# Acadia - Help



## Joe (Jul 30, 2001)

I will be heading off to Acadia National Park next weekend and was planning on hiking Cadillac Mtn and the Beehive.  Does anyone have any other suggestions?  

I am also looking for the answer to the following question? 
At what angle of elevation does the sun appear to a person on Cadillac Mtn. at noon on the summer solstice?  

This is the last clue I need to solve for a letter box I plan to look for on Cadillac (My first Letter Box attempt).

If you now the answer please email me at:
joe@alpinezone.com


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## Raymond (Jul 31, 2001)

— The Bubbles. We did a nice loop October, 1996; up North Bubble, over to Conner's Nubble, around to Jordan Pond, then up South Bubble.

— Six peaks in a few hours: Bald Peak, Parkman, Gilmore, Sargent, Penobscot, Cedar Swamp. Saw a porky atop Cedar Swamp.

— If the falcon fledglings are gone, Champlain Mountain's Precipice Trail.

— North Ridge Trail over Kebo Mountain to Dorr, across to Cadillac, then back down into gorge and follow out the Gorge Path (becomes vague near the end, but you're near the road by then anyway).

— The Western Mountains, Mansell and Bernard. 500 steps (granite steps, I mean) up Mansell from Long/Great Pond.

— Gorham Mountain is a hop, skip, and jump from The Beehive.

— Acadia Mountain, Saint Sauveur, and Flying Mountain.

Actually, they're all good. If you're camping at Blackwoods, watch for raccoons.


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## burg (Jul 31, 2001)

A very nice, varied hike I did there was to leave from the beach (this was several years ago so I am, of course, forgetting some of the names of things - but the main beach inside the park)and hike along the rocky shore past Thunder Hole (?) and some other notable spots then cross the Park Loop Road and ascend Mt. Gorham.  Continue over the summit on the trail that leads to the Beehive (you could add the Beehive to this trip, I did this- without the Beehive -  with my daughter when she was around 5, easy) and back to the beach.  Mt St Savuer was also nice, we continued past the summit to an outlook over Somes Sound (the highest fjord on the east coast?).  Have fun!


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## steiny (Aug 1, 2001)

Next time you're considering Acadia, check out Isle au Haut, off Stonington, ME. It's a 12 sq mi island, half of which is Acadia NP. You need reservations, which you need to get way in advance in the summer season. You get there by mail boat. The Park allows only 36 campers, for its 6 shelters, and 50 dayhikers at one time. In season you can take the mailboat right to the shelter area - off season you hike in 5 miles along trails or dirt road.

Camping is confined to one shelter area in a pine grove near the water. Water is a short hike away. There are many wonderful trails, along the shoreline and up into the interior of the island, for some full day hiking.

The island has a small general store for resupply and about 90 year-round residents. It's kinda like stepping back in time. The thing that makes this so much nicer than Mt Desert is the total lack of crowds. I was there at the end of September a few years back, and for 4 of the 7 days I camped there I was the only person in the Park!

One word of caution. Treat your food supply as if you were in bear country. The red squirrels that hang out at the shelters are very clever, persistant, and obnoxious.


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## twigeater (Aug 7, 2001)

I haven't hiked much in Acadia, but I am heading to Isle au Haut in September, really lookin' forward to it. Thanks for the squirrel tip, steiny.


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## steiny (Aug 8, 2001)

Twigeater - Take the squirrels seriously. Bagging and hanging WILL NOT WORK. I tried every conceivable system there is and lost food every day - damned creatures could tightrope walk fishline, leap incredible distances, chew through many layers of nylon, plastic, and foil. Take a bear canister or a metal container to keep your food in. Worst of all is their habit of sitting on the shelter roofs, throwing pine cones at you and laughing! 

Absolutely marvelous hiking there. The trail the that goes north in the middle of the island goes through a really neat little dwarf pine forest. The trail that goes diagonally to the left coast (I think it was the Duck Hole Trail) goes over some nice rocky balds. I hope you have the same peace and solitude that I had there.


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## Joe (Aug 9, 2001)

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I am off to Acadia.  I will post pics soon.
Thanks Again


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## Joe (Aug 18, 2001)

Pics now posted http://www.alpinezone.com/hiking/reports.htm
Thanks Again.


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## twigeater (Sep 25, 2001)

I just returned from Isle au Haut yesterday. What a great place! My intent was to spend 4 days there and do all 18 miles of trails, knock it off my "to do" list. I guess I forgot how mezmerizing the ocean can be, and how much there is to exploring the rocky shoreline, so we only completed a few trails.  Each morning we picked mussels for our evening appetizer, and the first night we had 4 crabs picked from the rockweed.

We were the only people there 2 out of the 3 nights. The outhouses are something else, $42,000 composting jobbies with a fan and hand sanitizer - 3 outhouses for 5 lean-tos - too much! There were locking critter boxes on the back of each lean-to, and we didn't see any squirrels. Very nice place, I'll be going back again.


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## steiny (Sep 25, 2001)

twigeater - Glad your trip to Isle au Haut was a solitude-filled success. It is a pretty neat place, eh? I especially liked the fact that not a car on the island has a current plate or inspection sticker. It's nice to find little pockets of rule-benders here and there. Kinda reminds me of where I live. Nice that you weren't bothered by squirrels. Three outhouses! There was only one when I was there, still in its experimental stage. Have they got the nearby water supply back up and running, or is it still a hike back out toward the road?


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## hikergrrl (Sep 27, 2001)

Joe!

Just reread you original post from waaaaaay back.... and picked up on the LetterBox.

Tell us how it went!

That's part orienteering, part scavenger hunt, isn't it? Do you have more info?

I've done a little bit of orienteering - it was a blast (but I'm terrible at it).


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## Joe (Sep 27, 2001)

Twigeater - Good to here that you had a good trip.  While I was in Acadia earlier I asked a few locals about the area and look forward to going next year.

hikegrrl - While I was in Acadia I unfortunately did not get a chance to look for the letterbox I intended to, but did get in some scenic hiking.  TR
I look forward to attempting trying Letterboxing soon.  I will post a new thread on some more information regarding letterboxing.   

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Joe on 2001-09-27 20:52 ]</font>


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## twigeater (Oct 12, 2001)

hey steiny - we had to walk back up the road to the hand pump. What a place - definately going in the off season again.


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