But we could have used a map… so there’s that.
Happy Birthday, America! What better way to celebrate the good ol’ U.S. of A. than with a visit to one of America’s National Parks. And let me tell you, we spent a GOOD chunk of time in Acadia National Park today. We spent some time there intentionally, with a planned hike up Beech Mountain to one of the few remaining fire towers in the area. Then, we spent some additional time also getting to know the Canada Cliff trail because we are the worst at reading trail markers. How did this even happen, you ask? Aren’t there two highly functioning adults leading this ragtag group of campers through the northeastern coastal wilderness? I can’t really explain it except to say that BOTH of us need to pay attention. It’s a careful system of checks and balances. We got cocky and we paid the price.
The day started out overcast and cool, the best kind of day for hiking. I pulled on my most festive, spangly American flag t-shirt to commemorate this most patriotic of days, and threw on an Elon College ball cap to keep the hair out of my face. Everyone grabbed their water bottle shoulder straps and I squirreled some snacks, bug spray, band-aids, and a roll of toilet paper in my backpack (fool me once…). We had chosen a moderate hike with some light scrambling (using hands and feet to climb steep and rocky slopes), wooden stairs, steep inclines, and the reward of some scenic views from the summit. Beech Mountain is located in the quieter western part of Mount Desert Island (where Acadia National Park is situated), a part of the park we had not yet been to. The 45-minute ride offered a glimpse into some small local villages like Southwest Harbor, where a good number of the residents work in the lobster industry. Lobster traps, lobster boats, and lobster pounds (a place where trapped lobsters are kept alive by running seawater through their tanks) lined the streets and a view of the harbor revealed dozens upon dozens of lobster boats bobbing peacefully in the water.
We found the Beech Mountain Trailhead easily and parked the Jeep. Within a few minutes we were off in the direction of the fire tower. The entire loop would take an estimated 90 minutes to complete. We enjoyed the challenge of navigating the rocks and scrambling up the giant boulders. Was it a graceful ascent? No. But was it fun? Absolutely. Just when your legs began to burn, there was a stopping point to see something beautiful: a mountain, a lake, or just a view over the treetops. There were several other groups of hikers enjoying the fresh air and wandering along the paths. We picked some of the wild blueberries growing along the path and after seeing other hikers eat them (and not die of poisoning), we also tried them. The terrain varied from flat dirt to gravel, to boulders, to a system of tangled roots. As usual, Rob and the girls were several meters ahead, and Kai spent time climbing anything and everything, while Amaya and I brought up the rear at a steady pace. I like to wander and observe and I am very cautious when descending, especially on uneven surfaces. How embarrassing would it be to break an ankle and have to be emergency-evacuated from the park? No, thank you. I will bump down on my behind like a toddler all day long.
By the time we reached the summit and climbed the fire tower, the sun began to poke through the clouds. We began our descent back to the parking area and were thrilled to find a few more places where we had to scramble over rocks to make our way down the marked trail. It wasn’t long before we encountered another group of hikers deciding on their route at a juncture along the trail. Confidently, we turned a hard right and continued our gradual descent to street level.
We should not have turned right.
It was only after we arrived at a dirt road that we did not recognize that Rob and I opened up Google Maps to access our downloaded maps of Acadia. Fortunately, we had thought to download the maps since the cell signal in the parks is sporadic. Unfortunately, we should have opened those maps at the previous juncture. We were four miles from our car by the road or 1.4 miles from our car by the path we had just emerged from. This was not good news. We had intentionally chosen the direction of the loop based on advice from hikers who recommended climbing up the ladders rather than trying to navigate them on the way down. Going in reverse would be more difficult and we were already tired. We found a route that seemed like a compromise between street route and trail route. If we walked at a good clip, we could make it back to the car in 48 minutes.
Thank goodness for water and snacks. After a hydration station and a quick refueling, we set out on this (unexpected) back leg of of this hike. The kids suggested flagging down a car for help, but Rob and I insisted we make the trek on foot. After all, there were six of us and though we were tired, we were physically able to do this. I will admit that when we turned onto the Canada Cliffs trail with .8 miles left to go until reaching the parking area, I teared up a little bit. Switchbacks. Of. Stairs. There were so many stairs. It’s one thing to know up front you are taking a four hour hike, but something completely different when you feel like you’re done after two hours, and then, surprise, you have another two hours ahead of you. All because you didn’t use your map. I’d like to say we learned our lesson, but we probably didn’t.
We ate a delicious lunch at Eat-a-Pita in Southwestern Harbor and made the short drive to the Bass Harbor Head Light Station in Tremont. This is one of three lighthouses managed by the Acadia National Park. Built in 1858, it housed a lightkeeper all the way until 1974 when it was automated. The U.S. Coast Guard was responsible for the lighthouse until 2020 when it was transferred to the National Parks. Currently, a couple lives in on the property in a private residence. They care for the grounds, provide information to guests, and report any parking incidents or accidents. The lighthouse is simple and stands just 37-feet. I loved seeing the bright white of the lighthouse nestled among the huge coastal rocks, contrasted with the bright blue sky and jewel-green water. Bass Harbor Head and other coastal Maine lighthouses played such a pivotal role in the maritime transportation network, guiding ships safely into harbors, especially during stormy weather.
We spent the afternoon relaxing at the camper and preparing a Fourth of July cookout of burgers and hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob and strawberry/blueberry shortcake. It was a great way to top off our accidentally-long hiking day! Around 9:00 PM we took our camp chairs over to the community seating area at the campground where the workampers had set up three firepits and were handing out s’mores kits and wooden skewers for all us campers to toast marshmallows while we waited for the fireworks over Frenchman’s Bay. Is there anything more American than a s’more? It’s such a perfect little bite of dessert, especially when you’ve got that perfect crispy golden crust on the outside of the marshmallow and the gooey inside! A few stray fireworks set off from someone’s boat popped over the bay as we settled in our chairs. We waited. We saw some intense flashes of light and the familiar sound of fireworks behind some trees far out in the bay. Surely, these were not the Bar Harbor fireworks over Frenchman’s Bay. We waited some more. After a few minutes, it fell silent. One of the workampers exclaimed, “That was it!” and just like that, fireworks were over. Like most of the other campers, we packed up our chairs and headed back to our camper. It seems the fireworks at Frenchman’s Bay are not, in fact, visible from the Acadia Seashore Campground and Cabins.
While other families may have celebrated July 4th differently, we chose to spend the holiday spending time in nature. However, we have realized that while we enjoy being outside, we aren’t always the best at navigating it and we would not survive all that long if we were to actually get lost in the woods. Also, as much as we love our time outside, we love coming back to a cool, dry space with beds and running water. I think this makes us more of an “outsidey” than “outdoorsy” family, but we like it this way. That said, we are planning a long trip to Glacier National Park in Montana and Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada for next June. Now, those are two parks where we would prefer not to get lost. There are much bigger predators and the weather is more severe. So, we have some map skills homework before next June!
At any rate, Happy Birthday, America! Thank you for your beautiful landscapes and the opportunity to enjoy the National Parks!
“The forests and the flowers, the open prairies, the slopes of the hills, the tall mountains—the granite, the limestone, the caliche, the unmarked trails, the winding little streams—well, this is the America that no amount of science or skill can ever recreate or actually ever duplicate.”
— Lyndon B. Johnson
Wandering, But Not Lost 