Maine's Acadia National Park... here comes the sun...

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Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Eastern seaboard north of Brazil, and the first place in the US to watch the sunrise. We were among the few to be there at that time of morning. You realize that that means the alarm rings at 3:30 am. Up in the north, the summer sun rises around 4:30 am. So much for those drinks in the inn's bar.

But the day before our sunrise photo session, being the planner that Keith is, he figures a drive around Mount Desert should be our first look at Acadia National Park. The park encompasses over 30,000 acres, and the island is 12 miles long and 9 miles wide. All along the Park Loop Road we stop at the scenic overlooks and are awed by the views. We arrive at Thunder Hole as the tide in coming in, and even though the ocean is calm, the waves do "thunder" as they rush into the cave in the rocks.

And once more on the recommendation of the fellow passenger and the guide book, we have a nice lunch on Jordan Pond. The popovers live up to the hype, they really are tasty.
Our host lets us know that we will be served by a waiter in training. This new waiter has a familiar accent. He is a student from Serbia. And tells us that he has been here three weeks, apologizing for his English. We praise him for his English and remember how many Eastern Europeans leave their home countries for the more profitable wages earned elsewhere. The wait staff at the inn is also comprised of Europeans. After having stayed in Eastern Europe ourselves only a short time ago, I applaud their sense of adventure in coming to a different country and giving it their best shot.

When that alarms does ring at 3:30 in the dark, we are ready to leave our cozy Bar Harbor inn and drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It is a smooth bald pink granite rock with plenty of room for tourists with tripods. And 360 unobstructed views. I wish I had been there each morning to watch the sun tint the sky and water, colors that range from faded purple to hot orange. There were maybe 30 "photographers" there, some with very expensive complicated equipment, some with the thumb advanced disposable. And we all have gorgeous sun rise photos.

So now the back-packer in Keith emerges, and we are heading for the trails. All the years Keith back packed with the scouts and friends, I always managed to -have- to remain at home. But this is the day that I will make a "climb". Of course the trail is gradual, as it starts at Bubble Pond. I start off carrying the camera to get those photos, but I soon need all fours to get over the boulders, while trying not to knock the lens off the camera. So how many pictures of trees and rocks do I need?
A little further up the mountain, Keith is now carrying the camera for me, because I am too concerned with grabbing onto every limb to stay balanced. And where are all the other hikers? Keith has us take a break to answer all my questions. After his pep talk, which he has had in reserve since convincing boy scouts to continue up mountains, I too am convinced to forge onward and upward...

At the top Keith is rewarded with a glimpse down to the pond below us, and the ocean beyond. I still get dizzy looking down. But the vista I do see is beautiful. As we head back down the same way we came up, we finallly meet up with a few other hikers, all very tired and anxious to know "how much further?" I am now proud to say I hiked the Pemetic Trail in Acadia. The guide catorgorizes it as a "Strenuous trail in forested setting, ocean to pond views. many steep grades and steady climbs 2.4 miles/3.8km" The guide also says another trail in the park has iron rungs and ladders and vertical ascents, I'm so glad Keith chose Pemetic.

Hopefully, we will be able to make more visits to this rugged island, in the future. Two days is not enough, next time we will bike the carriage road, kayak Frenchman Bay, and explore more of the trails, the ones rated "easy". But for now we're back in the rental car, and driving to the little town of Round Pond.

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Photos

we were among the first to capture the sunrise
Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, Maine

Jordan Pond and the Bubble mountains
the place to have the tasty popovers and strawberry jam

Cadillac view
Bar Harbor sits on Frenchman Bay

a nice trail...
...until we were on all fours climbing over the boulders!

Thunder Hole
one of the spots to see along the Park Loop Road

road side gull
Park Loop Road, Acadia

Bass Harbor Head Light
built 1858, the single lighthouse on Mount Desert Island

sunrise
playing with the new camera

rabbit
this bunny was watching the sun rise with us

Comments

[Charlie]

Maine
We were there in 1969. What the girls remember most about our Bar Harbor stay was that we lost the car keys.