Yesterday's storm made today perfect for checking out some of those elusive Acadia waterfalls. With an inch or two of rain and little sleep, due to the 65mph winds keeping us up half the night, we headed off after the morning rush. Power was out along Route 1A the entire way there, making us doubtful we'd be able to pick up the discounted park pass for next year (yearly passes are half off for the month of December at local area Chamber of Commerce locations). Ellsworth was completely dark so onto the island where they amazingly seemed to have power. We started the day with a quick trip to Breakneck Road as we still haven't seen the recently re-scultped falls in high water. Mission somewhat accomplished, the falls weren't raging by any means but much higher water levels than normal, the problem today was that the camera really couldn't see them. Bright sun plus leafless trees does not make for photographic cascades.
Onto Bar Harbor to the Chamber Of Commerce for a... sign on the door saying all out of park passes, go to Sand Beach entrance station. Man, I had the perfect parking spot too. So down Schooner Head Road to Sand Beach where they did indeed have yearly passes for only $35. The waves were intense so a quick stop at Thunder Hole was in order. We arrived just in time to see a massive swell blast into the air. At only a degree or two above freezing, we didn't stick around long.
Jaime sat the next one out as I climbed 330 stairs up the Emery Path, yes I counted, to a trailside cascade I've had yet to witness in peak conditions, as in every time I hike past it it's either a wall of ice or dry as can be. Today it finally happened. All water, no ice, and a whole lot of amazing. This one was left out of the Acadia's Waterfalls book because I didn't have an adequate photo, now it can take up its rightful place in the pages of Acadia's only waterfall guide.
From there we headed over to Seal Harbor to take the back way into Acadia's Jordan Pond winter entrance, you'd never guess it was there at the end of a residential neighborhood if you didn't know. We parked at the end of Stanley Brook Road and followed the closed portion of the Loop Road to the Triad-Day Mtn Carriage Road bridge. The one mile walk along the road in the freezing cold just to reach our trailhead had us eager to get to our next destination; a carriage roadside cascade I noticed on my way by back in October. It was just a wet cliff then but I knew if it was wet in the driest of conditions then it'd be something special after a little rain. It did not disappoint.
Quick stop at a carriage road drainage tunnel we spotted through the trees on our way by, what can I say, I have a thing for caves, natural or man-made. I had to climb up to check it out. Then a brisk stroll through the Wildwood Stables, all closed for the season, a first for both of us, and back to the car via the Wildwood gravel utility connector road. Two new cascades to grace the pages of Acadia's Waterfalls, the only question now is whether to add them to the current book or save them for the exclusive hardcover to go along with a few others that didn't make into the book in time.
With the sunset quickly approaching, I opted out of a longer carriage road trek towards Chasm Brook and went for a solo return mission along the Eagle Lake carriage road. A few years ago on my first trip up Conner's Nubble, a mountain I highly recommend, I noticed a dry yet intricate channel passing under the carriage road. I went back later that year after a little rain but the stream didn't live up to its reinforced streambed. So I figured I'd give it another try today, it was no more impressive this time. Maybe it just needs lots of water, like four inches instead of two. I will see this ledgy cascade with water rushing down it someday.
Even after the rain, water levels were still extremely low, I was able to walk quite a ways into Eagle Lake after the dry summer and autumn. We were off the island before the sun set, that never happens, but half of Ellsworth was still without power. Naturally it was the half where I hoped to shop, namely Walmart for bird seed and shipping supplies, Goodwill and an antique mall. Crews were still out repairing power lines and putting telephone poles back up. I guess we lucked out on this one, we certainly did not need a repeat of last year's powerless Christmas week. At only 5.5 miles today I didn't even break a sweat, unheard of for me, granted most of it was along carriage roads but still. And we made it home just in time to feed Nixy, our opossum friend, when she emerges at sunset for her breakfast.
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