewarded with views until we reached the summit. At that point, I proclaimed to HuiYeng…”I’m not having fun anymore”. I drank most of my water because I was having trouble staying hydrated and my knees were in agony from hiking on rock without poles for so long. I seriously considered taking the free shuttle back to the car when we got down to the road but was convinced to continue on. Jen swapped her nearly full bladder for my almost empty bladder and filled me with vitamin I.
Peaks 5 and 6 – North and South Bubble – The descent of Pemetic was steep and rocky. I was moving slowly so Jen tossed two more vitamin I’s my way to reduce the knee pain. We reached a junction where we had a choice to climb into a tight ravine or over ledges. We chose the ravine because it looked like fun. To our pleasant surprise, there were two wooden ladders to descend, one was very narrow – hopefully someone else took pictures because I didn’t. We got to my bailout point and I chose to continue. The climb up to the junction for North and South Bubble was really easy. It was the only section of trail that was dirt and it was welcomed at this point. Once at the junction, we chose to go to North Bubble first and we were afforded with great views of Jordan Pond. Next stop…South Bubble where we tried to push Bubble Rock off the ledge but were unsuccessful.
Peak 7 – Penobscot Mountain – We quickly descended the bubbles and were at Jordan Pond. There were some neat bridges in this area which made great photo ops. The hike up to Penobscot was unrewarding until we reached the summit. We didn’t stay long since we knew we were going to run out of daylight.
Peak 8 – Sargent Mountain – The hike over to Sargent from Penobscot is along open ledge without much climbing. We had awesome views for most of the way to the summit. The light at this time of day was amazing – it illuminated the rock and all of the blades of grass that surrounded us. We arrived at the summit and spent close to 30 minutes eating, drinking and enjoying the views. This was by far my favorite and one that I’m anxious to get back to.
Peak 9 – Gilmore Peak – my memory is a bit fuzzy for this section of the hike – we descended Sargent on open ledge and rock and soon began the short, steep climb up Gilmore. Another peak with great views but then again, they all had views. Anxious to begin our final descent before dark, we took a group shot and left.
Peak 10 and 11 – Parkman Mountain and Bald Peak – Another steep rocky descent off of Gilmore and we soon began the steep rocky ascent up Parkman. We arrived to catch the last glimpse of the sun setting. The colors were awesome. I said that I wanted to do a moonlight hike but I hadn’t expected it to be on this traverse. Last stop was Bald Peak which was a very quick descent and ascent. Final group picture and “break” and we were on our way. Stevo, Jen and HuiYeng went ahead so Darlene, Phil and I made our way down together. We stumbled and laughed our way down the ledge until we needed to stop and put our headlamps on. It was here that Darlene proclaimed that we didn’t have any pictures of Phil’s ball yet (disco ball in case you’re wondering). Out the ball came…we shined the headlamps on it and Darlene continued to take pictures until we got the perfect shot. We decided to follow Phil’s shoes since they were reflective. Somehow, we managed to get lost – the nice trail came to an abrupt end. Now Darlene took the lead…no more following Phil’s shoes…oops – that trail dead-ended at a cliff. We were laughing hysterically and shouted for our friends a few times but they didn’t respond. My turn – we went back to what we thought was a trail and took another path…nope, that was wrong too. So…three directions and no trail – we opted to backtrack until we found a blaze. We found one and then I spotted a cairn. Finally back on track, we descended to a carriage road where we found the other three patiently waiting for the giggling trio.
We followed the carriage road back to Jen’s car – the only car left in the lot. We piled 6 of us in the car and went back to pick up Darlene’s car. We went back to the campground and feasted on bacon wrapped filets thanks to Stevo.
It was a gorgeous day to be out hiking with friends. If you want a lot of bang for your buck…this is a great traverse. I would do it again but would take a water filter with me. Despite the peaks not being all that tall, the descents and ascents are steep and you lose a lot of elevation between peaks.
Many pictures will follow...
Assumption: Take a leisurely 8 hours to do 10 miles and 5,500 vertical feet
Reality: 10.5 hours to do 15.5 miles with 6,381 vertical up and 6,155 vertical down
The crew: HuiYeng (7summits), Darlene (Darl58), Jen (Nif), Stevo, Phil (Prino) and myself
A few of us decided to join Darlene in Acadia for the long holiday weekend. We had two items on the agenda that were a must do…an Acadian Traverse and going out on Darlene’s uncles lobster boat in Stonington, ME.
A brief summary of Saturday – Jen and Stevo hadn’t been to Acadia before so we decided to take a short hike up the Beehive after breakfast. As they quickly found out, it takes very little climbing before you’re rewarded with awesome views. Next stop…Sand Beach…too cold for a dip so we were off to Thunder Hole. It was a very calm day so they didn’t get to hear the roar of the ocean that’s typically heard at Thunder Hole. Onto the Cobblestone Beach - it looked like the recent tropical storms had taken a toll on the beach since the slope of the beach was no longer gradual. Last stop was Stonington for a trip on Juniors lobster boat. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be out on the water…sunny and hardly any wind. He hauled a few traps and gave us a lesson on how to tell if the lobster is legal and whether it’s a male/female. There are lots of islands in this area and I kept saying how much fun it would be to kayak the area someday. Keeping us entertained, he took us out to an area where there are dozens of seals. They were timid so we couldn’t get any close-ups of them. Before leaving, we bought 18 lbs of lobster to feast on when we got back to the campground. We had our first injury of the weekend when Phil tried to crack open the claw with his fist…ouch.
Sunday - The Acadian Traverse – Phil had been trying to recruit people to do this traverse since 2005 but was unsuccessful until he mentioned it to all of us. Without looking at the map…we all said yes (we would have said yes even if we had looked at it).
Peak 1 – Champlain Mountain via the Precipice Trail – We were all excited about hiking this trail – Darlene and Phil were the only two who had done it before. It’s a series of iron rungs and ladders that climb 930 vertical feet to the summit of Champlain. The views are absolutely phenomenal and the climb itself felt like a playground for adults. We took our time and thoroughly enjoyed the climb up this awesomely fun trail!!! Phil’s idea for the future – climb the Precipice without touching any of the iron rungs or ladders…easy for you Phil…you’re a foot taller than most of us
Peak 2 – Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail - At the summit of Champlain, we met a woman who suggested hiking the Ladder Trail up Dorr since we loved the Precipice. Down, down, down we went off Champlain. The stonework on this section of trail down to the road is amazing and you have awesome views for most of the descent. It’s steep but it switchbacks on nicely placed rocks. We crossed the road and hiked the half mile around The Tarn to the Ladder Trail. I will say - I’m not sure why it’s called the Ladder Trail since there were only two small ladders. It should have been named the Stairs Trail because there were stone steps for most of the way up. While this sounds lovely…it’s torture on the knees – as I can attest to. This was the first time that my knees have ever hurt while ascending. We soon reached the summit of Dorr and spent a little time basking in the sun and talking summit stewards. They had suggestions on our route up Sargent which we listened to.
Peak 3 – Cadillac Mountain – We descended Dorr and it wasn’t long before we’d be joining the hordes of people on top of Cadillac. We arrived to find hundreds of people hanging out (most had driven up). We left the crowds and headed over to the tower which was supposed to be the official summit. Darlene took our group summit shot and we were on our way.
Peak 4 – Pemetic Mountain – The descent of Cadillac was more rewarding than the climb. It’s open ledge for quite a distance and the views of Bubble Pond and the ocean spectacular. Once off the ledge, the descent became more difficult. There were no longer nicely placed steps; instead, we were descending on jagged rocks mixed in with ledge. We opted to leave the trekking poles in the car because we were sure that we’d need all fours for much of the traverse. This proved to be true since most peaks had a steep rocky ascent and a steep rocky descent. It was also a killer on the knees. When we reached Bubble Pond, we stopped for a much needed snack break. At this point, we were beginning to realize that we were in for a bigger hike than we had planned for. Running out of food and water were a potential problem. After the snack break, we began climbing the moderate climb up Pemetic. This was a long section since we weren’t rewarded with views until we reached the summit. At that point, I proclaimed to HuiYeng…”I’m not having fun anymore”. I drank most of my water because I was having trouble staying hydrated and my knees were in agony from hiking on rock without poles for so long. I seriously considered taking the free shuttle back to the car when we got down to the road but was convinced to continue on. Jen swapped her nearly full bladder for my almost empty bladder and filled me with vitamin I.
Peaks 5 and 6 – North and South Bubble – The descent of Pemetic was steep and rocky. I was moving slowly so Jen tossed two more vitamin I’s my way to reduce the knee pain. We reached a junction where we had a choice to climb into a tight ravine or over ledges. We chose the ravine because it looked like fun. To our pleasant surprise, there were two wooden ladders to descend, one was very narrow – hopefully someone else took pictures because I didn’t. We got to my bailout point and I chose to continue. The climb up to the junction for North and South Bubble was really easy. It was the only section of trail that was dirt and it was welcomed at this point. Once at the junction, we chose to go to North Bubble first and we were afforded with great views of Jordan Pond. Next stop…South Bubble where we tried to push Bubble Rock off the ledge but were unsuccessful.
Peak 7 – Penobscot Mountain – We quickly descended the bubbles and were at Jordan Pond. There were some neat bridges in this area which made great photo ops. The hike up to Penobscot was unrewarding until we reached the summit. We didn’t stay long since we knew we were going to run out of daylight.
Peak 8 – Sargent Mountain – The hike over to Sargent from Penobscot is along open ledge without much climbing. We had awesome views for most of the way to the summit. The light at this time of day was amazing – it illuminated the rock and all of the blades of grass that surrounded us. We arrived at the summit and spent close to 30 minutes eating, drinking and enjoying the views. This was by far my favorite and one that I’m anxious to get back to.
Peak 9 – Gilmore Peak – my memory is a bit fuzzy for this section of the hike – we descended Sargent on open ledge and rock and soon began the short, steep climb up Gilmore. Another peak with great views but then again, they all had views. Anxious to begin our final descent before dark, we took a group shot and left.
Peak 10 and 11 – Parkman Mountain and Bald Peak – Another steep rocky descent off of Gilmore and we soon began the steep rocky ascent up Parkman. We arrived to catch the last glimpse of the sun setting. The colors were awesome. I said that I wanted to do a moonlight hike but I hadn’t expected it to be on this traverse. Last stop was Bald Peak which was a very quick descent and ascent. Final group picture and “break” and we were on our way. Stevo, Jen and HuiYeng went ahead so Darlene, Phil and I made our way down together. We stumbled and laughed our way down the ledge until we needed to stop and put our headlamps on. It was here that Darlene proclaimed that we didn’t have any pictures of Phil’s ball yet (disco ball in case you’re wondering). Out the ball came…we shined the headlamps on it and Darlene continued to take pictures until we got the perfect shot. We decided to follow Phil’s shoes since they were reflective. Somehow, we managed to get lost – the nice trail came to an abrupt end. Now Darlene took the lead…no more following Phil’s shoes…oops – that trail dead-ended at a cliff. We were laughing hysterically and shouted for our friends a few times but they didn’t respond. My turn – we went back to what we thought was a trail and took another path…nope, that was wrong too. So…three directions and no trail – we opted to backtrack until we found a blaze. We found one and then I spotted a cairn. Finally back on track, we descended to a carriage road where we found the other three patiently waiting for the giggling trio.
We followed the carriage road back to Jen’s car – the only car left in the lot. We piled 6 of us in the car and went back to pick up Darlene’s car. We went back to the campground and feasted on bacon wrapped filets thanks to Stevo.
It was a gorgeous day to be out hiking with friends. If you want a lot of bang for your buck…this is a great traverse. I would do it again but would take a water filter with me. Despite the peaks not being all that tall, the descents and ascents are steep and you lose a lot of elevation between peaks.
Many pictures will follow...
