[TracyH]

Acadia National park Dorr Mt Trips: May 2010

In May, on a weekend I had planned to do a longer Sargent/Penobscot hike, I became distracted by Dorr Mt.- considered one of Acadia’s steeper offerings. Dorr is named for the man who is regarded as the father of Acadia National park- George B. Dorr. The mysterious Homans Path caught my attention and intrigued me. In 2003 the NPS re-opened this newly restored trail. The trail had been abandoned for 60 odd years prior to this re-opening. Then in the autumn of 2006 we experienced a series of earthquakes on MDI that caused extensive damage to a number of trails in Acadia. The Homans Path was one of the trails that was damaged and subsequently was closed again until its second re-opening in the summer of 2008. This was pretty interesting, but the real mystery of the Homans Path is that the original trail just ends. The Homans Path follows a stone staircase that wraps around the mountain’s side offering sweeping views of the Bar Harbor coastline and the Porcupine Islands and the trail dead-ended. The restored and completed trail now enters the trees to connect with the Dorr Mt Trail, now renamed the Schiff Path. The stonework on a number of the trails on Dorr is impressive and the Homans Path is no exception (my photos do not do it justice).

So we, Simon the lab and I, first venture up Dorr via the Homans Path and its magnificent staircase. The views are lovely, but it is the stonework that shines on this trail- each step carved to fit around the one in front of it- unique to this trail. We continue along the Schiff Path turning towards the summit when we intersect with the Ladder Trail. At the next intersection we meet up with Dorr’s North Ridge Trail and hop over the 1/10 of a mile to the summit. A quick picture of Simon at the summit with Cadillac Mt in the background and we head back down the way we came. On the descent we take a right onto Kurt Dietrich’s Climb- another trail characterized by stone steps- this time through the lush wooded side of Dorr that leads to the Tarn. From the Tarn we follow the very easy Tarn Trail back to the parking lot at Sieur de Monts.

The following weekend we head back to Dorr- it is calling to me and I need to explore some more. This time we take the relaxing Hemlock Road (not a real road, but a path) to the Hemlock Trail, which rises, steep and straight. At the intersection we take a left to ascend via the steep and steady North Ridge Trail straight to the summit. The trail is characterized by wide-open granite ledges. We retrace our descent of last week until we reach the Emery Path- another fine example of the stone craftsmanship this mountain is so well known for. The trail ends right behind the Sieur de Monts Spring. Last year we hiked to Dorr’s summit via the Gorge Path and Notch Trail- a lovely hike for autumn when the bugs are few. We have three trails yet to travel on Dorr: the A. Murray Young Path, Dorr’s South Ridge Trail and, a trail that Simon will skip, the Ladder Trail.

Tracy

pics:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=62882&id=1276936398&l=62943d6eca