Seawall Campground
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park
| Aug 4 |
Seawall
|
| Aug 5 |
Schooner Head, Cadillac Mountain, The Beehive, Sand Beach
|
| Aug 6 |
Precipice, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliff, Jordan Pond, Bass Harbor Light House
|
| Aug 5-6 |
Bar Harbor
|
Click here to see first day of vacation at Mt. Washington
Josie and I met Greg and George who were at the beginning of their North Eastern US and Canada vacation and we coordinated schedules so that our plans overlapped for a whole week. While Greg had visited once a long time ago, none of us were really that familiar with Acadia NP tho combining all of our notes from the information we gathered we were sure we could fill up a couple days with some fun hikes/activities.
Sunday August 4th
Sunday was pretty much a travel day. Since we had flown in on a red eye flight the day before, this was our first chance after stopping for lunch to pick up some food & drink reserves in Newport, Maine at Walmart. In Newport we left the scenic Highway 2 we spent all morning traveling and got on the Interstate I-95 which took us toward Bangor. In Bangor we caught Highway 1A which took us all the way to Mt. Desert Island.
My minds entire focus for our travels was actually for the end of the week when we would head to Baxter State Park for our climb of Mt. Katahdin. Acadia National Park just sort of got thrown into the mix because it happens to be in the same state. All joking aside, I think we all really looking forward to the couple days we would spend together there. What I didn't realize is that Acadia doesn't actually encompass the entire island. What is further complicated is that the National Park stops and starts on different areas of the island so as you drive around you are sometimes in the park and sometimes not in the park. It was a little confusing at first but after a couple days we started to get the feel for it.
Still not really understanding the Island we had Seawall Campground coordinates programmed into the GPS and made our way there. The map above really helps understand the Island and where everything is located. Our campground was all the way to the south end of the island and very isolated from the main part of the park. I read that they call the southwestern area the "quite side" of the island. I would consider the bold/dark road on the map called "Park Loop Road" the main part of the park.
We found the camp ranger's registration office at the entry of Seawall Campground and quickly wrapped up paperwork before we could head to our campsite. The campground was pretty basic and only provided the bare necessity of a parking spot, a clearing to put our tents, and a short walk to a building where there were toilets. As explained by the ranger there are paid showers on the island however none close to our campground. Already two days without a shower we were all longing to freshen up but it wouldn't be in the cards for another day.
Since seeing Greg & George after their hike of Mt. Washington the day earlier we had separate cars and our own agenda's so we really had had a good opportunity to catch up. After our campsite was situated we walked out of the campground to the actual Seawall less than a mile away and just across the street from the campground. We did get a chance to catch up while walking along the coast and making plans for dinner in a little one block town called Southwest Harbor we drove through on the way to the campground.
Over dinner we figured out we would try to get an early start and head to the Park Loop Road in the morning and stop at the visitor center by the entrance to the loop to see what hikes the rangers may suggest. Before heading back to the campground we unanimously agreed to drive around the island in search of a short cut we learned about which would help avoid some extra driving and avoid some traffic the next day. We were all pretty tired from our travels and all retired early. The night brought mild temperatures and clear skies. I got up once in the middle of the night and was amazed with all the stars in the sky.
Monday August 5th
We woke up and broke into our groceries for a quick breakfast and then headed to the "busy side" of the island. When we arrived at the visitor center it looked deserted as we arrived too early as they hadn't even opened so we continued onto Park Loop Road. It's mostly a one-way loop so once committed with a few exceptions you must continue all the way around. Still without a plan other than to hike the Bee-Hive trail at some point during the day we stumbled upon a sign for Schooner Head Overlook so decided to pull in and check it out.
Schooner Head was a short hike down to the coast with great views of the coast and a chance to crawl around on some rocks. Not staying too long, we heading back to the car and proceeded to drive the loop all the way back around to the visitor center which would be open. On the way we saw signs for Cadillac Mountain which is another stop we wished to make so we make the turn and drove up to the top of the road and already the parking lot was beginning to fill up with only a handful of parking spots remaining. We hiked around the top of the mountain enjoying the panoramic views of the island which really helped us to get our bearings straight.
We headed back down the mountain and made our way back to the visitor's center, this time only a few hours later the scene had completely changed and it was now an absolute mad house. Every single parking spot was filled and we had to circle around and ended up parking all the way at the far end of the lot. The visitor center was also a shuttle bus parking location so you didn't have to take your car on the loop, you could leave your car all day and take public transportation. We made a quick stop at the visitor's center and decided our next stop would be the Beehive trailhead. Driving around the loop now for our second time this morning what we noticed is that while everything was calm and quiet in the early a.m. now there were traffic jams, every single parking area was filled, and there were people everywhere.
We did luck out and found a parking spot near the Beehive trail. This is one of the epic hikes in the park and not for the faint of heart. One of the first signs you see is one that reads, "Caution: Trail Steep with Exposed Cliffs and fixed Iron Rungs". The 520 ft. vertical climb takes you straight up the side of the mountain.
I've known Greg a long time and he frequently comments that his wife is scared of heights and how she not only wouldn't have enjoyed as much as we did several of our past adventures but she would never try them in the first place. It wasn't until today I learned that Greg himself also has his own fear of heights. We were somewhere in the middle of the Beehive Trail climbing the rungs and standing on the edge of a cliff when we ran into a traffic jam. I thought to myself, what a perfect opportunity to break out the camera and take a few cliff side photos. Greg was ahead of me and I called out to him to turn around so I could get his face in the picture with the cliff behind him. He replied, "No." I thought he was joking, but his face was planted straight ahead and wasn't going to move from that position until the traffic jam cleared out and he moved onto a new "safer" spot.
The hike/scramble was just about what we expected and at the top were again rewarded with beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. The hike continues down the back side of the mountain and is just a normal trail free from cliffs!
While we had a parking spot, from the same parking location we refueled and then had one more attraction to check out called Sand Beach. It was just a short hike down to the waterfront. The water was cold enough I was happy only to get my feet wet, but George decided to take a swim. Most of the Maine's coast is rocky but this was a nice as the description suggests "sandy beach". We posed for a few pictures along the beach and decided we would head to Bar Harbor for the remainder of the afternoon/evening.
Bar Harbor is on the "lively" side of the island adjacent to many of today's attractions in Acadia NP, however, the town itself is considered outside of the park. Again the town was a tourist mecca and cars and people were all about. We were in search of a pub/restaurant and sat down for the first time all day long to talk about the joys of surviving the Beehive Trail and make our plans for the following day.
Apparently the most famous "other" cliff side hike/scramble called Precipice Trail. The Precipice happens to be home to many endangered peregrine falcons that nest on the cliffs. Consequently, the hiking trail can be closed from late spring through mid-August. Now only the first week of August and as luck would have it the trail is reopened for the season the next day. Over a beer we turned to YouTube to watch some video descriptions of the hike. We had three "yeahs" and one "no" from Greg who suggested he would sit this one out.
After dinner we walked around town, found a few souvenir shops, an outfitter store for a few camp supplies, and while our bellies we were full from dinner we found a bakery that looked like they made a mean blueberry pie so picked four slices for dessert later in the evening.
Since we had driven two cars we parted ways which left Josie and I with one more mission for the day to find one of the public shower facilities. Our last shower was Friday morning in Los Angeles and now it was end of the day Monday which was four days later. We plugged the address into the gps and were thrilled to find there was one only a couple miles away, still on the island, but just outside of Bar Harbor. Since we were car camping we had everything we had packed for the trip in the car so we had everything we needed with us. We were overjoyed when we found the place and there were actually pretty busy, but no waiting, there was one shower available for each. We were pleased the quarter machines took our bills, This may have been one of the best all time showers in life.
When we arrived back at the campsite we found Greg and George already had retired for the night. This left us with no option but to bust out the blueberry pie we picked up in Bar Harbor all for ourselves before crawling into the tent for the night.
Tuesday August 6th
Traveling east three hours has it challenges especially getting up early in the morning. Based on the heavy traffic Monday in the park we planned again for an early start with our first destination the Precipice! We awoke and Greg and George were doing morning push ups, a ritual they both started for their month long travel. There were up to about 100 per day and encouraged me to join them. Honestly I couldn't have done five so I didn't even try. We let them know we had picked up some killer blueberry pie last night for them and I think it was their favorite breakfast ever.
Without further delay we jumped back in our vehicles and followed each other back to the Park Loop Road entrance which the first stop was Precipice. The lot was already full, only one spot remaining so George pulled his Subaru and we continued to drive down the loop until there was a legal parking spot along side the road. We learned that the two lane road becomes a one lane road after everyone starts parking in the right lane. We found a spot not too far down the road and hiked back to meet George at the trailhead.
Greg decided to bow out and said he would watch. Actually from the parking lot you can see people hugging the side of the cliff and zig-zagging upward. The first section of the hike is just a trail that takes you to the base of the cliff where there is the first test, a big boulder that must be negotiated. Actually it wasn't easy to pass and probably a good warning for the faint at heart to turn around before the trail becomes sketchy.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Mount Washington, New Hampshire (6,288)
3rd Visit
18th Highest State High Point
38th Most Difficult
summitpost.org
wikipedia.org
The road trip from Boston to the parking lot of Mt. Washington's COG railroad was about a three hour drive. It was a beautiful highway through the White Mountain National Forest and past the Franconia Notch State Park. Josie was ecstatic seeing all the trees and was just amazed that everything was so green. Arriving for now my 3rd time at the base of the COG railroad I had a general idea what to expect.
As luck would have it Greg & George had a faint cell phone coverage and called us as we were parking the car. It ends up they had just finished their all day hike and we gave them directions to where we were parked and spent the next half on an hour catching up and learning all about their day's adventure. I would have to admit I was a little jealous they had such a beautiful day to hike but after learning the difficulties of the trail it was good we didn't try to overdue it and hike our first day. I had reserved a camp site a few miles away and they were off to find a shower and we would meet up with them later.
Upon checking in at the train depot early I was hoping we could catch a train an hour earlier than our reservation. Well it ends up the time printed on the ticket in big letters front and center was actually our return time and our departure time was printed in small letters in the upper right hand corner which meant we missed our reservation, but with few hassles we were booked on the 4:30 train. We had an hour to walk around the base of the mountain and check out the trains parked at the depot. We also found a trail that the day hikers were returning and navigating over a beautiful running stream next to the tracks.
Mount Washington COG Railroad Wikipedia
Mount Washington COG Railroad Website
Climbing to the Clouds Movie
We also had enough time before our train to check out the COG railroad museum on the 2nd floor of the depot and learned a little of the history of the railroad. We soon were called to wait in line and boarded the train. Lucking out to get the very front seat which I hoped was ideal for picture taking on the way up. The conductor boarded, entertained us all the way up with history of the COG railroad and described all the sites.
We were pushed up the mountain by one of the newer bio-diesel engines, yet there is still one of the coal burning engines still in use for one of the trips up and down the mountain. There are a couple sections of the tracks that have switches where trains coming down take a second set of tracks so the trains going up can pass. I think these switches were manual my first trip up in year 2000, but now they are automated with solar powered electric switches with houses next door that store the batteries. They still stopped and checked the switches were in place before proceeding.
The average grade of the entire track line is 25% with one of the sections of the tracks which is called Jacobs Ladder maxing out at 37.41%. The conductor encourages passengers to try to stand in which if you are standing up strait your feet could be inside the car and your head is outside the car. Good times!
An hour at the summit is hardly enough time to take in all the sites. Our first stop was to been the rush of the passengers to the actual high point of New Hampshire. There is a pile of rocks and a sign signifying the summit. I had played a few shenanigans near the summit trying to capture some epic photos. We lucked out to have a clear day free of clouds tho the wind blasted I think over 30 mph. The conductor said that the haze in the air was actually smoke from Alaska wild fires all the way on the other side of the continent.
We went to the main building and Josie caught the tour of the weather observatory museum while I attempted to find some food. Unfortunately the grill was already closed but ended up having one of the tastiest muffins of all time. I sat and looked out the windows and heard other tourist that bought post cards and stamps to mail from the U.S. Post Office on the summit only to realize they didn't have any address with them to fill out on the post card.
The trip back down the mountain was mostly non-eventful. We had a new train and a new conductor as comical as the first. The seats all flip so the front on the way up becomes the back on the way down. We filed all the way to the farthest seat from the back entrance and ended up once again in the front row. Again the conductor was right in front of us and he told that the engine and car are not connected and each one has their own braking system. There was a safety system that once Josie got too close to and the conductor was briefly alarmed.
On the way down the new conductor spoke a watering hole on the way down the road out of the COG railroad where the locals jump off rocks into the river below. We searched for the spot on the way back down the mountain and stopped by to check it out.
Of course another place to check out below the mountain is the great Omni Mount Washington Resort. Now starting to get really hungry we stopped at about the only place to eat in the area called Fabyan's Station.
18th Highest State High Point
38th Most Difficult
summitpost.org
wikipedia.org
 |
| Mount Washington (6,288), New Hampshire - State Highpoint 3rd Visit |
The road trip from Boston to the parking lot of Mt. Washington's COG railroad was about a three hour drive. It was a beautiful highway through the White Mountain National Forest and past the Franconia Notch State Park. Josie was ecstatic seeing all the trees and was just amazed that everything was so green. Arriving for now my 3rd time at the base of the COG railroad I had a general idea what to expect.
As luck would have it Greg & George had a faint cell phone coverage and called us as we were parking the car. It ends up they had just finished their all day hike and we gave them directions to where we were parked and spent the next half on an hour catching up and learning all about their day's adventure. I would have to admit I was a little jealous they had such a beautiful day to hike but after learning the difficulties of the trail it was good we didn't try to overdue it and hike our first day. I had reserved a camp site a few miles away and they were off to find a shower and we would meet up with them later.
Upon checking in at the train depot early I was hoping we could catch a train an hour earlier than our reservation. Well it ends up the time printed on the ticket in big letters front and center was actually our return time and our departure time was printed in small letters in the upper right hand corner which meant we missed our reservation, but with few hassles we were booked on the 4:30 train. We had an hour to walk around the base of the mountain and check out the trains parked at the depot. We also found a trail that the day hikers were returning and navigating over a beautiful running stream next to the tracks.
Mount Washington COG Railroad Wikipedia
Mount Washington COG Railroad Website
Climbing to the Clouds Movie
We also had enough time before our train to check out the COG railroad museum on the 2nd floor of the depot and learned a little of the history of the railroad. We soon were called to wait in line and boarded the train. Lucking out to get the very front seat which I hoped was ideal for picture taking on the way up. The conductor boarded, entertained us all the way up with history of the COG railroad and described all the sites.
We were pushed up the mountain by one of the newer bio-diesel engines, yet there is still one of the coal burning engines still in use for one of the trips up and down the mountain. There are a couple sections of the tracks that have switches where trains coming down take a second set of tracks so the trains going up can pass. I think these switches were manual my first trip up in year 2000, but now they are automated with solar powered electric switches with houses next door that store the batteries. They still stopped and checked the switches were in place before proceeding.
The average grade of the entire track line is 25% with one of the sections of the tracks which is called Jacobs Ladder maxing out at 37.41%. The conductor encourages passengers to try to stand in which if you are standing up strait your feet could be inside the car and your head is outside the car. Good times!
An hour at the summit is hardly enough time to take in all the sites. Our first stop was to been the rush of the passengers to the actual high point of New Hampshire. There is a pile of rocks and a sign signifying the summit. I had played a few shenanigans near the summit trying to capture some epic photos. We lucked out to have a clear day free of clouds tho the wind blasted I think over 30 mph. The conductor said that the haze in the air was actually smoke from Alaska wild fires all the way on the other side of the continent.
We went to the main building and Josie caught the tour of the weather observatory museum while I attempted to find some food. Unfortunately the grill was already closed but ended up having one of the tastiest muffins of all time. I sat and looked out the windows and heard other tourist that bought post cards and stamps to mail from the U.S. Post Office on the summit only to realize they didn't have any address with them to fill out on the post card.
The trip back down the mountain was mostly non-eventful. We had a new train and a new conductor as comical as the first. The seats all flip so the front on the way up becomes the back on the way down. We filed all the way to the farthest seat from the back entrance and ended up once again in the front row. Again the conductor was right in front of us and he told that the engine and car are not connected and each one has their own braking system. There was a safety system that once Josie got too close to and the conductor was briefly alarmed.
On the way down the new conductor spoke a watering hole on the way down the road out of the COG railroad where the locals jump off rocks into the river below. We searched for the spot on the way back down the mountain and stopped by to check it out.
Of course another place to check out below the mountain is the great Omni Mount Washington Resort. Now starting to get really hungry we stopped at about the only place to eat in the area called Fabyan's Station.
Omni Mount Washington Resort
Not really knowing exactly how to find Sugarloaf 2 Campground nor our campsite, we followed the vague description provided by Greg which would have been much more simple in the day light. As this was the 4th time camping this summer we had become experts, even in the dark, at setting up the tent. This would be our first of five nights of camping and the only night in New Hampshire. Greg and George were already conked out by the time we arrived at the camp site and without a good nights rest the night before passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
Trip Continues to Acadia National Park
July 25, 2000
See 2000 Recap, Pictures, from 1st visit to Mt. Washington
October 3, 2015
See 2015 Recap, Pictures, from 2nd visit to Mt. Washington
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Los Parderes National Forest: Lizard's Mouth
Links:
Hikespeak
Always one of my favorite hikes in Santa Barbara. While searching for the "Lizard's Mouth" several times we actually found it this time!
Hikespeak
Always one of my favorite hikes in Santa Barbara. While searching for the "Lizard's Mouth" several times we actually found it this time!
Friday, June 14, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2019
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