South Bubble Mountain via the Jordan Pond Trail, Acadia National Park

Matty and I planned on a moderately strenuous hike to North and South Bubbles today in Acadia Park, but I had forgotten that Park Loop Road closes in the winter.  As such, we had to revise our plan and decided to hike to South Bubble from the Jordan Pond House.

The initial part of the hike was along a flat and well maintained gravel path running along the shore of Jordan Pond.  The trail afforded great views of the Bubbles and Penobscot Mountain.  

At approximately 1.5 miles, we came to the trail leading up South Bubble.  The trail rose steeply, and in the final section shortly before the summit required that we rock scramble a short distance.  

We descended towards the Bubbles parking along Park Loop Road before coming to a trail which led us back to the Jordan Pond trail.  Descending this way was significantly easier than had we retraced our steps.

This was a strenuous hike, due to the rock scrambling, but was worth it for the views.  Fortunately due to the recent warm temperatures there was little ice or snow; otherwise we would not have been able to make it up.  

Here is a map of our hike.  

Stations of the Cross Trail, St. Matthew's Catholic Church (Hampden)

My younger son and I decided to do a few local hikes today, one of which was the Stations of the Cross Trail behind St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Hampden.  The short trail (approximately 0.2 miles) was created by boy scouts in 2012 and features individual stations of the cross along a wooded path, each with its own bench.  Here is a map of the trail.  

Mead Mountain (Orland)

Matty and I hiked Mead Mountain today.  The mountain is part of the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands.  The hike to the summit was five miles round-trip from the parking lot on Route 1.  A good portion of the hike (2.6 miles) involved walking on the Valley Road.  The trail to Mead Mountain's summit leaves the Valley Road and travels along a relatively wide dirt path for approximately 0.7 miles.  The trail then enters a single track narrow trail through woods until reaching the mostly wooded summit.  

Here is a map of our hike.  

 

Connor Mill Trail and Unity College Trails

My son and I visited Unity today to hike on the Connor Mill Trail. The sign at the trailhead stated that the trail was approximately 3 miles long; however, after a short distance we discovered a stream with no bridge to cross.  The temperature was around 38° so we did not attempt to cross the stream and instead returned to the car.  We noticed a trail accessing Unity College's trails across the street from where we were parked, so we decided to explore those trails.   After a short walk through an open field we came to a wooded area, and then intersected a paved unity college path. We took this path and followed it to a parking lot where we noticed a sign saying that the University was closed due to COVID.   At this point, we elected to return to our car and call it a day.  

The Connor Mill Trail was scenic although short and there was ample evidence of wildlife in the area based on tracks. The trail runs adjacent to a stream.   

Bangor Municipal Golf Course

My son and I enjoyed the first significant snow of the season on Sunday with a visit to the Bangor Municipal Golf Course.

Hermon Community Trail

If you read my blog regularly, you know I've made it my goal to get outside every weekend since January 2019.   

This weekend the Bangor area is facing a large snowstorm following rains on Saturday.  Fortunately, the rains didn't start until around 9 am so I was able to get a quick walk in at the Hermon Recreation Trail beforehand.  

As I walked, I reflected on my goal and how I've managed to keep the streak alive.  I've been fortunate to stay healthy and fortunate to live in an area with abundant outdoor opportunities.  

After reflecting on the streak, I began reflecting on the Hermon Trail itself.  I've visited this path often as its close to where I live.  The path itself travels through woods and has interpretitive signs explaining the trees and other features of the landscape.  Today I spotted a large group of wild turkeys and was kept company by several chickadees.  Although surrounded by development, the trail offers a chance to connect with nature - I've seen deer, woodpeckers, vultures, hawks and even the remains of a coyote along the trail.  

Its easy to dismiss a trail like this as just a walking or running trail.  There's little chance of seeing a moose and there are no amazing vistas.  However, each time I come here I find myself leaving refreshed, appreciating the chance to connect with nature in a convenient location.