Aug. 24 – Jordan Pond, Mt Desert, ME

Northeast Harbor Mooring

“You must go on adventures to find out where you belong.” – Sue Fritzmaurice

Our intention today was to hike the North Bubble Loop trail and then hike up to South Bubble to check out Bubble Rock. The northern trail would have given us views of Eagle Lake and the northern portion of the island before leading to the north peak. Somehow we missed the loop trail and took the direct route straight to the top. Once at the top of North Bubble Mountain we had a great view of Jordan Pond and the surrounding peaks. We took a little time at the top to enjoy the views before back tracking down the mountain and taking the trail to the South Bubble Mountain and Bubble Rock. Bubble Rock is a famous boulder that was deposited by glaciers at a seemingly precarious spot by the edge of a cliff.

From the top of South Bubble we wanted to descend to Jordan Pond. We had two choice…go back the way we came and meet up with a trail that goes around the mountain or take a more strenuous and exposed trail down the south face towards Jordan Pond. After checking out part of the face trail we decided to take the easier, safer route around the mountain. Both trails led to the Jordan Pond Path that runs around the lake. Once down to the lake we took a leisurely stroll along the eastern shore to the Jordan Pond House where we had reservations for a late lunch.

The Jordan Pond House was founded as a restaurant in the early 1870's and established the tradition of having tea & popovers on the lawn while overlooking Jordan Pond and the North and South Bubble Mountains. It seems to be the place everyone goes when they visit Acadia. We didn’t make it to the restaurant on our first trip in 2013, so we definitely wanted to give it a try this time. We had a wonderful meal on the lawn overlooking the lake. It was a great way to relax after a busy morning of hiking. 

The beginning of the trail leading to North and South Bubble Mountains  

View on the way up to North Bubble Mountain. That is the north end of Jordan Pond.

The Bubble

The view from the top of South Bubble Mountain

The beginning of the south face trail down the mountain

Jordan Pond looking back at South Bubble Mountain

South Bubble Mountain. You can see a few people on the peak where we were. The south face trail comes down the mountain on the left of this picture.

Jordan Pond is a glacier formed lake with a depth of 150 feet. The water is exceptionally clear with an average visibility depth of 46 feet. There is no swimming in the lake, but I did soak my tired feet in the cool water for awhile.

Path going around South Bubble Mountain

Path along Jordan Pond

Enjoying the cool waters of the pond

Lunch at Jordan Pond House

Popovers and homemade Maine strawberry jam

Aug. 23 – Northeast Harbor, ME

Northeast Harbor Mooring
Mount Desert Island

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!"—John Muir

What a beautiful day we had...the sun was back and the temperature was in the low 70s…a perfect day for hiking. We caught the bus to Parkman Mountain parking lot and hiked the Parkman Mountain/Bold Peak trail. The hike was a little steep and rocky near the summit, but it took us to the top of two barren granite peaks that gave us amazing views of Somes Sound, Northeast Harbor, Upper Hadlock Pond, Great Cranberry Island and the Atlantic Ocean.

We enjoyed the hike and didn’t get in a hurry; we took in all the views and spent time picking blueberries along the trail. The trail was covered in wild blueberry bushes…they were everywhere and we ate as many as we could and brought about a pint home. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the top of Bald Peak…there’s just nothing better than lunch with a view.

LL Bean pays for the Island Explorer...it's the free shuttle bus service on Mount Desert and Acadia National Park. It makes getting around very easy. You can hop on and off anywhere you like. Just wave the bus down and they pick you up. The buses came pretty regularly so we didn't have to wait long for our bus back to the marina.

Blueberry bushes along the trail.

One of the trail markers

The trail we just came up

The trail

The view from Parkman Mountain...looking out towards Somes Sound

The trail...going up

Our lunch spot...all those bushes in the foreground are full of blueberries

Looking down the trail to Upper Hadlock Pond, Northeast Harbor and Great Cranberry Island.

Going down.....

Looking back at the trail

Trail map of where we hiked today.

Aug. 22 – Northeast Harbor, ME

Northeast Harbor Mooring

Mount Desert Island

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ―Lao Tzu

We spent most of the day on the boat relaxing, reading, napping and doing research on what we want to do the next few days. Having a day of rain now and then really isn't too bad...it gives us a chance to catch on a few things, work on maintenance projects and relax.We are on Mount Desert, which is the largest island off the coast of Maine and the second largest (behind Long Island, New York) on the east coast. It’s the home of Acadia National Park…the oldest national park east of the Mississippi. It was established in 1919. From 1915 to 1933, the wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of a network of carriage roads throughout the park. These carriage roads provide a great way to hike, bike and ride horses through the park. The park also offers 125 miles of hiking trails ranging in difficulty from easy to strenuous. Terrain varies from rugged shoreline and deep woods, to open mountain summits with views of the ocean and outer islands.  

Many visitors to the area are confused about how to pronounce the word “Desert” as used in Mount Desert Island. Most who live in Maine, pronounce it like “Dessert” as in a cookie or a piece of pie. More often than not, the second syllable is accented as in “de-ZERT” following the French manner of speaking.

By late afternoon the fog, rain and clouds were gone and we had a beautiful evening on the deck of the boat.