Up and at it early, with most of us having breakfast and a swim accomplished by 9:00 AM. Peter slept in after coming off a late work night prior to our departure. Then off to Ellsworth Me. for a stop at several stores there. We spent a few hard earned loonies at the L.L. Bean outlet (we’ve always found nicely priced items here), a department style store named Reny’s, and a quick grocery stop… By about 11:00 AM we were ready roll.
Our initial hope was that we’d land some snow and crack out the new snowshoes for some outdoor time. However, no such luck! Mild weather and rain left most surfaces either icy or even bare. Thus, we adapted the idea to see whether we could in fact grab an opportunity to do a short hike or source a trail that might get us out of the vehicle for a bit. Being only 20-30 miles from Acadia National Park, the solution seemed obvious! Off to Mount Desert Island.
Acadia National Park and the nearby community of Bar Harbour were clearly in “winter-mode”. The bulk of shops and service related businesses were shuttered for the off-season and the pace was very relaxed (this is not the norm as Acadia hosts some 2 million visitors a year). Having no real map/plan, we used the GPS to make our way into the park south of Bar Harbour connecting on Park Loop Rd, even passing an empty gate and entering the park without entrance fee. We quickly got ocean side and I found the views and ruggedness very much like the coastline around Canso where I grew up.
In short order, we decided that a hike was our next step. We hoped trail conditions wouldn’t be icy and a stretch would do us all the world of good! We stopped at Gorham Mountain Trail, a moderately rated trail with forest opening to granite over a 1.5 km ascent, a broad ocean view and a round-trip distance of 1.8 miles (2.9 km). After a quick picture of the trail map, we set out to tromp our way, full of “piss & vinegar”, up and over the 525 ft summit to loop the trail. It was great fun/exercise, as we followed the blue trail markers and “listened to” the cairns that mark the route. Along the coastal path we passed an area called the “Thunder Hole”, a cavern in the rocky shoreline that “gulps” loudly as waves sock into the notch in the coastline. By the time we had finished the lungs were filled with fresh air and we were ready for the trek to our destination!
Homeward was the route to Appleton Me and the Porter family. After a stop at the biggest Walmart I’ve ever seen and some rural driving across central Maine, we arrived shortly after dark between 5:00-6:00 PM. Evening saw everyone catching up, the enjoying of refreshments and a collaborative effort in the creation of homemade pizzas. Peter, Than and I enjoyed a quick 5 minute trip to Washington General Store (a project that Stephenie had worked on) for a visit. Very cool setting, with that old school community “everything” store for all your needs. Nice complement/selection of beers/wines/spirits as well! The late hours were relaxed, with conversations ranging from the recent US election to our own NSTU labour dispute in NS. We bunked and slept well in the guest house!