Gorham Mountain, The Bowl and Champlain Mountain – Thursday – July 25, 2013

Today, we headed to the easternmost side of Acadia NP for a great hike.  Dan, Tricia, Syl, Bill and I were out early (7:30am) and drove the loop road just past Thunder Hole to the parking area for Gorham Mountain Trail.  We were only the second car in the lot so we would beat the crowds:o)) 

Our route today combined several trails for a total of about 7 miles.  We started on the Gorham Mountain Trail and then turn right onto the Cadillac Cliffs Trail which is a short, but interesting trail that will reconnect to the Gorham Mountain Trail higher up the mountain. We continue to the summit of Gorham Mountain and were treated to some amazing views along the way!!

We descended Gorham Mountain in the direction of The Bowl, a beautiful, clear lake that sits at the base of Gorham and Champlain Mountain.  At The Bowl, we picked up the South Ridge Trail to the summit of Champlain Mountain.  This was a wonderful, but tricky hike.  Each time we thought we were about to reach the summit, we were fooled and had yet another steep climb;o)) Just before we reached the summit, we passed the Precipice Trailhead.  Precipice is the most difficult trail in Acadia. It is 1000ft straight up the face of Champlain Mountain...not in our future;o((

At the summit (1085 ft), we descended on the Beachcroft Path.  Without a doubt, this was the steepest and most challenging hike down we have done so far.  Tricia and Bill, were way out of their comfort zones, but hung in there with the rest of us.  I do believe that their fear of heights has been put to the test here in Acadia and they have truly stepped up to the challenge!!

Once we were down the mountain, we had a short hike on the roads to Sieur de Monts where we picked up the park loop bus for a ride back to the car.  The loop bus makes it possible to do hikes without having to return the way you came.  Just make it to the loop road and you can get a ride back to your car!!

After finishing this hike, I know I want to hike Cadillac Mountain again when the weather is as clear and beautiful as we had today.  We know we missed some spectacular views because of the fog on that hike.  However, today's hike was really special because we got spectacular views of so many Acadia Landmarks: The Beehive, The Bowl, Sand Beach, Porcupine Islands, Schoodic Peninsula and more. 

One more GREAT hike with GREAT friends!!!

 

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