I didn't sleep well last night and finally got up at 6:30. Bill stayed in bed so I fed Lane and then worked on the blog for a bit. I'm currently sitting at the dinette typing on my iPad and listening to the quiet of the campground interrupted by the occasional flush of the toilets from the bathrooms directly behind our rig. Wow. I love our property. Perspective. I haz it. :)
It's kind of gross outside - foggy, damp, and generally sticky. I'm glad we've been here before because it would suck for it to be our first trip and have it rain the whole time...which it's pretty much forecasted to do through Wednesday. We leave early Thursday. Grrr. The plan for today is to pack our daypacks and head to the main part of Acadia and do some hiking. I want to do the Precipice and Beehive hikes again but I guess we'll have to see if the weather cooperates. Both of these hikes are non-technical climbing routes so climbing on wet iron rungs that are hammered into rock while it's raining probably isn't the safest thing to do. We'll see. For now, it's time to make some coffee...and have some blueberry laden cereal for breakfast. :)
We had a very late start and didn't get out of the campground till 9:40. The Sitts drove separately and we headed over to the main part of the island to do the Park Loop Road. We swung by the visitor center which was thoroughly mobbed with people. Yuck. This is why we go out West. A fraction of the people and a ton more space.
We stopped at all the touristy, looky-loo spots and decided to spend some time at an area with a short little path (yes, it was actually a path - paved and everything) that led to the shoreline. We figured it would be a family friendly type of place...we had no idea what was in store for us. The sun had finally burned off the fog and Bill and I had made our way out onto the rocks. We were far away from the crowds and exploring all the tide pools...
....scrambling over and around the rocks...
...and just taking in all the sights....
The air was heavy with the smell of the sea but was tinged with the rotting smell of death nearby. Unbeknownst to us, we had wandered into a lair. Without warning, we were suddenly and viciously attacked by a monster only a Hollywood horror movie could have conjured. We were no match for it. No mere mortal would have been a match for this beast. With sharp claws clicking over the rocks, it pounced on Bill and attacked.
Bill, despite his initial fear and surprise, fought back so courageously that the creature scurried away. Relief flooded over us. We thought we were out of danger and had no idea the creature was just out of sight and setting up for his second attack. This time, he preyed on me. He knocked me over from behind, lifted me up with his gigantic claw and attempted to carry me off.
Fortunately for me, all the road trip junk food I had consumed added to my weight and he was unable to lift me completely off the ground. I have never been so happy to have gained 5 pounds from eating poorly while on vacation. If it wasn't for the Pringles, the Milk Duds and the Whoppers, I'd surely be dead. I'm sure they'll kill me eventually, but today, they literally saved my life. :)
After our terrifying attack, we regrouped and composed ourselves to continue on our journey. We refuse to let adversity and near death experiences ruin our vacation. :D In all actuality, we were laughing our butts off and drawing attention to ourselves from all the cackling and raucous laughter.
We continued on the Park Loop Road and stopped at the cool must sees like Thunder Hole.
I took more photos...yeah, I do that a lot...before jumping back in the truck.
We stopped for lunch and ate off the tailgate before working our way down to Seal Harbor - which wasn't occupied by seals at all. ;) We jumped back on the loop and attempted to drive to Cadillac Mountain. The Rangers were blocking the way due to the mass quantities of people at the top and instructed us to try back in 10 or 15 minutes. We decided to spend a few minutes at Eagle Lake.
Our second attempt to visit Cadillac Mountain was successful. We drove to the top and spent nearly two hours climbing around on the rocks and checking out the views. Bill and I, eager to get away from the throngs of people, took the less beaten path and ended up being the only ones around. We sat together on a rock looking at the ocean and the tiny little islands surrounding Bar Harbor.
We made our way back to the parking lot, zipped over to the gift shop and bought two blueberry sodas. Nom! We met back up with the Sitts and discussed plans for the rest of the day. We somehow convinced them to give the Beehive Trail a try. By convince, I simply mean Mr. Sitt said "We can go take a look". Seriously?!? Sweet!!
We had difficulty finding parking but, after stalking people coming from Sand Beach, we eventually secured two parking spots. We geared up, crossed the road and started the climb at the trailhead.
We made it up a few sets of the iron rungs and Mr. Sitt decided that was far enough for him.
Shele continued on for a bit but decided to turn around at an exposed ledge.
I was so utterly happy that both of them gave it a try. I think it's great that they were willing to do something completely outside of their experience and comfort zones. Shele later said she wished she had finished the hike. Progress has been made towards converting the Sitts to outdoor adventure junkies. I'll eventually have them backpacking some cool canyon with us or hiking a 14er one day (still on my bucket list). :P
Bill and I continued to the top.
Bill sat and took in the view while I played photographer. A dad with two young kids was attempting to take a self portrait at the summit sign, so I offered up my services so they could get a family photo. Bill and I chatted as to whether one adult was sufficient to take two kids on this kind of a hike. Obviously, they made it without issue, but I think I would have had a heart attack or developed an ulcer watching my children scurry over narrow ledges and climb up rock faces. One little misstep and disaster strikes. No thanks.
Bill and I continued the hike and returned via the loop down the backside of the mountain.
It was a super short hike. It only took an hour round trip (despite some online trail descriptions stating a round trip time of 2-4 hours). The Sitts had decided to wait for us at the bottom of the trail and were chatting with an older couple that had just hiked the Precipice. We hiked both the Beehive and Precipice trails when we visited Acadia for our 2nd year wedding anniversary. Standing on an exposed ledge on the Precipice trail is where I learned that my body can have its own opinion of my current activity and argue with the sensible, logical side of my mind. "This is fun! Why are my hands shaking?" Fear or adrenaline? Who knows, but no shakes on this trip - climbing Half Dome probably cured me of any fear of heights I may have been developing back then. It's a good thing because most of the cool, spectacular things we've seen are usually out of reach to the casual observer and a fair amount of effort (with perhaps a smidgen of stupid) is generally required. But hey, that just makes for better memories. :)
We headed back to the parking area, stashed our bags and walked down to the beach. We sat on the beach for a while watching the waves crash and enjoying the scenery. I wandered around taking photos and messing with a particularly amusing seagull (we were playing a version of tag, Simon says, and chicken).
We headed back to the truck and towards the campground. We stopped for dinner at a side of the road outdoor eating joint and experienced some of the local flavor. Come to find out, the local flavor is kind of bland. In my experience, lobster bisque is usually better when there is LOBSTER in it. It's also usually better when there's enough soup to actually fill you up and not just make you angry for paying 8 bucks for 5 oz of soup. I'm really looking forward to finding a decent seafood restaurant. Back at the campsite, we enjoyed a campfire while sitting around the picnic table and chatting about our day. We were happy the weather cooperated and we were able to see the highlights of the park. Tomorrow, we'll spend some time at the shops in Bar Harbor and will check out Bar Island at low tide. (Which I remember being pretty cool.)
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