Kick and glide, kick and glide. The ski track contours up the mountainside and I follow it, in no particular hurry, one pole plant after another. There’s bluebird sky above and perfect styrofoam snow underfoot, and although the northwest wind is brisk and directly in my face, I’m dressed warmly and relish the cold on my nose. Life at the moment couldn’t be better, except for the silly song I just can’t get out of my head.
“She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain,” the African American spiritual from the late 1800s, popped into my head a few days earlier while planning this ski outing on the carriage roads of Acadia National Park. I suppose it made sense to my subconscious, since my chosen route was the Around-the-Mountain loop. And now the first verse — the only one I know — continues to cycle through my head (“Gi-Yap!” and “Hallelujah!”) as I ski along.
Around-the-Mountain is one of several named circuits in the winter carriage road system, which totals about 30 miles of cross-country skiing when conditions are right. And when they are right, it’s spectacular.
Maine winters can be fickle, especially along the coast. But in late January a storm dropped about a foot of snow on Mount Desert Island, and the frigid temperatures that followed kept the snow in place.
At the 600-foot contour on Parkman Mountain, views begin opening to the west. Across Somes Sound I can see flat-topped Acadia Mountain, and below it Jock Williams boatyard in Hall Quarry. From there I can trace a route through the trees another mile to the approximate location of my house.
The next opening offers a look at the unmistakable profile of Blue Hill Mountain and the cliffs on Great Pond Mountain.
The apex of the track is just shy of 800 feet, and at a windy switchback I get a vista north to the snowy face of Chick Hill and its neighbors along the Airline Road outside Bangor.
Moving into a sheltered cove, I stop briefly for a cup of hot tea and half of my turkey and cheese sandwich. Refueled, I skitter on into the narrow defile formed by tumbling Sargent Brook. There’s a distinctly wild feel in this remote spot and I’m loving it.
The kick-and-glide continues along the contour until I round a big corner and stop in my tracks. The bulk of Cadillac Mountain’s steep west face dominates the scene. Eagle Lake lies far below and the semi-open flanks of Sargent Mountain rise above.
Wow.
I wait and watch as a skier climbs toward me and then passes with a nod and a smile. We both know how good it is out here right now, and the unspoken exchange confirms it.
Soon I swoop down the S-turns into the lowlands below, picking out the white openings of Gilmore Meadow and Aunt Betty Pond amid the thick forest of spruce and pine. “Swoop” may be a bit of an overstatement, as the gentle grade of the carriage road never allows much speed. But after 2½ hours of steady uphill it certainly feels like flying. A mile later I arrive at the Aunt Betty loop junction.
Winter grooming on the carriage roads is done by volunteers with the Acadia Winter Trails Association, working with Friends of Acadia and the National Park Service. The program began around 1990 and expanded after a 2005 endowment from the family of Leila Bright.
The carriage roads themselves were built between 1913 and 1940 by philanthropist and summer resident John D. Rockefeller Jr., who later donated them to the park along with large land holdings. Today they form one of the best cross-country ski networks in New England.
My Around-the-Mountain adventure began at Brown Mountain Gate. I chose to ski the route clockwise so most of the climbing would come in the first half. The loop is just shy of 12 miles, and four to five hours allows plenty of time to sightsee and savor the experience.
It had long been on my bucket list, and this winter finally gave me the chance.
The January storm dropped its snow on a Sunday. I waited a few days for the snow to settle and to see whether groomers would make it around the loop. In the meantime I circled Witch Hole and Aunt Betty as warmup runs.
Four days after the storm I could wait no longer.
I found the route partly rolled, partly snowmobiled and partly tracked by skiers ahead of me. The variable conditions only added to the challenge.
From the Aunt Betty junction the route turns south toward Jordan Pond. Here I found a foot of unconsolidated snow and what appeared to be just two other skiers’ tracks ahead of me. It was late afternoon and the east side of the mountain was already in shadow. The temperature was dropping quickly.
Six and a half miles down and five to go. Better get on it, I told myself.
Tumbledown Cove is an awe-inspiring place where talus spills down from the Jordan Cliffs on the east face of Penobscot Mountain into Jordan Pond below. Where the carriage road cuts through the sea of rocks, I paused in the flat gray light to admire the bright sun across the pond on North Bubble and Pemetic Mountain.
Through the trees I could see Jordan Pond House at the far end of the pond, which got me thinking about cold lemonade and a hot popover.
By the time I veered away toward the Amphitheater my energy was ebbing. A granola bar and a long drink of still-warm water revived me for the final miles. There was more climbing to do, but I was still reveling in the scenery and the pure joy of the task.
A few more twists and turns, some huffing and puffing and I was back where I started.
All told, I’ve logged about 100 miles of carriage road skiing this winter, including another go-round on Around-the-Mountain. More snow fell in mid-February, cold temperatures have held and the conditions remain excellent.
Before heading out it’s worth checking the Acadia Winter Trails Association page on the Friends of Acadia website or the FOA and Ski MDI Facebook pages for current trail updates.
