Trail Running Acadia, Part 2

Two years ago I wrote a post about trail running in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine (see it here), and then a few months later I had an article published in New England Runner about running on the island in general (see article here). Jen and I (now engaged!) recently returned to the island for a little running relaxation and family time. In addition to doing the Northeast Harbor Road Race (in my hometown) and some hikes and swims, we enjoyed three more super scenic and fun trail runs, each described here.

my favorite shot of the trip, on Penobscot Mtn. 

Western Mountain (Bernard Mtn. and Mansell Mtn.)

For our first run, on our first full day on the island, I chose a route that I knew would 1.) not be crowded, and 2.) still give my girl a good gestalt of trails, mountains, and lakes on the island (something I really enjoy doing). Crowds can be brutal in August, and we had zero desire to fight for parking or solitude. So, sticking to the "backside" of the island, we drove over to the remote and little-used trailhead for the Great Notch Trail on Pine Hill near Hodgdon Pond. Turns out we were the only car in the lot. From there we ran a lollipop loop that included wooded Bernard Mountain and dramatic Mansell Mountain. We took it easy, enjoying the scenery, taking lots of photos, and chatting with the very few other people we encountered. 

The initial gradual 1.5-mile climb up Great Notch Trail took us over some blueberry ledges, up a somewhat eroded section, and through a patch of old growth forest (one of the few on the island). Approaching Great Notch, portions of the trail got extremely rooty, and one stretch climbed a steep set of wooden stairs, but it was still pleasant. From the notch we took a right and climbed steeply up to the eastern vista ledge on Knight's Nubble, then up and over the nubble itself and down to Little Notch. We ran right over the summit of Bernard Mountain and down along one of my all-time favorite stretches of trail anywhere, a pine-needle covered stretch where the ground beneath the conifers is almost completely covered in moss. You just know that part gets socked in with coastal fog a LOT. Then we dropped down to Gilley Field, traversed over to the south shore of Long Pond, and made our way to the base of the Perpendicular Trail on the eastern side of Mansell Mountain. With no shame, we fast-hiked the next mile or so, straight up the awesomely well constructed Perpendicular Trail. From the summit we dropped down to the Razorback Trail. We turned north on Razorback and zipped along the spine of the sub-ridge back down to the notch, and back out to Pine Hill.

so CROWDED!

up the Perpendicular Trail

 

dinnerlight later in Bass Harbor

Norumbega Mountain

For an easier day, we did a short-ish but still challenging loop near Northeast Harbor. Starting at the southeastern end of Hadlock Pond, we ran along the east shore of the pond to the waterfall where the brook comes in from the north. Then there was about a mile-long section along the eastern base of Norumbega Mountain that, I have to say, was a bit tough for running. Parts of it were great, but others were so incredibly rooty. Then up the very steep Goat Trail (which has actually been worked on quite a bit since I was a kid) to the summit. The fog was pretty thick that day, and there were zero views, which is a shame because there's some pretty good ones of Somes Sound, Northeast Harbor, and the Western Way. But it allowed us to really concentrate on how fun the next mile or so was as we descended the south ridge back towards Hadlock Pond. It's a classic Acadia ridge run alternating between granite "ramp" ledges, gravelly dirt tracks through scrub bushes and pine trees, and occasional stone steps where long-ago trail workers created enduring works of functional art, punctuated with short dips into magical, soft-bottomed conifer dells.

Sargent and Penobscot 

For our one big excursion on the more crowded eastern side of the island, I chose a route that I hoped would be less traveled. For the most part, it worked! We started at the Gate House near Northeast Harbor, ran about a mile out on the carriage trail and then turned left onto the trail up Cedar Swamp Mountain (see more full write-up of a run here from 2 years ago). After stopping briefly at the summit, we dropped down into the saddle and then continued climbing up about another mile along the partly open ridge to the junction on Sargent Mountain. From there, the mile or so out in the open to the summit is just glorious. Open granite bedrock with subalpine vegetation and occasional wet pockets... I love it so much. 

After summit Sargent we turned around and ran back south, stopping briefly at the pond for a swim (warmest I've seen the water there in decades; very pleasant) and some chatting with a few cool young couples. Then into the saddle between Sargent and Penobscot, and up and over Penobscot. Then the true gem of the day. Running down the south ridge of Penobscot. So fun. Flying over open granite ledges and ramps with spectacular views out across the Atlantic. Just bliss. Oh and from this point on we never saw another soul out there until we got back to the parking lot. At the southern end, we took a right on the relatively recently renovated trail that drops down into the Amphitheater. Happy to report that it is SPECTACULAR for running. Gently graded with swooping switchbacks. Near the bottom you cross carriage trails 3 times in rapid succession, then bottom out at a T-junction with the Asticou Trail. We took a right and headed west up a curving climb over big stone steps to a junction with a trail that headed south over to Eliot Mountain. Wanting to tack on a few extra miles and grab one more mountain, we turned left. The trail is narrower and MUCH less traveled here. 

From Eliot Mountain we dropped down the the Map House, where I'd intended to take the dirt road back to the Gate House. But the current landowner just west of there has posted a lot of unfriendly no trespassing and Beware of Dog / Violators Will Be Prosecuted signs. I wasn't sure about the legality of the situation, if they actually owned the road or just the land to the side, so opted to have us return via a fishhook back out the Asticou Trail and carriage trail to the Gate House.

We also hiked the trail at Ship Harbor and hung out on granite ledges by the ocean, walked out to the twin red chairs by the shore at the Blagden Preserve, and joined my brother and his girlfriend for a hike/swim out the ledges on the western shore of Long Pond. Between all that and family time with as many people as we could manage, it was a plenty full trip.

On the last full day on the island I ran the 5-mile Northeast Harbor Road Race, which starts at the northern end of Sargent Drive and then heads south along Somes Sound to Northeast Harbor, finishing with a fish-hook around the south side of town past The Fleet in Gilpatrick Cove, my aunt's big house on South Shore Road, the Kimball family cemetery, and the house of my stepmother and twin half-brothers on Kimball Road before finishing up in front of The Kimball Shop on Main Street. You can see how it's a bit of a familiar trip for me. Despite being a bit heavy and having done several significant trail runs in the days prior, I felt fantastic.The weather was perfect and my body behaved in all the important ways. I ran a lot of the race beside or just behind Michael Westphal, and finished in 36:12 (7:15 pace).

 

That was it for this trip. Check back, though, as there's a really good chance part 3 will come along before too long. I've got a hankering to do an early morning loop of Ocean Drive path, Great Head, Beehive, Bowl, and Gorham from Fabri, as well as Triad, Pemetic, North Bubble, Dorr, and return trips to Cadillac South Ridge, Beech Mountain south ridge, and Bald Peak.