10 AM – 1 PM
Bring your own lunch & water
In February 2016 the Seneschal of the Canton of Basingestoches (incipient), Lord Thomas de Marr’, announced the opportunity for SCA members to participate in an Infantry Training Endurance Hike on the carriage roads of beautiful Acadia National Park.
Please consult a scan of the carriage trail map with the hike route posted on April 18th on the Infantry Endurance Training Hike facebook event to learn where to park and where the route will take you. Lord Thomas de Marr’ indicates on this map that the hiking route will start at the Parkman Mountain Parking Lot on the North side.
The endurance training hike will be held on the Hadlock Brook Loop carriage road. This is a 3.9 mile circuit that features a pond, a waterfall, and both steep and gently rising grades. The Acadia Carriage Road and Hiking Trail Pocket Guide (page 27) describes access to this section of the carriage trails (paraphrased) as follows:
“A mile north of Northeast Harbor on Rte. 198 is the stone Brown Mountain Gatehouse. Park in the lot just north of that. A short rise leads to intersection [18], where you will turn left. The carriage road continues straight and level for over a mile. It skirts Upper Hadlock Pond.Two right turns at [13] and [12] lead up one of the steepest carriage road grades in the system. But you will be amply rewarded for your efforts; awaiting you at the top is the highest waterfall in Acadia National Park and two of Rockerfeller’s loveliest bridges, Hemlock and Waterfall Bridges.
Hadlock Brook drops 40 feet and t hen cascades under Waterfall Bridge into a deep ravine before finally emptying into Upper Hadlock Pond.
The descent from the bridges to [19] is a gradual one, offering wonderful views of Hadlock Pond and the surrounding forests. Turn right at [19] and left at [18] to return to your car. If you prefer a gentle climb, reverse your direction for an easy ascent up and a fast trip down, finishing with the level path along Upper Hadlock Pond.
This loop can be reached from the Parkman Mountain parking lot one-half mile north of Upper Hadlock Pond on Rte. 198.”
The original map is the Acadia National Park map of carriage trails (pdf).