Acadia National Park: Miscellaneous

Hunter’s Beach

Hunter’s Beach is a small, stone-covered beach south of Blackwoods Campground. The access trail is a very easy easy 0.2 miles (one way). There are 2 bridges and a boardwalk along the way. At the beach itself, a stream cascades down a wide area of the beach. It’s only a few inches deep with quick moving water, and my 18-month old son had a blast stomping around in it.

Sand Beach

This is the only sandy beach in ANP. Located along the park Loop Road, this decent-sized beach is probably my favorite beach of all time. The pine trees grow right down to the edge of the sand, and rocky outcroppings on either end of the beach form a pretty cove. Just be warned; the water doesn’t usually get much warmer than 55 degrees. That sort of thing doesn’t bother me, but you warm-weather folks might be in for a bit of a shock, haha.

South Bubble/Bubble Rock

The Bubbles parking area is located near Jordan Pond on the park Loop Road. Due to time constraints that day, I only hiked South Bubble. The trail to the summit was only about a mile round trip. I’d call the terrain moderate, but, since the trail is so short, I’d give it an Easy rating overall. The summit is just over 700′, and directly below stands a pretty cool sight. Bubble Rock is a huge boulder that is perched precariously on the edge of a cliff. Hikers enjoy having their picture taken as they attempt to push the rock over the edge. I didn’t get to take that picture because I was the only one on the mountain that morning. Adding North Bubble to this hike would only add 0.6 miles and roughly 15-20 minutes.

ANP: Beehive, The Bowl, Gorham Mountain & Ocean Trail Loop

This gallery contains 23 photos.

Today I improvised a 5-6 mile hike. I’m not 100% sure about the mileage, but I can guess because The hike took almost exactly 2 hours. Once again, I started at Sand Beach and climbed the Beehive, just like yesterday. On the way back down, I detoured onto the Bowl Trail. This takes you back […]

Acadia National Park: The Beehive

During my son’s afternoon nap time, I snuck away to do a quick hike. Don’t worry! My wife was with him the whole time.

I decided the Beehive Trail in ANP would be a fun little diversion. This trail is only about a mile long, but in that mile you gain (and then lose again) almost 500 feet of elevation. Starting from the park’s Loop Road near Sand Beach, I hiked the rocky and slightly steep approach to the Beehive. After embarrassing myself by falling down in front of some german tourists, I turned right onto the Beehive trail itself. This trail is rocky and steep right from the start, and I soon find myself negotiating a series of narrow ledges, which are broken up by steep climbs on metal rungs. From the top of the Beehive, there are great coastal views.

The descent down the back side of the Beehive is much more gentle than the climb up, but it is still rocky at the beginning. It soon levels out into a smooth, wide trail. It was so smooth that I actually caught myself jogging down it. I passed a few fellow hikers, who seemed surprised to see a fat man moving that quickly!

Beginning to end, this hike took me about 45-50 minutes, including numerous breaks for photo ops. If you are afraid of heights (or even think that you might be afraid), this hike is not for you. There are many areas where you are on very exposed ledges, only inches away from a fall at any given time. If you are sure-footed and in good shape, this trail packs a lot of fun into its one-mile length. Check it out!

Trail Sign

My goal for the afternoon

Starting to get interesting

A rocky ledge

Stairs to nowhere

A grate bridge

Down through the grate

Helpful rungs

Down over the edge

More rocks to climb

The Bowl

Wooden walkway

Over the edge

Nice view

Almost at the top

Over the edge again

Success!

View over the water

Easy way down

Acadia National Park: Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Today was our first full day in ANP, and I knew my hiking time might be a little limited on this trip. After waking up at 5:15 this morning, I decided to use the early daylight to my advantage. I drove just down the road to a trailhead and hiked the 7-mile round trip to […]

Gossamer Gear Air Beam Pack Frame

The Gossamer Gear Air Beam Pack Frame, a joint venture between Gossamer Gear and Klymit, is an inflatable pad sized specifically for use with Gossamer Gear packs. After some measuring, I purchased the size “Medium” for use with my Murmur Hyperlight pack. The sizes for the Air Frame correspond to the GG pack sizes, but since the Murmur is one size only, I had to guess which one was best. 

The medium frame weighs in at 3.5oz on my scale (including the pump). This is almost double the weight of the SitLight pad that was included with the pack, but I think the Air Frame is much more functional. The SitLight works just fine, but isn’t very rigid. Sometimes it gets scrunched up if the pack isn’t completely full. The Air Frame can be inflated with a fair amount of pressure and helps hold the shape of the pack much better.

Just like the SitLight pad, the Air Frame can double as a sit pad, and I’m fairly sure that this could also be rigged into a pillow . So, despite the weight penalty I think you can make up for it by leaving a pillow at home. You could also use this for additional hip or lumbar padding when you sleep. 

The shell material seems sturdy, so I’m not terribly worried about punctures. This also seems like it will hold a fair amount of pressure without a blowout. The bulb-style pump works well enough, but it does require nearly 100 squeezes to fill the Air Frame to maximum pressure. 

At first glance, there is only one thing that could use improvement. There is no way to seal the pad and remove the pump. I’m sure something could be rigged up with a little ingenuity, so that you can leave the pump at home without the pad going flat. 

I will report back once I’ve carried my Murmur with the Air Frame for a few miles. 

*Disclaimer: I am a Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador and received this item at a discount. However, GG did not ask me to review this item. The review above has been written with no bias and contains my honest opinion.

Black Diamond Z-Poles Ultra Distance Trekking Poles

Extended pole

I recently picked up a set of Black Diamond Z-Poles Ultra Distance trekking poles on clearance. These fixed-length carbon fiber poles are probably the lightest poles available from a major manufacturer. This review will basically just be an “unboxing”, but I have used the aluminum version of these poles in the past.

On my scale, the 120cm (47″) size weighs in at a scant 10.0oz (5.0oz/pole). The poles do not have any sort of adjustment (although a slightly more adjustable version is available in aluminum). Unlike most trekking poles, these poles do not collapse telescopically. Instead, they are split into 3 sections and connected by a strand of Spectra cord. The poles fold up sort of like a tent pole. The poles can be reassembled in mere seconds, which is very nice in areas that may require you to do some scrambling. You can stow and redeploy these poles very quickly, without even breaking stride.

Collapsed poles

I’ve had decent luck using these poles with my ZPacks Hexamid Solo Tarp (requires a 122cm pole) and also with a 6’x8′ flat tarp. Most trekking pole tents and tarps require an adjustable pole, so not everyone will have the same luck that I have.

An aluminum Z Pole with my Hexamid Solo Tarp

Drawing from my experience with the aluminum Z-Poles, I’ll give you a quick list of pros and cons.

Pros

• Poles will not collapse while walking, like twist-lock poles often do.
• The lack of adjustment mechanism saves weight, and also provides for a more comfortable “swing”.
• Very fast deployment: a quick tug of the handle is all it takes! There’s no need to waste an extra minute setting them to the proper length.
• Interchangeable plastic and carbide tips are less goofy than the rubber feet that many poles come with.

Cons

• Lack of adjustment may make them difficult or impossible to use with your shelter.
• Length cannot be adjusted for climbs or descents.
• These poles cannot be used with snow baskets.
• No ergonomic grips.

All in all, I like this style of pole, but I question whether the carbon fiber shafts will hold up to my rough use. Only time will tell. The aluminum version are very rugged, and I would not hesitate to switch back if the carbon fiber doesn’t cut it. Check back here for periodic updates!

Update: As I feared, these poles were nowhere near as durable as the aluminum ones. 1-mile up the Airline Trail in the White Mountains, and one of them slid out sideways on a wet rock. Pole was broken before I hit the ground….

**I am in no way affiliated with Black Diamond, I bought these poles with my own money, and I wrote this review of my own volition. The opinions here are mine, and mine alone.

Ultralight Gear Talk on 5/25

If anyone is from Eastern Pennsylvania, East Ridge Outfitters will be hosting a gear talk by Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador and local Meetup Organizer Dan Bortz (AKA yours truly). I have invited several Meetup groups, including my own groups Berks-Lehigh Hiking and Backpacking and NEPA Trail Mix. All of the details can be found HERE.

This event will take place on May 25, 2013 at 10AM at East Ridge Outfitters in Blandon, PA. This event is FREE, so come on by!