It's official,
The Acadia You Haven't Seen is now available!
For full color copies go to
www.matthewmarchon.weebly.com For the E-Book and Black & White versions go to
AmazonMore than two years in the making. Over 50 destinations. Abandoned trails. Forgotten places. This is the Acadia you never knew existed. Many of these locations have never been so much as mentioned anywhere online. This is the trail guide to trails that don't technically exist.
Best View - McFarland Mountain
With views of Eagle Lake, Somes Sound, Frenchman Bay, Cadillac Mountain, Pemetic Mountain, The Bubbles, Sargent Mountain plus the western summits as well as the mountains of the mainland, I'd have to give best overall view to the former ski slopes of McFarland Mountain.
Best Waterfall - Railway River Falls
For a place not known for its waterfalls, there are actually a stunning number of them located in Acadia, you just have to know where and when to look. The Railway River is hands down the most impressive due to the sheer number of cascades. The upper fractured staircase falls are probably the best found in this book but it's a very close call.
Best Cave - Day Mountain Cave
There are some fascinating caves in Acadia, even more to come in Volume 2, so picking the best isn't easy. However, as the only true cave not formed by boulders, the 30 foot long tunnel is hands down the most impressive. Get your flashlights ready for this one.
Best Trail - Great Cave Cliff Trail
We're following a lot of abandoned trails in this book, some are simple paths through the woods, others are stunning masterpieces of nature at its finest. A number of them standout but when it comes to the most stunning path in the book, it has to be the Great Cave Cliff Trail. With a giant cave, a stone stairway, a hanging boulder, a boulder cave on the side of a cliff and to top it all off a suspended stone bridge, this one is perhaps just a hair better than the White Path.
Most Haunted - Devil's Oven
We've explored some creepy places in this book, the Jesuit Spring area, Compass Harbor, the Arches, the Stone Tower, but it's the Devil's Oven that feels the most unnerving. Whether it's the number of humans tortured and sacrificed here, the mysterious lights and fog or the whole being a portal to the underworld aspect, something about this area is very unsettling. Sometimes it even feels like the cliffs themselves are watching you.
Most Dangerous - Stag Cave
Most of the hikes in this book are safe and fun for the whole family, most. There are a few that may very well make your stomach turn. In perhaps the most dangerous route, we walk along the top of a fifty foot sheer cliff, then climb down it beneath a precarious boulder, followed by a slippery seaweed covered talus field and into a sea cave all while racing the clock because low tide is necessary to visit this one. The South Wall and Meadow Brook Sea Cave are close contenders and can be even worse depending how far you're willing to go.
I'm about halfway through the book and it is *great*! It's very well written and covers so many places I didn't know about, or wasn't sure how to access. I also agree completely with the rationale in your intro for why you chose to share these secrets. The book arrived just in time for our trip to Acadia so we will be putting it to good use very soon. Thank you for all of your hard work!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying it! I hope you guys get to go to some of these places and I'm keeping my fingers for a day of rain so you can check out the waterfalls. I'm sure you've found a few secret places and forgotten trails yourselves. It's so great to see people taking an interest in what we do. Can't wait to hear about your adventures and thank you for buying the book.
ReplyDeleteOK, but only one day of rain! ;)
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with the Pothole trail? I know you focus more on the features rather than just the abandoned trails, but Pothole has the Old Man & Woman, the Leopard, and of course the potholes. It also allows for some highly varied loop hikes on Cadillac when combined with other abandoned trails in the area. (Bonus: no other people on the trails!) I have it mapped out if you want the info.
Thanks again!
You're right, I do usually stick with features rather than trails but I am familiar with Potholes, it's actually going in Acadia Vol II but I'd love your map for reference for myself. I still can't figure out what the leopard is, lol.
ReplyDeleteSure! I have a few tracklogs so I want to clean them up first; then I can send them to you by email (if you're still using the yahoo address?). I *think* we found the Leopard. Couldn't find it the first time but came upon what I think is the Leopard on our second hike along the trail.
ReplyDeleteLast year we also followed the old Eagles Crag footpath from the base of the Potholes up to where it meets the South Ridge trail, at the feature known as Eagles Crag. We ran into a Ridge Runner giving a climbing lesson at Eagles Crag. I think she was not so thrilled to see us coming up the old abandoned trail, ha. :)