Bog Eddy And Some Off Trail Falls

Today I finally got an early enough start to tackle Georgiana Falls and beyond, or so I thought. I grabbed a couple waffles on my way past the continental breakfast and ate them while walking to the trailhead just up the road. Turns out waffles aren't so good dry and syrup-less. But I hurried up the trail, running in parts, and made it to Georgiana Falls in half an hour. That steep section after the lower falls really kicks my ass.

From there I continued on to the upper falls, a far cry from the last time I was here after a few inches of rain back on the 4th of July. I came across an unofficial trail I hadn't noticed before but didn't have time to follow it across the river. Instead I carried on past all the falls I'd remembered seeing on previous visits and then cutting into the woods to pick up the snowmobile trail. The trail quickly brought me to the edge of Bog Eddy where I got some magnificent views of the Kinsmans and Franconia Ridge. I was blown away but unfortunately my battery died while taking pictures. I continued on but ran out of time, knowing I had to get back to the hotel before checkout time.

I had to go back to Stark Falls to get some measurements and explore the area a little more for the book. The brook was running pretty low today which made measuring easier, as well as rock hopping upstream. Last time I stopped pretty early on but today I went a bit further and am glad I did, there are some amazing waterfalls up there.

Just as I got to a really nice cascade falling into an emerald green pool, the battery on my backup camera died as well so it was time to turn around. I did manage to capture a couple pictures with my phone and gps though. I even stumbled upon an old trail or logging road which made my return trip a little easier. But just a little, it was quite overgrown.

I was starving by this point, as was Jaime, so we headed into town for lunch where we got some McDonalds and GH Pizza and ate it at Boise Rock overlooking the Cannon Cliffs. I had a Big Mac and fries and gyro, that was one hell of a lunch. From there I went up the Lafayette Brook a short ways to check out the old road there for my waterfall book but decided not to go all the way out to the falls again. I probably should have for exact measurements but I was running short on time. So we headed on over to Crawford Notch while my cameras charged. While writing my chapter on the Avalon Falls I realized I needed measurements and wanted to explore up a little higher. Jaime accompanied me for part of this one. She stopped at the brook and read while I continued on.

Let me tell you, standing at the top of a waterfall, trying to get my tape measure to go all the way down through the rushing water is not easy. Neither is getting it to come back up for that matter. And wouldn't you know they all turned out to be the same height. I never mind seeing the Fall Of Avalon though.

I carried on upstream this time where there were a number of smaller falls, some of which were absolutely gorgeous. The pools were so clear I could see the rocks at the bottom, some even had a greenish hue to them which was truly stunning. At the trail crossing I decided to call it quits and made my way back down, actually using the trail for once.

To be quite honest, I was ready to be done, running up and down mountains the past three days has my body feeling a bit sore. It's been a month since I've done any hiking. We stopped in Gorham on our way home but weren't hungry yet so we just picked up a gyro for a friend and headed on back. We picked up some Pizza Hut in Bangor and ate it all, starving by the tie we got home a little after 10:00, which is rather early for us. Boy am I glad I have tomorrow to recuperate because I am limping like crazy and my legs are shredded to hell from all this bushwhacking. Worth every second of it.

Waterville Valley

I planned on getting up early today and doing Georgiana Falls before Jaime woke up. I might have slept a little too late for that to happen so no Georgiana Falls. I enjoyed my continental breakfast; chocolate chip waffles, a bagel and coffee. Then we headed down to Waterville Valley. I bushwhacked up Bald Knob using a couple steep logging roads and some herd paths. I don't know how in the hell moose fit between those trees, I barely fit. Maybe that's why there's moose poop everywhere, they get it squeezed out of them. After a long and difficult ascent, I finally made it to the summit for incredible 360 degree views with Welch Dickey stealing the show.

Next we wanted to check out a trail-less cascade nearby known as Shell Cascade, which required fording a river. We tried rock hopping it at first but Jaime fell in so we went back to the car, got the water shoes and waded across. What we thought would be a cross country ski trail on the other side turned out to be an abandoned ski trail, the saplings were so thick you couldn't see through them. Jaime stopped once we hit the brook while I bushwhacked along the hard to follow road. Before long I arrived at Shell Cascade which was way better than I'd anticipated. This one is crazy.

I crossed the brook and got some cool pictures from the other side of the narrow flume before heading back through the thick saplings. We spotted another brook down the road but the area around it was eroded in the rain storm back in early July and was a little too unstable to explore right now, plus there wasn't much water so I'll save that one for later.

Then we drove up the Sandwich Notch Road which had some beautiful views and wasn't too bad, for the most part, despite being a steep and narrow dirt road. A truck or jeep really would have come in handy here. Then we went down an even steeper side road to Hall Pond where I bushwhacked to a sort of nearby waterfall. There wasn't much water flowing but this thing is huge. Today there wasn't enough water on the upper half to be anything special but the lower fifteen feet were absolutely beautiful. This entire area has a rugged and wild feel miles and miles from civilization.

Around the waterfall were tons of talus caves with water flowing through them. The enormous cliff towered above me as I crawled through the broken ledges to get into a cave beside the waterfall. It was a little iffy in parts but I made it in without any trouble and got some pictures of the cascade from inside the cave, getting a little wet in the process. Well worth it.

Not having eaten in nine hours, we stopped at Black Mountain Burger on our way back. It was delicious as ever and well earned. My shower tonight was extremely painful, I have so many cuts on my arms and legs that I can't feel the difference between them, my extremities just burn all over. Walking hurts too but I don't mind. We'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow because I got a lot to do.

Gilead, Shelburne & North Woodstock Hiking

We headed out this morning for another three day weekend in the White Mountains, well, our version of a weekend which begins on Monday. Along the way we made a couple stops for my upcoming The White Mountains You Haven't Seen book. Our first stop was in Gilead Maine right along the NH border where we followed a trail for a short ways before I bushwhacked up to a large ledge we've seen from the road many times.

On my way down I checked out some talus caves along a broken ledge. Nothing too big or anything I'd really consider a cave but they did involve some climbing and crawling through small spaces.

From there we drove along a dirt road in Shelburne NH which was a pleasant surprise because I figured we'd be walking the 1.5 mile approach to the bushwhack up a summit known as Stevens Point. Despite the shorter route, the ascent was difficult through old logging cuts but it brought me to a spectacular view that made the cuts, the buckets of sweat and bee sting all worth it.

We ate at Gorham Pizza on our way by which was delicious, we got a gyro and a steak and cheese sub to share. We booked a room at the Rodeway Inn through booking.com a week or so ago and were a little worried because we've never done online booking before but it worked out perfectly and so much cheaper. I took pff right away to follow a logging road beside Pike Brook in search of waterfalls I could add to my Moose Falls chapter in the almost complete The White Mountains You Haven't Seen: Waterfall Edition. I wasn't expecting to find anything but I did find some nice ledges and waterslides I think I'm going to call the Pike Pools, they were fantastic and are definitely worth checking out even in low water like right now.

I jogged back along the logging road and followed an unmarked trail beside Moosilauke Brook in search of more cascades or water caves to add to my Lower Lost River chapter. Again, not actually expecting anything, I was pleasantly surprised to find some truly amazing rock ledges, smoothed out into slides, chutes and deep basins that the water rushes through. I see why this is a popular swimming hole, it is absolutely beautiful. The rock formations are incredible. Lower Lost River had originally been cut from the book but may need to find its way back in with today's discovery.

The Acadia You Haven't Seen

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 Amazon

More 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.

4th of July in The White Mountains

It's not often we both have the 4th of July off and although we didn't plan on doing anything this weekend since we went to NH last weekend, we decided to go last minute and boy are we glad we did. On our way through we stopped at a ledge once known as Artist Rock and I bushwhacked up to the cliff on its back side. The woods were open and great for bushwhacking but the mosquitoes and gnats were easily the worst I've ever encountered. There was a terrific view from the summit ledge.

 

A little worried about the bug situation, we headed to Lincoln for lunch at Black Mountain Burger and wondered if we made the right choice coming. I dropped Jaime off at the White Mountain Motel beside Clark's Trading Post where we used to stay years ago, then went off to Georgiana Falls. As soon as I stepped out of the car I could hear the brook which isn't normal there. We didn't know about the inches of rain they got a couple nights earlier so when I saw the flooded stream bed and the damage to the area around it I was awestruck. My goal for the hike was to check out a tributary brook but upon seeing the water levels so high, I had to go all the way up.

I'd never seen Georgiana Falls like that. I can't even imagine what it looked like immediately after the rain, I know I wouldn't have wanted to be caught in it. There was still foam from the overflowing river on the trail. It was insane. I called Jaime as soon as I got down to tell her the good news and we made plans to go check out Noble Falls before it got too dark. They were flowing better than we'd ever seen them. Amazingly, I encountered practically no bugs on either hike and was super relieved.

 

We checked out of the hotel the next morning and I went in search of Jackman Falls. It was an easy bushwhack but a little longer than I'm used to, man does that GPS come in handy. I finally hit the brook and immediately noticed the water damage to the surrounding area, the flash flooding hit here hard, overflowing the stream by ten feet on each side. Insane. Once I hit the falls I knew we'd be calling out of work for the next couple days. The water was raging like it was early spring all over again. I tried to call from there but had no reception, which is when I realized our walkies were out of range and Jaime had tried calling me so I hurried back.

Jaime was more than on board with calling out, she had actually joked about it the night before after seeing how high the water was. We went to find a room first and ended up at the Days Inn where we booked two nights and were blown away by how beautiful it was, it was like an upscale hotel.

After unloading our stuff in the gorgeous room and calling out of work, we drove out to Crawford Notch, hoping the flash flooding had impacted that area as well. And boy did it ever. I followed a trail for a little ways until I found the brook I was looking for and bushwhacked upstream. I eventually put on my water shoes and went through the cold water which made travel a lot easier and got me some amazing pictures. The falls just kept coming, one after another. I kept planning on turning around but there kept being more, each one better than the last. Finally I stopped because we had to get to Walmart before they closed and being the fourth of July thought they might close early. By the time I left the brook I was completely drenched from getting so close to the falls.

Knowing we didn't pack enough clothes, or our bathing suits, we made our way into Lincoln to stop at TJ Maxx and Walmart. We got the clothes we needed, some food at Dunkin Donuts because we were starving by now, and headed back to Lincoln so we'd be there in time for the fireworks. It wasn't until a few days later that we realized we have a bag of clothes and swimsuits in the trunk for occasions just like this, oops. We had enough time to enjoy the pool for a little before going to see the fireworks downtown. They were incredible, no words. Seeing the fireworks display over our favorite place in the world, it was magical. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. Then we went to GH Pizza for supper, the perfect way to end the perfect day. Best 4th Of July ever.

I got up early the next morning to explore a brook which turned out to be nothing but the excellent continental breakfast more than made up for it. Chris, the woman who runs the breakfast makes one hell of a waffle. There were also delicious home fries, muffins, bagels, cereal, all so good. I might have overstuffed myself just a little. The view of Franconia Notch in the morning sun, no clouds at all, was an absolutely perfect way to start the day.

We hiked out to an abandoned fall once known as Bells Cascade which I had done already but Jaime wanted to see it this time around. I had to follow an unmarked trail beside the brook to see where it went so we did that and wound up pretty far out of the way. It was a nice hike but we were thirsty not having brought enough water and the gps died while we were on the bushwhacking portion of our way back. Luckily I got us to the exact spot we left from and despite the drawbacks we had a great time out there, even though I didn't find an easier way to it.

After getting some Gatorade in our systems, I went out in search of Moose Falls but with no gps, I didn't really know where I was going. Basing my journey off memory, I followed a river but didn't find what I was looking for so I turned back and we went to White Mountain Bagel for lunch and ate it at the Fay picnic area. Then we headed out to Littleton once again, this time to get fudge, some for us, some for the manager we called out on. I then attempted a fairly long journey up to a prominent rockslide in Twin Mountain but couldn't find an old logging road I needed to turn onto. So after a long, sweaty hike, I came up short, even with my newly charged gps. There was an interesting view from a peculiar sand dune though. I'll definitely be attempting this one again.

On our way back through Franconia Notch, I decided to try an unnamed brook I've had my eye on for awhile. It involved crossing under the highway through the brook which was a bit cold. I ended up wearing my water shoes for the entire journey, they really make river crossing so much easier. The brook was everything I hoped it would be but I had to turn around when the sun started to set.

Jaime got some Black Mountain Burger for supper while I got some BBQ chicken from Price Chopper to have with my Dollar Tree food from yesterday in an attempt to save some money not eating out. My corndogs, White Castle burgers and chicken were good but Jaime's looked better.

After another delicious continental breakfast I went out alone to search again for Moose Falls, this time with my gps and some research beforehand. Early on I startled a cute little animal, either a weasel or muskrat but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture, even when he poked his head out and looked at me from his pile of logs. I found the rather unimpressive falls quite easily this time around. What I found more interesting was the view of the Franconia Ridgeline from a recent logging cut below the falls.

I went back to the hotel, loaded up the car and then we played in the indoor pool for about an hour, which we had completely to ourselves. We headed out on a trail afterwards in search of a tributary brook that I had a good feeling about. Jaime stopped a little over a mile in and read by the river while I continued on. My suspicions were correct, one incredible waterfall after another. One of them traveled down a shelf on a ledge like a waterslide, so unique I can't say I've ever seen anything like it.

I was too sore after all my hikes to do anymore so we drove out through Crawford Notch and then up through Pinkham Notch to Gorham where we ate at J's Corner, one of our favorites. We scoped out a few spots along the way and I did plan on doing a forgotten waterfall in Gorham but the single car parking spot was in use which didn't bother me any. We did drive up a dirt road in search of another lost waterfall but it got to be too rough so we turned around. We did stop at a cable car pulley over a river along the road though to get hikers across when the water is too high. It was buggy as hell but using the pulley system was quite the experience, can't say I've ever seen one of those before. Jaime read while I listened to music on the way home from our amazing and unplanned four day weekend.

Three Day Weekend In NH

We had an amazing three day weekend in New Hampshire with some truly incredible finds that will all make their way into my upcoming White Mountains You Haven't Seen book. We stopped in Grafton Notch along the way where I visited Mother Walker Falls once again and used my new water shoes for the first time. They're great, these things make stream crossings in high water so much easier, no more rock hopping for me.

A couple years ago when we were in Grafton during the spring we heard a loud brook roaring through the trees but couldn't find it. This year we did. I walked down the road following brooks until I found it, then brought Jaime along. And oh my god was it worth the wait. I mean wow.

After bushwhacking up the brook a ways and finding multiple other cascades, I stumbled upon an abandoned trail for the descent. The ledges on the falls were open and offered a great view across the notch as well. Someday I'll have to continue following it up further than the mile I did today and that was one steep mile.

We planned on doing another hike once we hit Franconia Notch but it was raining and I was really dehydrated from a day of hiking and driving. From the hotel we could hear fireworks going off over at the Indian Head hotel so we drove over and got to see a fireworks show with the Franconia ridgeline in the background, my favorite view ever. I didn't feel too good due to the dehydration but the next morning I was back to normal and headed out in search of a cascade and a balancing boulder.

There were numerous cascades, none of them large by any means but they were gorgeous and I spent a solid hour and a half exploring the area. Aside from the falls there were also numerous boulder caves, none of which were easy to get to but the wet rocks from last night's rain didn't help matters any. The balancing rock itself was far more impressive than I'd expected. This is hands down one of the coolest places I've visited, on trail or off.

For the afternoon we hiked out to Bridal Veil Falls which we had tried to do years ago but never made it so this was our first time checking out the falls. They were much more spectacular than I'd expected and despite being the very end of June the brook was raging. I also tried out my brand new hiking gaiters that arrived in the mail the day before we left. I've always had issues with getting half the forest stuck in my shoes which isn't the most comfortable and I just learned about hiking gaiters. They work! They really work. I love these things. Not a single stick, pebble, pine needle or leaf in my shoes. It's a dream come true.

Bridal Veil Falls was the main attraction but thousands of people see it every year, what I was really looking for was the abandoned Holden Falls. It surprisingly wasn't hard to find and was much bigger than I'd expected and bigger than it looks in photographs.

After over 12 miles of hiking and getting wet in waterfalls, I was done for the day. My body was a little sore the next day but I never let that stop me. So early the next morning I put on my water shoes and head up the river behind the hotel in search of Boyce Brook. I had no idea what to expect, all I could find out about the brook was that it was once home to the Lincoln reservoir. The stream was extremely cold and difficult to cross due to its temperature and high water level but I made it to the tributary brook and followed it up. There were no cascades but I did find the abandoned reservoir which had a ten foot man made fall at its outlet, which for some reason reeked of sulfur.

After checking out of the hotel I followed a brook near Artists Bluff. The falls along the brook were nice but nothing too impressive, really no different from any other random brook in the Whites.

What really stole the show here was a cave beneath some of the enormous boulders that have fallen from the mountainside and are resting against one another.

From there we headed over to Crawford Notch before the rain hit where I searched for a couple of brooks that show up on maps. Where they do not show up however is in real life. Unfortunately it took over a mile of bushwhacking to find out the brooks do not exist except maybe during spring melt-off but the two dry brook beds showed no signs of having any water in them any time recently. Jaime picked me up down the road so I wouldn't have to bushwhack all the way back to the car, I love our walkie talkies. We ate in North Conway at a burger place which was delicious. We did a little shopping as the rain hit and ended up driving home in it the entire way. But it was worth it for an amazing weekend.