Acadia National Park officials urge caution following spate of rescues

BAR HARBOR, Maine — Officials at Acadia National Park are reminding visitors to use caution and come prepared when venturing onto trails or lakes in the wake of several rescues in recent days.

During the past week, rangers have been called to help a hiker who became disoriented on ice-covered trails as well as a visitor’s dog that went through the ice on a lake. Those were after several incidents in January as well as an event last week during which a woman crawled for seven hours before meeting a search and rescue team after she had injured her ankle while hiking.

Ed Pontbriand, search and rescue coordinator for Acadia National Park, said Friday that many trails are still tricky or potentially dangerous despite the warm and relatively snowless weather. Trails may look safe and relatively ice-free initially but can become treacherous in higher elevations or areas that receive less direct sunlight, especially on northern and western exposures, he said.

Additionally, “weeping” rocks can create their own waterfalls that freeze and create a thick layer of what Pontbriand called “Coke bottle ice” that not only makes for dangerous walking conditions but also obscures the painted trail markers.

That was the situation earlier this week when a solo hiker became disoriented on Sargent Mountain and was having trouble finding her way back down. The hiker was properly equipped and warmly dressed but was concerned about wandering off the trail due to obscured trail markers. As a result, park rangers eventually met the hiker and helped her off the mountain.

“We are telling people to be careful and to take lots of equipment,” Pontbriand said. That equipment would include crampons for walking on ice, a headlamp, extra clothing and food, he said.

Also this week, park rangers and local cold-water rescue teams helped to save a dog that had fallen into Long Pond after straying from its owners. The dog was treated for hypothermia by a local veterinarian.

While most of the smaller ponds appear safe, Long Lake and Jordan Pond still have open water. Officials are warning anyone thinking about venturing onto frozen lakes and ponds throughout Maine to use extreme caution and to check the ice thickness due to the recent rains and warm weather.

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