Exploring Grotto Cave in Otis Maine

    Yesterday was Jaime’s birthday so today continued her four day celebration. We got together with her father for lobsters and some exploration. A few years ago I read about a cave near his house, where Jaime grew up, but he had never heard of it. He had been to the area it was located though, in fact right on top of it but never knew there was a cave down below. I copied the information into a word document which is good because the geological website it was featured on appears to be gone. With no real directions on how to get there I did some research on Google Earth and got a pretty good idea where to start. Today was the day to begin the search.

    With my research and Jaime’s dad’s knowledge of the area, as well as a couple firsthand accounts he’d heard from local friends, we knew we were heading in the right direction. Boy is it nice to do these sorts of things with a local, we parked at the boat launch and Dicky knew the guy who was washing his truck and we got some directions from him which pretty much matched up to what I had gathered from my research. He referred to the cave as ‘the bear caves’. So we headed up a gravel road that looked like nothing more than a driveway. He told us we’d get a little wet by the swamp this time of year which seemed about right because I knew we had to follow the road to the edge of a swamp before cutting uphill through the trees.

    Sure enough we came to the swamp which was dammed up pretty good by beavers. The road was under a few feet of water with the dam running right along the side of it. We skirted around the first dam, crossing a small brook, but came to another much longer dam that we couldn’t easily walk around. So we tight roped a hundred feet or so across it. We got a little wet but no one fell in. The dam brought us up close and personal with the beaver hut but there was no activity.

    On the other side of the dam we made our way into the woods and off the muddy jeep road. All we knew was that we needed to get to the top of the hill so we made our way up, crossing multiple atv trails along the way. Luckily it was kind of chilly today which prevented the sweat from pouring as we wandered through the woods, eventually making it to the top of the ridge. We followed the ridgeline for a couple minutes before spotting a clearing up ahead. Jaime and I stopped to watch a couple of snakes sun bathing while Dicky made his way through the clearing, yelling back that we’d made it to the top and there was one hell of a view.

    When he was a kid he’d been camping there before, right on top of the hill with a beautiful view looking out over Beech Hill Pond and Graham Lake as well as a few ridgelines of nearby mountains. We hadn’t expected such a spectacular view, figuring trees would surely obscure it, but there was a long ledge we were standing on that towered over most of the trees. We knew we were on top of the cave, we just needed a way down. A safe way down, the way I found was direct but something only a fool would do. Yes I would have done it but opted to find a safer way everyone felt comfortable with.

    While traveling along the band of ledges looking for a safe way down I spotted a hole in the cliff, one of the chimney entrances into the cave I had read about. We found it. Right around here we found a good way down that brought us beside a small cave in the ledges where we assume a porcupine lived, the entire entrance to it was covered with porcupine poop, not even an inch of ground being visible. The cliffs we were just on top of were a lot higher up than we thought, between 30 and 40 feet. We were right in our decision to not get too close to the edge.

    Following the base of the cliff we came to the multiple entrances to the cave I had read about. The main entrance no longer had any steps leading up to it, just an old rotted log that was no longer useable. The cliff walls were too smooth for me to get a good enough grip to climb my way into the crevice so we carried on, finding other ways in. Everything was a little wet from the recent rain but we found a nice dry opening that required a little climbing but no crawling in the mud. That entrance ended up being the only one we could really get into but it was pretty cool.

     I did some more climbing and made it into another chamber but couldn’t squeeze my broad shoulders down into a tight squeeze that lead to another portion of the cave. I explored a bit, figuring out where the different cracks and crevices lead to. It’s a neat little talus cave system, nothing I would consider to be a real cave though. Only one tiny portion really required a flashlight and it was just a little too small for me to fit into. Jaime offered to help me carry over a log so I could climb into the main chamber but it wasn’t really necessary as I had seen it from above and knew which chamber it lead to. It was cool how they were all connected though.


     We bushwhacked our way back down, aiming for the road so we could avoid tight roping across the beaver damn but we came out right at the swamp anyway. This time we picked our way over rocks and logs on the lower side of the dam thinking it might be easier. Turns out it wasn’t but luckily nothing too strenuous. We explored an abandoned boat house along the jeep road we passed on our way out and made it back to the truck with lots of scrapes but no major injuries. Although the scratch a branch had left on the back of my knee was still burning hours later, I realized after my shower that a sliver of the branch was actually jammed in the cut. A pair of tweezers pulled it right out and it still hurts but not nearly as much as it did when the piece of wood was in my skin.

    After our successful adventure we headed into town to pick up supper. We each had a lobster, some corn on the cob and shared a few pounds of clams. Everything was incredible. It more than made up for the disgusting mussels we had a week ago that we ended up throwing out. Dicky’s looking forward to joining us on some of our Acadia excursions this summer.

    We were shocked to have actually found the cave on our first try considering we had no real directions and weren’t even sure if we were searching on the right hill. I figured it would take a few trips to find. Now that I’m looking at the information I took down about the cave off the geological website, there is no question we found it. Everything matches up exactly to their diagram. But I still can’t find any information on it whatsoever online, no pictures, nothing, so it looks like this will be the first.

Surprise Day Trip to NH

    Today I was supposed to go to Acadia by myself while Jaime went to work. I was planning on a semi-bushwhack up to the Featherbed and some possible cascades around it. But I ended up waking up at 6:15 with Jaime standing over me telling me I’d need to get ready if we planned on making it all the way to Mountain Fire Pizza and back in one day. Mountain Fire is our favorite pizza place but its located a good five hours away in Gorham NH. She called out so we could spend our 13 year dating anniversary together, just a day early since we both work Saturday.

    After finding some new directions that claimed to be shorter we hit the road a little after 7:00. I got a couple breakfast sandwiches from On The Run to eat on the road, which both kind of sucked, and we got some Dunkin for Jaime along the way. The directions were right and it only took three hours to get to Gorham which is great news because we’ll definitely be doing this again.

    Before eating we had to work up an appetite so Jaime decided beforehand that we’d hike out to Mascot Pond and the mine ledges. We first did it last year with my parents but the directions were not even close to right, making the hike twice as long as it should have been. This time we knew exactly where we were going which made for a much more pleasant journey. The streambeds that were almost completely empty last time were raging today, making for some nice cascades we stopped to take pictures of.

    Oddly the pond was no more full than it was last time, leading me to believe it might be spring fed, plus the fact that I haven’t been able to find a stream that feeds it. The Presidential Range wasn’t yet covered by the clouds rolling in so we could clearly make out the snow that still coats the higher elevations even in mid-May. I climbed up the ridiculously steep rockslide of mine tailings left behind from the 1800s when the mine was still in operation. Unfortunately it is closed off by a metal gate because bats hibernate there but the view is amazing and the air that flows from the tunnel feels like an air conditioner, nice when you’re sweating like crazy. I went up to the next ledge this time in hopes of finding more entrances which I’ve read exist, also sealed up, but I’d still love to see them. No luck this time.

    I made my way back down without any difficulty which I’m proud of because I’m still new to the whole scree thing. Loose rocks on a steep mountainside doesn’t even sound like fun but sometimes its necessary to get to amazing places. As I reached the bottom we noticed a few raindrops, followed by a few more, as well as the Presidentials disappearing into the clouds. The drops got steadier as we made our way back to the car. So much for the zero percent chance of rain they predicted. The rain didn’t deter me from making my way down to a small waterfall I couldn’t quite get to on our way up. It was a single chute over an eight foot drop with no good vantage point due to its location at the edge of the power lines. If you’ve ever traveled beneath the power lines then you know what I mean, thorns everywhere. The surrounding brush got in the way of the pictures but it was beautiful in person.

   We attempted a shortcut on the way back that would have cut out another steep scramble, this one on loose dirt. But the trail took us all over creation in the wrong direction as it started to rain harder. Neither of us minded though so we just turned around and went back the way we’d come, making it back to the car before we go too wet.

    We were the only people at Mountain Fire Pizza and ate the whole thing. Our favorite is the Maple and Bacon which I highly recommend, best pizza ever. Our table had a view out to some rock ledges on a hill in the general vicinity of Mascot Pond. After consulting the maps it is actually called Mascot Pond Spur and I plan on bushwhacking my way out onto the ledges next time, as well as a herd path that leads to the top of Mascot Ledges without any rock climbing involved.

    It started to really pour as we left Gorham and was becoming apparent today would be a washout. Not allowing that to stop us we headed for Crawford Notch to check out the Silver and Flume Cascades along the road which were quite impressive. I also decided I would check out the railroad tracks beside the road that travel through a blasted out ravine in the cliff. There was a photo of it at Mountain Fire labeling it “Great Cut, Gate Of Crawford Notch” and since I’ve wanted to explore it since I was a kid I figured this rainy day would be perfect. I got a little wet but it was awesome, I even got some yellow stones from a recent rockslide beside the tracks.

    Just down the road we pulled into a little unmarked parking area that’s always intrigued me. I wanted to scope it out to see if it was a good starting point for a later expedition up Willey Brook. It didn’t take long to realize there was an unofficial path heading in the direction of the Mt Willard ledges, leading me to believe it is the trail climbers use to get to the base of the imposing cliff. I followed it for a ways before it got too steep and slippery in the heavy rain.


    In the near distance I could hear rushing water, the Willey Brook I was looking for. So despite the pouring rain I made my way through a couple of old dried out streambeds, eventually reaching the brook. Through the trees I could see the train trestle not much further up the mountainside. There were no significant waterfalls, just small cascades flanked on one side by a steep forest wall that had recently suffered from some erosion. Unfortunately it was too slippery on the wet rocks to safely follow the brook up the ravine but my trip served its purpose which was just to scout out the area. Plus I finally figured out why those random parking spots were there, something I’ve wondered for as long as I can remember. I can’t wait to really explore the area.

    We hurried over to Lincoln hoping to get there before Chutters closed because we had our hearts set on fudge but we of course arrived 15 minutes late. So I went to GH Pizza to get a souvlaki which is basically a gyro but with chicken instead of lamb. While waiting for that I got a bowl of cotton candy ice cream next door, something I always get cravings for since the first time I had it there a couple years ago. Then we went to Black Mountain Burger for Jaime’s supper but the power was out in that plaza. So we hung around town for a little, checking out spots for future hikes, I went to the Price Chopper grocery store to get some of their pre-made pasta dishes which I love. All they had today was stuffed shells so I got that and this delicious apple/walnut/caramel pie that my dad and I got last year. By then the power was back at Black Mountain but they’d already given up and left early for the night. So in anger we’ve boycotted them, until next week when we decided we’ll probably go again.

    Despite the rain we took the Kancamagus Highway over the mountain pass, cutting off an hour or so of travel. I’ve driven it so many times its not really scary anymore, even in the rain. We stopped at Sabaday Falls and I ran up the short trail to the falls. I once had some good pictures of it during high water but lost them when the external drive they were on died about five years ago. So I finally got to see it again when its raging and got some amazing pictures to replace my old ones.

    The ride home was treacherous. The rain got worse and our wipers both started to go so they weren’t doing the best job cleaning off the windshield. Add to that the fact that most of the way home was under some sort of construction so there were no lines on the road and it made for extremely slow and difficult travel. But we made it back home safely where I rechecked the weather report for the day I had looked at just that morning, yep, 0% chance of rain. Jaime fell right asleep and I enjoyed my souvlaki and baklava dessert, both of which were incredible. And in spite of the bad luck we had on Friday the 13th, we had an amazing day.

Waterfalls In Acadia

    Last night it rained half an inch along the coast so we decided today would be a great day to go check out some waterfalls in Acadia. Most people don’t even realize there are waterfalls on the island, but me, I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to see them all. And man is it amazing what a little rain can do.

    None of the Irving gas stations along the way had my broccoli and cheddar bites but the one in Ellsworth did have the fried green beans and onion rings I love, plus their banana bread. So I ate that while Jaime had an ice cream cone, a hot dog and onion rings at Jordan’s in Ellsworth. She wasn’t really feeling the whole hiking thing today, or anything for that matter, work has been stressing her out lately. We’re hoping she’s found a new job that pays even more but we won’t know for another few weeks. She hasn’t been herself lately so hopefully the new job will come through and she can leave all the stress and negativity behind.

    The first place I wanted to hit was Witch Hole Brook, a short tributary stream that flows into Duck Brook through a steep ravine that I first discovered last August. Unfortunately it had been nothing more than a trickle after the extremely dry summer we had, so I hoped to one day go back when there was a little more water, figuring it would be pretty amazing. Rather than park at the high bridge over Duck Brook, we parked a little before that on a gravel pull off where an intriguing unmarked trail had caught my eye the last few times we drove by it. It appeared to go in the direction I was headed and looked easy to follow so I set out on my first adventure of the day.

     The well worn path lead me straight to the start of Witch Hole Brook where it flows under the popular carriage path. I could hear rushing water as I drew closer, big rushing water, like a waterfall. Being the super cool dude I am, I might have skipped gaily before running the rest of the trail to the waterfalls. And they did not disappoint. I could see the white of falling water through the trees. The first drop of the 0.2 mile brook is only a few feet off the carriage path so its seen by at least a few people but most just walk on by, not even realizing that its there. While using the timer on my camera to take some pictures of myself at the waterfall, I slipped on the wet rocks and banged up my shin pretty bad. It only hurt for a little while and didn’t bleed too much but this is what happened the last time I went in search of waterfalls. Back in September in NH, at the very start of my expedition I slipped on a wet rock and hit my shin, other leg though. But it didn’t stop me then and it didn’t stop me today.

    Down stream, deeper in the ravine, the waterfalls get bigger. Unfortunately they’re too much to capture in photos because there are more drops than what the lens can see at once but it was more amazing than I thought it would be. The steep hillsides make navigating the ravine difficult but luckily the woods aren’t too thick so I just held onto one tree after another as I made my way down Witch Hole Brook. The rocks were slippery from the heavy rain but I didn’t have any problems after the first incident.

    I knew there had been a trail that once traveled along the brook but couldn’t see any signs of it last time. This time however I found the remains of a stone staircase which was pretty exciting. Its not exactly usable anymore seeing as it’s a bit dilapidated but its always rewarding to find proof that there was indeed a trail there, it really brings the dots on old maps to life. Why something so amazing was abandoned continues to boggle my mind but it gives me something to search for.

    When I first discovered the brook there had been one waterfall that really stuck out to me, I knew it would be something special if there had actually been any water. Today I was proven correct. The water poured over just right, leaving a shallow cave behind the wall of raging water, splashing off the rock at the bottom of the drop hard enough to hit the wall beside it. It was exactly as I’d imagine when I first saw it as nothing more than a trickle that dribbled into the small cave because there wasn’t enough force to even make it over the ledge.

    I crossed the stream just below my favorite cascade on the wet rocks and made my way up the eroded hillside just a few feet shy of where it empties into Duck Brook. I could have gone back the way I came but figured going up the ridiculously steep embankment would be quicker. I’m glad I did because while walking back to the car along the road I spotted some stone pillars I’d never noticed in all the years I’ve been driving by them. They look like they were maybe once part of a bridge but I can’t figure out why they’d be there, a few hundred feet from the actual bridge.

    Next we drove over to the pull off after the Cadillac Mountain auto road where we parked last time to explore Eagle Cascade and the Rinemold Arches. After seeing the amount of water in Witch Hole Brook, I knew Eagle Cascade would be impressive as well, not to mention the streams coming off Cadillac that feed Eagle Cascade. I’d been wanting to explore the brook above the park loop road but it’d always been low water, nothing more than a trickle down a granite slab. Today was a bit different.

    I slowly made my way down the brook towards Eagle Cascade. Its only 0.2 mile down to it but everywhere I turned there was another waterfall that needed its picture taken. My two previous visits were during times of fairly low water and although the stream was beautiful, it paled in comparison to what I witnessed today. That one little short stretch of stream was better than a lot of waterfalls I’ve taken difficult trails to get to. It’s a shame that there isn’t a trail here or even a name for that matter, because this brook definitely belongs on the map. I guess it makes it a little more special though since it isn’t.

    Eagle Cascade was the biggest I’ve seen it in person but I did see a video where it was pouring over so hard it shot out a few feet in the air. It wasn’t quite that intense but it was roaring. Sometimes when waterfalls have too much water they lose their personality but today was absolutely perfect. I got a couple pictures with my timer by placing the camera on a log but was careful not to slip on the wet rocks while rushing this time around. Its funny, everyone else is taking selfies, I’m so advanced I’ve passed them all, gone back in time and reverted to using the timer function, you watch, it’ll be back in style someday soon. Its like a selfie that can capture your entire body.

    I crossed the river on some fallen trees and made my way up the other side to get a different view of the falls. Just above Eagle Cascade a slightly smaller stream merges with the big one so I followed it up to the road but its not quite as impressive as the larger one, still beautiful though with multiple drops worthy of photographing.

    After a stop at the car for a drink, Jaime came over to check out the waterfalls that traveled under the road but she didn’t bother following them up with me. The sun was a little too bright so I wasn’t able to get any good shots of the roadside falls but they were pretty spectacular. As I started to explore I heard voices getting closer, probably the father and son I had seen up the road a ways taking pictures. As soon as we passed them I began to wonder if it was fellow blogger JR Libby and his son, Libby’s reports on abandoned trails are what got me into this hobby in the first place. So I ran down to meet them at the road, quite certain it was them. And sure enough, when I asked what blog he ran, he said Lost And Abandoned Trails of Acadia. I told them I was Matt from Leave The World Below and they just laughed like ‘holy shit its him’ because they’re fans of my blog as well. This was the first time we’ve met in person so I got a picture with both of them to commemorate the occasion. We chatted for a few minutes before I sent them off to find the poem in the wall of the Rinemold Arches, which I intentionally didn’t disclose its location online because I wanted JR to be able to see it and was worried someone else might move or take it if I said where it was. It truly was an honor to meet the guys who got me into this whole abandoned trail thing, especially this random meeting while we were both out in search of abandoned trails. Check out his site at http://lostandabandonedtrailsofacadianationalpark.webs.com/

I carried on and made my way up the stream above the park loop road, not knowing what to expect but I knew there was something up there because I could see the white streaks of rushing water through the trees. But what I got was more than I ever could have expected. The stream ran down long angled slabs, down flume like ravines and canyons, poured over sheer ledges, over and under boulders. Simply amazing. It quickly split into not two but three separate streams that all ran side by side, sometimes crossing paths, forming side by side cascades that almost mirrored one another. The center stream was the smallest of the three but at one point it flowed through a dark gorge with fifteen foot high walls that I was able to get down into. One breath taking cascade after another for nearly a quarter of a mile. It finally leveled out and I decided to turn around. Now looking at it on the maps, it looks like it leveled out for only about fifty feet before it would have gotten more intense again. So I probably should have kept going but I didn’t want to leave Jaime waiting in the car too long and I’d already taken long enough. She wanted to head home after that but I’d say it was a successful day. There’s still a few more brooks I want to check out after a good rain so hopefully this summer won’t be as dry as last year.

    Now to catch up on a few things over the last couple weeks. We finally brought our totes of old clothing, mostly Jaime’s, to the Hands Of Hope thrift store where they give cash for clothes. We were going to have a yard sale but didn’t want to go through all the hassle so we just brought it there instead. We got a little over $20 for it which isn’t bad considering if we were to sell it at a yard sale we probably would have made roughly $20 off the clothing anyway and then donated the rest so this was a lot easier for the same amount. And while I was there I finally found a pair of desert camo pants, something I’ve been looking for for years now, and I do mean years. I need them for my Lost In The Sands album photo shoot so I didn’t want to spend $30 on them for a one time use, which is what camo pants cost, considering I probably won’t wear them after that. I could hardly believe my eyes, my size too. Finally. It’s been about a four year search.

    My 12” Skeletor figure finally arrived, but it was broken. He was snapped in half at the torso which isn’t good considering it’s a $60 figure. But that’s the first one I’ve seen out of package so I decided to keep it, the seller refunded me twenty bucks and I was able to glue Skeletor back together. He can’t turn now but that’s okay, I wasn’t planning on playing with him anyway. Unless maybe I get bor- no, he’s for display purposes only. So he’s on display with my other new acquisitions on the fireplace. The figure really is a stunning piece, I love it.

    A few days ago in the mail I got a package from Donnie in prison. He’s been working on some art for me and just finished a color drawing of Dragon Blaster Skeletor. He did an incredible job, now I’m searching for a frame to put it in. I can’t wait to hang it up. He’s become an amazing artist while behind bars. We got big plans when he gets out which is still a few years away but it’ll be nice to have a friend again. Plus he owes me for being his only contact to the outside world throughout his bid so he says he’ll do whatever stupid crazy ass dangerous hikes I want.

    I’ve been researching places to find in NH for this year’s vacation and I’ve got some good ones. After the mine I went into last year, I’m on the hunt for more of them and I think I found a bunch. Now, to actually locate them in real life. With all the hidden and forgotten waterfalls I found last year as well, I’m on the search for more and got quite a few to track down. It’s going to be a good summer for exploration.