Acadia

What is it like to have one of America's most beautiful national parks in your back yard?  Well, it's simply indescribable.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of trekking two of Acadia National Park's nicest mountains, Penobscot and Sargent, and was reminded of why I moved to Maine in the first place.  Imagine, you come to the top of a bald mountain and no matter which way you turn you are struck with the most magnificent views imaginable.  To the northeast, Bar Harbor and Cadillac Mountain, to the southeast, the ocean, to the south, The Cranberry Islands and many other ponds, lakes and mountains all around.  Yes, my day of hiking was truly inspirational.

I made the two and a half hour drive to Acadia National Park thinking that it might rain and after deciding a trip to Roosevelt Campobello in New Brunswick, Canada might not be what I was looking for that day.  Arriving at around 12:30, a little later that I had hoped, I was excited to learn that my hike from Penobscot Mountain to Sargent Mountain would only take about 3 hours (ended up being about 5, but I made a few stops along the way).  I am not going to bore you with each little minute detail of the hike but here are some highlights.

As I made my way up to the Penobscot Mountain Trail I was excited to see my first rugged looking trail since Little Jackson Mountain in 2012 and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  A cool thing about this trail is how quickly you come above tree line.  Once out of the woods, so to speak, I was met with stunning views of Mt. Desert Island's finest scenery and the ever increasing realization that I had forgotten to put on sunscreen.  Of course, and thankfully so, the sun had decided to come out that day and I was hoping to meet someone on the trail who had a little sunscreen to spare.  One of the great things about hiking is that you meet some of the nicest people.  As luck would have it I did finally meet someone who had sunscreen, the kind that would make me look like I had fallen into a vat of the iconic zinc oxide that covered the noses of many sun bathers decades ago.  The kindness didn't stop there.  When I reached the summit of Penobscot Mountain I met a nice group of young people who were willing to take my picture standing by the summit sign.  At this point I was very hot and excited for the splashes I heard down the trail.

As I hiked back down into the trees I saw the reward for my efforts, Sargent Pond.  Wanting a quick dip I stripped down to my skivvies and my boys began to play hide and go seek.  Thank goodness the water went from cold to refreshing very quickly.  After my swim I made a quick lunch of beef jerky and trail mix, got dressed and began heading up Sargent Mountain.  The vistas at the peak of Sargent Mountain were as beautiful, if not more so, than those at Penobscot Mountain.  After spending some time taking in the views I decided to make a plan for my descent.  I had two options, the easy route or the more challenging, more interesting route.

I decided the more interesting route seemed like the best plan and started down the mountain.  The first part of the trail down was steep, rocky steps and was a little challenging on the knees, but overall not too bad.  It was the next leg that would prove a little trickier and where I would meet a very cool little girl.

The fog had been setting in all day and now was so thick you couldn't see Jordan Pond and the forest below.  The trickiest part of the trail was up ahead, iron ladders and bars on the cliffs and some narrow spots.  The fog gave sort of an otherworldliness to it all.  When I am hiking solo I usually take the safest course and with the fog setting in I wasn't sure about my visibility down the trail so I decided to turn back and take the easy Jordan Pond Trail out.  It was then I met Nora.  Only about 8 years old, Nora was tired from a long day hiking with her mother and grandfather and still had about 1.5 miles to go.  Now, under Ohio hiking circumstances, 1.5 miles is no problem, but not the case in Maine.  I asked the family if I could hang with them for a bit so I could finish the trail the way I had wanted and they said yes.  I was excited because the Jordan Cliffs seemed very cool and I wanted to check it out.  I stayed with the family for a bit watching 8 year old Nora climb down the iron ladders and bars, scared and slow.  Even though she was frightened she did all of it and I could see her confidence grow with each new conquered challenge.  When we got past all of the iron bars I decided I couldn't stay with them any longer so I thanked them and moved on.  It was cool to see Nora climb down the rocks.  Most other little girls, and little kids in general, weren't rock climbing on a Saturday and here she was facing her fears and accomplishing her goals one by one.  That was truly neat to see.  As I continued on I came across some other tricky spots that made me think of Nora and her courage and I thanked her for that.

I finally made my way off of the mountain and into the Acadia National Park of all places.  After picking up some mementos I headed to my car and changed into some clean clothes.  By this time I was very hungry and headed into Bar Harbor where I had haddock sandwich, some french fries and a cold Geary's Pale Ale. It was nice to cap off my day with some good food and a conversation with a guy who graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio with a degree in Anthropology who was now a lobster fisherman.  What a small world.

Like I mentioned earlier, this trip really reminded me of why I moved to Maine.  Being so close to the forest and the sea is a feeling that is hard to put into words.  While I may not be in Lee forever, I can guarantee you that it would take something or someone pretty special to pull me away.

D