THE OLD LAKE WOOD ROAD

So today we did another adventure in search of the Fawn Pond trail from near the Breakneck Pond area and like all other searches in the past, we came up short again, but did come across a well hidden find.  We started out by the Breakneck ponds, the area where the Breakneck Road crosses the two ponds.  Right there you find the Breakneck Road, however today it looks much more like the Breakneck trail.  We did not cross the ponds but followed the Breakneck road on the same side of the ponds as the carriage road.  We followed the old road a ways until we came to an old trail going into the woods on the left, and followed it until it came to a body of water with a beaver dam over it.  We had been here in the past a few times but could never get across the top of the beaver dam because the water level was too high, but today, with a summer that has had little rain, we were finally able to cross the top of the dam, and as I had thought, there was an old road on the other side of the dam.  The road, more like a path today,  led us to some very high and thick brush but we were able to push through it with little effort, and you know where to go because it looks like a road went straight through the woods, just with brush growing up in it, and as you make your way through the brush you can see the worn trail on the ground.  This thick brush soon gives way to open trail which is very easy to follow.  Some distance along this trail we came to an abandoned pen area, a wire door, tall posts and a few layers of wire which surrounds a good size area.  I have come across these in other areas of the park,   I have photos and clearly it does appear to have abandoned.  I believe they grow tree's or certain brush in these large pens.

Crossing The Beaver Dam

With an open well worn trail we pushed on and further ahead we came to a small dump of sorts, metal cans, glass jars, old bottles, a pan and other items.  I have come across other little dumps throughout the park in the past and almost always all the glass bottles have been broken, but at this one I only saw on broken bottle.
Further along the trail a stretch of it turned rocky, kind of like you were walking up a dried brook, before the trail turned good again.  We than encountered  a long section with tall grass, almost like hay growing, but you still could see where the trail was.  A word of caution, as we moved along this section we stepped into a couple holes, the first was about a foot deep and nearly hidden by the grass, the second was over a foot and a half deep and we never saw it, thankfully no one was injured.  The trail than became well worn and open again until we came to four or five PRIVATE PROPERTY - NO TRESPASSING signs, and the path was blocked by several large granite blocks that you find throughout the park.  On tree's several feet from the signs was Park Boundary signs and at that point I was not too happy because I thought this trail must of been the Farm Pond trail.  So at this point we turned around and made the very long hike back to that beaver dam and crossed it just about at sunset and called it a day.  However once we looked over old maps we realized this old road once connected to the Old Norway Drive Road, beyond the no trespassing signs.  And at one point well along the old road we had seen a lightly worn path or road leading off to the right, had we taken the right lane we would of come out at the back side of Lake Road and would of been very close to Fawn Pond as well.
I am going to keep at this until I finally nail it, I think now we should of gone a little further down the Breakneck road - I know there is a path going into the woods further along, but that will have to wait until another day.
Other than that small dump area and the large pen, there is really nothing to see along this trail.

Walking Through Brush

WIRE PEN - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

WIRE PEN

So after studying the old map, I marked off in red the route we took, it appears we just missed the hard right turn, I do recall a knoll right there, should of gone up it and checked it out, well, now I have something to do for another day.
So today we returned back to this beaver dam, crossed it for a second time and had another look around.  Not much to really report, but not wanting to cross the beaver dam again, we walked down below the dam to where a narrow brook ran and found a stone crossing there along with a very old set of stone steps leading up the banking on the other side of the brook.  The stone steps had all slipped out of place some and were crooked, and no doubt these stone steps were once a part of the Fawn Pond trail, at least it appears that way.  So just before the beaver dam, there is a faint path that runs through a section of thickets, on the other side is a well worn path leading through a short section of woods and turns left to the stone steps.

Trail begins along Breakneck Road at;
N 44 23.553
W 068 15.275

at water and beaver dam
N 44 23.536
W 068 15.358

Hidden stone steps by brook
N 44 23.549
W 068 15.375

The stone steps by the brook as they look today.  I have to say, it is a shame the Park Service continues to tell us they have no problem with us hiking these abandoned trails, yet they send teams of Ridge Runners out to them to toss dead branches across the trails.  If anyone else behaved that way they would be facing charges but Ridge Runners do it unchecked, on the very abandoned trails the Park Service says we are welcome to hike...it makes no sense at all.  I say this because since I documented this area, almost over night over a dozen large dead tree branches suddenly  found their way scattered across the start of the abandoned Lake Wood Road.

This photo was taken just as we came to the water, looking right, you can just see where the path runs through the brush, beyond the brush the path is easier to see.

There are a few things you have to keep in mind in order to locate this old road, and the first thing is the path itself.  At the start of the path, a large bush hangs over the start of the path, nearly blocking it from view...see photo.

So you really have to be looking for the start of the path...the good news is that the ground just in front of the bush is worn, but the trail does angle to the left.
The next thing to keep in mind is once you follow the path and see the water, look for a faint path that runs through thick brush on the right just before the water.  It is faint enough so that on our first two visits we totally missed it.  On the other side of the bushes the path is very easy to see, well worn and leads through the woods a short ways before making a left hand turn toward the brook.  Along the banking of the brook is a crooked set of stone steps, over time the large granite steps have shifted and are now slightly crooked.  At the base of the steps, there are some stepping stones to get you across the brook.  This set of stone steps was once part of the official Fawn Pond Trail, however once you get across the brook thick brush and ferns completely hide any signs of that path today.    But once you cross the brook and go up the banking on the other side you can see the beaver dam, but now your on the other side of it, simply make your way in that direction and pick up the trail or old road from there.