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.
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.
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.
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.
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