jesseslife.com

If there is one thing I have to say about [Acadia National Park][], is that it is a park of contrasts. Unlike most other national parks in which the land is a contiguous block set aside, Acadia is a patchwork of dozens of mini-parks, interspersed with towns and private homes. The wooded, mountainous terrain is also in contrast with the Atlantic Ocean upon which it borders. Finally, at least this week, the weather has gone from 50 degree sunny days to sub-freezing blustery ones. What have remained constant are the beauty of the place and the nearly overwhealming friendliness of the people here.
I’ve been camping parking in the driveway of two wonderful people, friends of my aunt’s friend. They have been generous with the use of their driveway, not to mention the use of their home, their guest room, their laundy, their time, their kitchen, their dog, their fridge… I truely thank them for everything they’ve done for me. They are very involved with a group working towards a cure for an awful childhood disease, Alstrom Syndrome. Please visit their website to see if you can help their cause.

[Acadia National Park]: http://www.nps.gov/acad/

They live very close to the middle of the whole park system, which has allowed me to explore virtually all the parts of the park. I started off by exploring the little section of the park loop road that’s open in the winter. This lead to one of the most interesting parts of the park; the ocean abutting the mountains. I parked my truck and hiked my way past the beaches, tidepools and coves that made up the park just south of Bar Harbor. Unfortunately, this is where my trusty camera took a dive. Sigh.

I also hiked around Eagle Lake, trying out one of the foot trails. It was fun and interesting to pick my way through the rocks and ice, and at times the trail was literally on the lake – it being frozen and all. I concluded the day by exploring out by Parkman Mountain in the middle of the island. Again, the park suprised me. As I hiked up the trail, I could easily imagine that I was somewhere in the sierras, what with the evergreens and rugged terrain. But as I hit the summit, I was amazed at how close I was to the ocean. Quite spectacular.
Finally, I climbed up Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak on the east coast north of Brazil. At all of 1500 feet, I thought it would be an easy climb, but of course, you start at sea level. Yeah, it’s pretty much 1500 feet straight up… Worth it though, and provided me a lot of confidence that I’m finally over my rheumatic fever.

I do feel, however, that I missed a lot of the park, it being winter. I’ll just have to come back!

[tags]Acadia,Maine,Cadillac Mountain,Alstrom[/tags]