BLOG - Halloween Hurricane Waterfall Hunting

On Monday, the day before Halloween, the tail of a hurricane that dumped inches of rain in the northeast and blew down trees, taking out power to half of New England, was set to leave the state after causing a bit of destruction. With my birthday a couple days away we decided to head for NH in hopes of some raging waterfalls. We got a little more than we bargained for. In the mountains, even the typically dry rock cliffs were lined with random cascades.

Not realizing the severity of the storm when we woke up, we waited for the rain to pass and headed out early in the morning. We didn't lose power, we had no idea the rest of the state did. Everywhere we tried to stop for food was out of power. Downed trees lined the sides of I-95. The closer we got to the mountains, the bigger the run-off brooks beside the road got and we knew we made the right choice. Until we hit Bethel Maine on our way to Grafton Notch and the road was flooded. And so was the detour. And the detour from that detour. After hours of driving we finally made it to North Conway, finally ate our first meal of the day at Wicked Fresh, and decided the safest route would be to cross the Kancamagus Highway. The rivers were like nothing we've ever seen before. The water was yellow from turbulence, rivers rose by ten to twenty feet, mountainsides turned into waterfalls. We called work to tell them we'd be calling out for Wednesday. This was too good to pass up.

It was close to dark by the time we reached Lincoln and with only half an hour of light left, I couldn't do the waterfalls I was hoping for. There was too much water in the Beaver Pond Falls so the cascades through the narrow gorge shot right over it making it look like rocky rapids. We did get to Clough Mine Brook to see the roadside portion just before it got too dark to see. It was like spring runoff with no snow in the pictures. Amazing. We checked in to Parker's Motel where by some miracle they hadn't lost power.

The next morning I got up with the sun and hit Beaver Pond Falls again, this time with a more reasonable amount of water. It's crazy how quickly the brooks subside but it was still the equivalent of early spring. I needed a few more pictures for my waterfall edition of The White Mountains You Haven't Seen so this couldn't have come at a more perfect time. But man was it cold out.

From there I went up the road and explored an unnamed brook I call the Blue Ridge Cascades. I'd only seen it twice, both times in low water and didn't make it back this spring so I was grateful to get back again in time to finish the book. What I knew would be amazing falls in higher water blew away my every expectation. They begin with a couple of side by side falls each closing in on 100 feet in height.

I made my way up to some of the higher falls on the three parallel brooks to check out an incredible 18 footer that was just a trickle in the summer. Today it was spectacular. I had to clear some debris which involved cutting a thick branch with my pocket knife and dragging a couple twenty foot logs out of the falls.

Below that was another amazing waterfall which also was home to some recently downed trees. After lifting and pulling i got them out of the way as well, leaving only a few logs that added character. This brook is one of my greatest discoveries that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere before.

On our way to Gorham to get me some Dynasty Buffet we stopped at Rollo Fall. I went there in the fall with my parents but it was running close to dry at the time. Jaime escorted me along the short path to the falls where it started snowing lightly for a few seconds. Rollo Fall was amazing. I got to use my handheld water filter and drink directly from the pool below the falls. Best birthday present ever.

The buffet was closed today while repairs were being done on the entryway so we got the Farmhouse King burger from Burger King and ate it at the Dolly Copp Campground on our way into Pinkham Notch. It was one of the best burgers I've ever had. After a delicious lunch it was on to Pinkham Cascades. We'd seen it in almost that much water before but I hadn't climbed up higher that time like I did more recently.

Knowing there would be something magnificent up ahead, I climbed up the insanely steep wall of the ravine to the upper falls. The second cascade was gorgeous as well but what really stole the show here was the third cascade through the rugged ravine. I knew it would be phenomenal in high water but I did not anticipate the the side cascade coming in from the left which brought this one to a whole other level.

It was getting late so I didn't plan on exploring the next brook vert far but it had been on my radar for awhile and by the time we got back to Lincoln it'd be dark so I figured I'd give this unnamed brook a try. It started off slow right above the road crossing but a little ways in I encountered a nice side stream coming in with a cool rock slab cascade.

Up just a few minutes from here was another cascade, this one a true waterfall pouring through a gorge with drops on both sides of it. This one was enough to make me happy but I felt like there might be something else so Jaime told me to keep going over the walkies.

Still nothing. As I got closer to the Glen Boulder trail I told Jaime to drive over to that parking lot and wait for me there so I wouldn't have to bushwhack all the way back. Then I could see the line of white through the trees. I figured this one had to be located on the trail but it was still quite a ways off. I stood staring in amazement at the raging waterfall with a dripping ledge beside. This brook has to be one of my greatest off trail discoveries.

From there the waterfalls just kept coming, one after another.

From the ledge on top of one of the cascades I got a got view of the sunset. Oh no, the sunset. I didn't have a flashlight. It was time to get a move on.

I didn't want to miss more waterfalls but they just kept getting bigger and better and I had to go. Eventually I did honestly get kind of bored with the constant string of cascades so I made a beeline for the trail which wasn't as close as my GPS thought. After a couple minutes of panicking thinking I'd get stuck on the side of Mt Washington in the dark with nothing but the flashlight on my walkie talkie and GPS unit in the rapidly dropping temperature, I finally stumbled onto the trail and made a very quick descent. I made it to the car just as it got dark. That was one hell of a Halloween.

Back at the hotel while posting pictures on Facebook, fellow waterfall hunter, the esteemed Chris Whiton told me about one of his greatest discoveries, Rumney Canyon Falls and gave me directions on how to get there. He confirmed that what I'd found today in what I'm calling Glen Boulder Falls was not one he'd ever heard of anyone visiting.

Wednesday was my birthday, although I was pretending Tuesday was since Wednesday we'd be driving home which can be depressing. But it beats the hell out of being at work where we were supposed to be. I started the day with a trip back to Kinsman Notch so I could check out the final brook in a set of three formerly named but forgotten tributaries. The water levels were lower today but I made my way up Porcupine Brook. It was nice but paled in comparison to its neighbors. I'll need to redo this one in the spring when the water is high because a couple of the lower falls will be great but I missed them at their peak.

We checked out of the hotel and made our way down to the Plymouth area to try to find Rumney Canyon Falls. This was our first time being in this area. The road was washed out in parts and severely damaged but we made it to the abandoned trailhead. I found the old trail with no problem and made my way up. Using Whiton's directions, I found the cairn he'd placed there and made the short bushwhack to Rumney Canyon Falls. Oh. My. God.

This thing is enormous. Mist filled the box canyon making it difficult to photograph, I had to keep wiping the lens. This waterfall has to be over fifty feet tall and it was raging today. What an amazing birthday present from one of my hiking idols.

We checked for the new WWE Retro series 2 figures at Walmart but nothing, luckily the toy section was in the front because I was limping like crazy after all my hikes. Lately my knee has been bothering me on the descent. We tried a couple other hikes but the roads were closed and I was limping too much to walk down the road to get there, but I did try, for about a hundred steps or so. I finally got my Dynasty Buffet which was delicious. We were going to stay another night but Thursday was supposed to rain again and get even colder so that wouldn't have been comfortable to hike in. We made it home with no problems right as our internet was coming back on. That was an incredible birthday weekend.

Fall Foliage In Acadia

Now that October is underway, I figured I'd share with you some photos of Fall foliage in Acadia National Park. It may not last long, but while it's here, it is beautiful. So get out there and enjoy it while you can.

The following three photographs are taken from the trailless Halfway Mountain as described in my off trail hiking guide, The Acadia You Haven't Seen.

These next two pictures are from the Beehive Swamp, also found in The Acadia You Haven't Seen. In the first photograph you can easily spot the abandoned trail that once skirted the picturesque swamp.

 

This next photo is taken from Enoch Mountain, that rocky knob you see from the Beehive Swamp, looking down at the swamp in all its autumn glory.

During the spring time, Bowl Stream is an amazing cascade laden brook with a number of falls. But for the rest of the year, it's a lazy trickle of a mountain stream. Once the leaves have fallen, the camouflaged brook becomes a highway of autumn colors.

 

The low lying bushes on Beaver Bowl ledge are some of the last to lose their leaves.

The foliage seen from the former McFarland Mountain ski slopes makes it seem almost arbitrary to visit any other time of year.

 

The creepy Stone Tower takes on an even more haunted feeling the closer we draw to Halloween. Walk this trail in the dark and try to convince yourself you don't hear footsteps rustling in the leaves behind you.

 

The wildlife seem to enjoy the colors as well. Some will even pose for pictures.

If I were a bear, I bet you would find me hibernating in Bear Den. And with the Park Loop Road being closed in winter there wouldn't even be any noise from traffic to wake me up.

The steep talus fields of Earthquake Ledge always look menacing. I'm not sure if the autumn colors soften its image or only make it more intimidating.

 

A bit of color going up Dorr Mountain in late October. I love the leaves that line the stone stairways like red carpets.

 

Well I think that's about enough fall foliage for one post. This is an excellent time of year for bushwhacking and seeking out old trails as the woods are open, revealing many of the secrets they once hid.

For more abandoned trails and forgotten places in Acadia National Park be sure to check out The Acadia You Haven't Seen, available now on Amazon in E-Book and Black & White format or http://www.matthewmarchon.weebly.com for your color copy today. Over 50 destinations including many you won't find anywhere online.

TRIP REPORT - Monument Cove (Acadia)

        Monument Cove appears on many modern maps, yet it isn’t mentioned in any of the trail guides nor is there a sign pointing the way to the natural stone monolith. Despite its inclusion on the map and it being located on the tourist filled Ocean Path, it is rarely visited. Only a handful of photos turn up on an internet search, most of them from the ledge above. After seeing the freestanding spire of granite, you’ll understand why it received its own chapter.

    Getting there is easy, parking on the other hand might be a little difficult. Along the one-way section of the Park Loop Road, just a quarter of a mile after Thunder Hole is the parking lot for Gorham Mountain. The tricky part will be finding a parking spot. Across the road, a couple stairs lead you onto the always crowded Ocean Path. Follow it to the right for just a few feet before a side trail takes you down over some roots towards the ledges. Once you reach the ledges go left and you’ll find yourself at the top of a shady ravine overlooking Monument Cove. There are traces of what might be an old paved path between the walls of stone, or perhaps they’re merely chunks of tar from the road above, but today it’s a bit of a scramble over the pile of rocks.

    At the bottom of the small ravine, the granite tower comes into view across the rocky beach. Unlike some of the other shoreline attractions in this book, Monument Cove is accessible even at high tide. After 250 feet of hopping across smooth rocks you’ll find yourself at the base of the 20 foot tall monument. You are able to get pictures of the granite monolith from all sides and even walk in between it and the rock wall it separated from long ago. This one is nice and easy to get to and although you’re directly below the droves of tourists walking the Shore Path, you’ll probably have the magnificent cove all to yourself.
  

For more abandoned trails and forgotten places in Acadia National Park be sure to check out The Acadia You Haven't Seen, available now on Amazon in E-Book and Black & White format or http://www.matthewmarchon.weebly.com for your color copy today. Over 50 destinations including many you won't find anywhere online.

TRIP REPORT - The Devil's Oven (Mount Desert Island)

       For as long as man has been on Mount Desert Island, strange lights have been seen coming from inside the ‘oven’, a ten foot high cave with a skull-like appearance when viewed from the sea. The native tribes were weary of the cave-like overhang, claiming it was a portal to the underworld. It gets worse. As a form of punishment, particularly against the white man invading their land and massacring their people, they would tie the worst offenders to a stake in the cave and let them drown as high tide rolled in. Deeming it a gateway to Hell, they were essentially damning the souls of their victims for eternity. Kind of makes you want to visit this place, doesn’t it?

        Along Route 3, heading towards Bar Harbor, just before arriving in Hull’s Cove you’ll pass the Bar Harbor Campground, followed by the High Seas Motel. Approximately 0.3 mile after the motel take a left onto Sand Point Road. Follow it for a 0.1 mile where you’ll take a right onto Degregoire Park. The road is narrow with very few places to park. If possible, do this in the off-season when the summer homes are vacant as to not disturb the residents.

        Follow the clear path to the shore. As soon as you hit the rocky coastline there will be a drainpipe spewing water onto the ledges, creating an interesting little waterfall. There are numerous potholes formed by waves at the base of the cliffs on your left known as ‘ovens’. The hollowed out shallow caves are located along the high tide line and are home to tons of neat overhangs and jagged crevices. Now keep in mind, you’ll need to do this during low tide or you’ll make it almost all the way there only to find the ovens submerged.

        After half a mile of walking along the rocky beach you’ll pass by an incredible private staircase owned by the Inn At Bay Ledge. Both Cathedral Rock and the Ovens are located on their property as well, so be respectful and if at all possible visit this one between November and April when the inn is closed for the season.

         Immediately following the wooden staircase is a protruding ledge known as Cathedral Rock. It was once a popular tourist attraction, complete with its own postcards. Today it is mainly visited by kayakers and patrons of the inn. Vertical fractures in the rock have been eaten away by the waves, forming a small arch. What we’re left with is a doorway, a passage through the rock ledge known as Via Mala, road to evil. Although this natural tunnel is only a few feet long, I’ll be damned if my heart doesn’t race while walking through it.

         On the other side of the passageway lies the infamous Devil’s Oven. Slightly deeper than the other ovens, it is tinged with an eerie aura. Strands of yellow sulfur cut through the cave walls, a chemical element closely associated with the depths of Hell, once referred to as brimstone. Coupled with the plentiful red and orange iron ore, the cave takes on a fiery appearance. If you look at the rugged rock outline from inside the ovens, you can make out silhouettes of faces, one in particular bears a striking resemblance to the devil himself. Whether or not the oven is a gateway to Hell is debatable but it certainly is a remarkable place.

For more abandoned trails and forgotten places in Acadia National Park be sure to check out The Acadia You Haven't Seen, available now on Amazon in E-Book and Black & White format or http://www.matthewmarchon.weebly.com for your color copy today. Over 50 destinations including many you won't find anywhere online.