Opportunistic Hiking at Kenduskeag Stream Trail (Bangor)

I needed to spend time in Bangor while my son was working as a photographer at the Bangor Christmas parade, so I decided to use the opportunity to take a short hike along the Kenduskeag Stream Trail.  Here is a map of my hike.

The trail was firmly packed closer to downtown.

Wing tip patterns in the snow.  

There were large numbers of crows flying in to roost for the night.  

View from an overlook.

Snowshoeing Kennard Road Trail (Newburgh)

Kennard Road Trail is a 1.1 mile forested trail owned by the town of Newburgh and managed by the Landmark Heritage Trust.  

With the holidays coming up I had a busy weekend so I visited this trail as it's very close to my house.  The trailhead is approximately one mile up Kennard Road from Western Avenue and is marked by a small sign.  There was a small pull-off that fits one vehicle.

The trail itself is wide and well-marked with aqua-marine blazes.  There was a set of cross-country ski tracks that someone had made in the snow. 

New fallen snow gave the preserve a beautiful and quiet feel, and despite its proximity to other homes and Route 202, it had a remote feel to it.  At the rear of the preserve is an open field from which Newburgh's Peaked Mountain is visible. 

Here is a map of my hike.  

 

 

Acadia National Park - Carriage Roads from Hulls Cove Visitor Center to Conners Nubble

I did a 10.6 mile hike today, primarily along Acadia's carriage roads from the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to Conners Nubble, a small mountain that overlooks Eagle Lake. 

I was happy to see that almost all of the carriage roads were free of ice and snow.  It was sunny, but temperatures in the teens and low twenties kept visitation light.  I saw around 10 people during the almost four hours I was at the park. 

I wasn't able to make it to the summit of Connors Nubble due to extensive icing on the trail leading up to the summit, but was able to make it high enough to enjoy the view.  

Here is a map of my hike.

 

 

 

 

 

Bucksport Waterfront Walkway

Today was a beautifully sunny (but cold 20 degree) day so my son and I went to Bucksport to take photographs of the waterfront area. 

The Bucksport Waterfront Walkway is a 1.2 mile paved path running along the Penobscot River with views of Fort Knox, Verona Island and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.  There are multiple access points along the trail.  Not surprisingly because of the cold, we saw few people along the path.

Here is a map of our walk.

View of the walkway with the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Fort Knox across the river.

This rock was in a small stream running under the path.  Ice was just beginning to form around its perimeter.

The marina docks have been removed from the water for the winter.

The tracks along the waterfront are no longer in use.

Eagle Bluff North Summit and Parks Pond Bluff Trail

I visited Eagle Bluff North Summit and Parks Pond Bluff Trail today.  Both hikes are listed in AllTrails and given their close proximity and relatively short distances, it worked well to combine them on the same day.  Here is a map of both trails on one map to show their relative location.

Eagle Bluff North Summit

Eagle Bluff was amazing.  The area is managed by the Clifton Climbers Alliance and is well known for rock climbing.  The trail to the summit was relatively steep but short and afforded incredible views of the surrounding area.  After descending from the summit, I hiked around to the base of the cliff to see the climbing area, which was similarly impressive.  Here is a map of Eagle Bluff.

View from the summit

Recent snowfall made the trees look magical!

View out from the summit

View of the trail near the summit

View looking up from the base (note the climbing anchors)

View from the base.

The trail leading to both the summit and the base had a special winter wonderland feeling that pictures cannot properly convey.

Parks Pond Bluff Trail

Parks Pond Bluff Trail was significantly easier than Eagle Bluff and provided excellent views of Parks Pond and the surrounding area.  The trailhead is not marked and were it not for the directions from the AllTrails app I would have likely never found it.  Here is a map of Parks Pond Bluff.

 

 

 

Someone built this snowman at the summit.  If I were a snowman, this would be the place to be (until I melted and plunged off the side of the cliff)

Thanksgiving Hike at Penobscot Shore Preserve (Prospect)

This year I'm having a pretty low key Thanksgiving, so decided to take a hike at the relatively new Penobscot Shore Preserve and enjoy the fresh fallen snow.  The preserve is managed by the Coastal Mountain Land Trust and was established in 2017 thanks to a generous land donation.  It features a short 1 mile loop trail leading through woods and down to the shore of the Penobscot River.  The trail is well blazed and has new signage.  Here is a trail map of today's hike.

Its hard to hike on Thanksgiving and not think about all that I have to be thankful for in my life - my health, healthy and happy kids, good family and friends, and a good job.

Hiking through the preserve also made me consider how thankful I am for people such as Elizabeth Wemett - whose land donation made this preserve possible - and the many land trusts throughout the state that are actively engaging in promoting and managing similar preserves.  The Penobscot Shore Preserve consists of 47 acres of waterfront property with 1,800 feet of forested shorefront which could have easily been sold for development, but instead Ms. Wemett chose to gift the property and preserve the land for others to use.

For more information on the Coastal Mountain Land Trust, visit www.coastalmountains.org.

Hirundo Wildlife Refuge (Old Town)

A friend of mine recommended visiting Hirundo Wildlife Refuge and I'm glad I did.  The refuge consists of forests and fields adjacent to Pushaw Stream and has an extensive trail system.  Many of the trails have interpretive signs along them, educating visitors on a wide range of nature related topics.   There are a number of bird houses throughout the refuge and several benches to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds.

I saw no other people during my hike, possibly due to it being early on a 25 degree Sunday morning.  The refuge had a silent, remote feel to it broken only by the sound of running streams and an occasional bird.  

The trails varied from gravel to grass to wooded and were mostly flat.  There were abundant trail markers and signage throughout.  Some of the trails were muddy and icy so boots are definitely recommended.  I hiked on the north trails; there are additional trails on the south side of the refuge.  

Here is a map of my hike.  For additional information about the refuge, you can visit it's website here.   

There were a number of interpretive signs, including some with sample objects.