Road Tripping: Acadia National Park, Part 2

First things first: In case you missed it and want to read it, here’s part 1. In case you missed it and don’t want to read about all our enthralling adventures, here’s the summary: recently my family and I went camping at Acadia National Park. We also did some hiking.

Second things second: last time I mentioned the Park Loop Road. Acadia National Park is located on Mount Desert Island. On the eastern, more popular side of the island, there’s a road that loops around the park. It takes awhile to drive, but there are some great views. There are lots of rocks, and trees, and I guess the ocean’s pretty nice too.

I mean, it's not too bad.

How the Park Loop Road relates to my next story, I don’t know. Actually, I do know: it doesn't.

Anyway, our third day at the park, we wake up completely refreshed before the sun rises due to a bird that thinks it can sing (actually, one year it was doing something like a part of “The Star Spangled Banner” and this year it was kind of an “O Christmas Tree” knockoff). After breakfast, the morning mists and fog burn off, revealing a sparkling blue ocean and puffy white clouds in the sky. We decide to hike up Cadillac Mountain. By which I mean, my family agrees to hike up with me.

Since Cadillac Mountain is the highest mountain on the eastern coast, we've always gone to the top when we've visited Acadia. Every time before this trip, we drove. This time, we hiked. The trail we opted to do was the North Ridge trail, which was neither the steepest nor the longest, so it was an acceptable option to my parents. But the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley.

So, due to a lack of parking, we end up going up the Gorge trail instead of the North Ridge trail. The Gorge trail follows a stream up the valley between Cadillac and Dorr Mountain. You actually spend a good mile or so walking on rocks back and forth across the stream, then come out a little under the tree line and climb the rest of the way to the summit on granite. Right around the tree line, we notice it’s a little misty. In fact, we seem to be walking inside a cloud. No problem. Besides, I think it’s pretty cool.

After enjoying the views for awhile, we continue up Cadillac. It starts to drizzle, but that’s nothing we haven’t seen before. By the time we make it to the summit of Cadillac, the rain is coming down steadily and the mist/fog/cloud is thick enough to obscure any views of the surrounding mountains and the ocean, so we make a run for the gift shop.

And then, it starts pouring. So we’re stuck at the top of Cadillac Mountain and it is, once again, pouring buckets outside. To conclude this story, we ended up waiting around awhile, then buying various ponchos and jackets to brave the rain. For the record, I had brought up my own jacket, and so was prepared for the possibility of hiking in the rain. Plus I had my water-resistant stain-resistant UV-protective hiking shorts on. Note to expensive specialty retailers: you have a much better chance of getting my parents’ money with items at reduced prices and on sale. Just something to consider.

Back to Facing the Rain: A Story of Determination, Danger, and A Lot of Rain on Maine’s Cadillac Mountain. As planned, we went down the North Ridge trail, which was less steep than the Gorge trail. After making it back to the trailhead, we finished with a walk down the road to the van, where we took off our wet jackets and wrung out our socks. After that, we made a quick stop at the beach for some late afternoon tanning a snack and to change out of our wettest clothing.

And that is the story of the time we decided to hike up Cadillac Mountain. Here are some pictures to finish:

The trail follows the rocks to the left of the picture.

So it was a little wet on the way down. . . .

And then it cleared up . . . a little . . . at the end.