Witch Hole Pond Carriage Road
Braving the cold to have fun is simply part of living in Maine in the winter. For Janice and Emma and I, today’s recreation was a walk on the carriage roads around Witch Hold Pond. This 4.6 mile loop begins and ends at the Duck Brook Bridge which is accessed from route 233. The large image below is the view of the pond from its northern most end looking south. Believe me, it felt as cold …
Gorham Mountain Trail and Sand Beach
Today Emma and I conquered the Gorham Mountain Trail in winter conditions. A few weeks early the two of us and Janice had attempted this hike, but turned back after about a half mile because parts of the trail were too steep, narrow, and icy for snowshoes. This time we wore crampons and had no trouble at all, even with several inches of snow on top of the ice.
We parked in the …
Southwest Harbor, Maine in January
The thermometer in my Southwest Harbor kitchen read -7° F when I left the house this morning to take pictures. Such cold weather is not uncommon here in January, but it’s rare enough that I wanted to capture these frigid scenes while I had the chance. Mount Desert Island is a much different place in the winter than in the summer, but the scenery is equally spectacular. For the those …
Saint Sauveur Mission on Christmas Day
In June 1613, French Jesuit missionaries attempted to establish a colony on Mount Desert Island. Convinced by Abnaki Chief Asticou that the current day Fernald Point would be an excellent location, they came ashore, celebrated mass, and named the place Saint Sauveur. Presumably the reference is to our holy savior Jesus Christ and not to an actual saint since, to the best of my knowledge, …
Bitter Cold in Southwest Harbor Maine
Southwest Harbor, Maine on a cold December morning is the subject of this brief post. When I awoke today and saw the thermometer reading only 1°F I knew it would be a good time to get more pictures of sea smoke. After a quick cup of coffee, I jumped in the Subaru (which thankfully cranked over and started immediately) and drove down Clark Point road to the upper town dock which is just …
Little Long Pond Carriage Roads
Mount Desert Island has more than 50 miles of carriage roads, most of them located in Acadia National Park. The five mile loop that we snowshoed on this morning is on private land that the Rockefeller’s generously allow the public to use. From our house in Southwest Harbor, we drove 20 minutes to get to the parking area which, amazingly, was plowed. The temperature was in the mid teens, …
Winter Storm in Acadia National Park
This morning brought the first winter storm of the season to Mount Desert Island. Around noon we drove to the Seawall entrance of Acadia National Park (about 10 minutes by car from our house in Southwest Harbor). I wish we had gone out a few hours earlier when the tide was high to see the waves depositing rocks and a lobster trap up onto Route 102A. The temperature was just around freezing …
Swan’s Island Maine in December
Swan’s Island, Maine in December is a cold place. How cold? When we left Bass Harbor to get on the ferry the temperature was 1°F. That’s pretty cold. And you have to be pretty crazy to go out on a boat in the ocean in that kind of weather. But my friend Howie was on a mission to scout out locations for a photo project he is working on and he asked Janice and I, along with his …
The Lantern Walk
Last night the Southwest Harbor Library on Mount Desert Island held a Lantern Walk. “As the days start to grow shorter we start to think about light and ways we can celebrate it. A lantern walk is an observance of the changing season.” In preparation for this event, all were invited to come to the library the Thursday before to make lanterns. Janice was there as a volunteer helping the …
Bar Harbor 6th Annual Bed Races
The 6th annual Bed Races and Early Bird Pajama Sale were held yesterday in Bar Harbor. Janice and I (she in chartreuse pajamas and bath robe) attended along with over one thousand other people on a chilly November morning with temps in the low forties. The Pajama Sale event started at 6 AM with shops offering discounts to everyone, but an extra 5% off for those wearing their jammies. The …