The last time I did that was back in December, for a quick hike up and down Cadillac Mountain via the North Ridge Trail. It was very cold and mostly clear on that day, with just a few icy spots on the top. This time, it was a completely different experience.
Instead of temps in the 20's, it was almost 50 degrees outside. Instead of windy conditions, it was mostly still. Instead of dry trails, they were very wet and snowy. And, instead of an out and back on the ridge, I did a loop to include two new mountains (for me) Kebo and Dorr.
Just like last time, however, I pretty much had the place to myself. I made quick work of Kebo (a mere 407 feet high) then charged up Dorr (a healthier 1270 feet in elevation). Halfway up, the trail became more snowy and near the top I found myself skittering across snow covered ice. At least the views were nice and the trail was mostly flat by that point.
This was not the case on the traverse from Dorr to Cadillac. The half mile Gorge Path trail went straight down then straight back up some very steep, exposed, and slippery rock outcroppings. The fact that there were absolutely no footprints on the trail should have been my first inkling that this was not a popular (safe?) winter route. 45 heart-pounding and knee-scraping minutes later I was grateful to be standing on top of Cadillac. The highest point in the park - a "lofty" 1530 feet above sea level.
From there is was a quick "jog" down the North Ridge to complete the loop back to my car. A little over 6 miles in total with a trip time of a little under 2 1/2 hours. It was my longest event duration since the DNF at the Stonecat 50 Miler, in early November. A truly wonderful afternoon in the mountains!
The other good news is that the foot held up throughout. In fact, it felt so good the next day that I might even try running on it. Imagine that!
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| At a crossroad near the summit of Dorr |
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| The summit of Dorr |
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| The gorge from Dorr |
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| Looking back down towards Bar Harbor |
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