Acadia
May 10, 2018
We’re on our second night camping in Acadia! We set up the tent for the first time since October but don’t have mattress pads with us, so slept on the ground last night. It was freeeeezing. (I had on socks, slippers, leggings, sweatpants, thermal long sleeve, fleece, vest, parka and scarf while sleeping.) After getting ourselves situated we got a map and started driving around. Bar Harbor is a little tourist town on the ocean about 15 minutes away. We drove through and then got on the park loop. Everything had gotten very hazy and we couldn’t even see the water at an overlook we pulled off at. We then went to Sand Beach and it looked like some people had just gone in the water, ow so cold!
There was a trail that started at the end of the beach up some stone stairs, Great Head Trail. It started by walking away from the ocean and through the trees for about 15-20 minutes and then the ocean appeared on our left with big cliffs. We went off the trail, down a steep little hill and onto the cliffs. It wasn’t hazy at all here and everything was so beautiful; the colors of the rocks, the trees lining the ocean side, the crashing blue water just feet away from us and the massive size of the cliffs we were climbing on.
We climbed along the rocks for a while and found a big hole/cave that was making a booming sounds every time a wave came in. We were able to stand on a point far enough out in the ocean that you could basically stare into the cave that this was happening. So cool. We got back on the path, before the tide started rising, and continued on. The trail is so incredible, going right along the ocean, up and down big rocks. We ended up combining with another trail and getting done around 6, not seeing anyone else on the path the entire time. We came back to camp and started the fire for dinner. Sausage, onions and peppers on ciabatta with avocado. It was so jam packed and yummy. It’s so fun to be camping again and have no phone service. We played a looong game of War, split a whoopie pie and got into “bed”. Definitely not the most comfortable sleep but not the worst.
We got up around 9 AM and got the fire going to warm up. We had almond butter, blueberries and the granola I made before leaving that I am now obsessed with (see recipe below). We drove into Bar Harbor to get some service for All Trails and check out which hikes we should do. Precipice Trail looks awesome but is closed May-August for falcon nesting so we’ll have to come back. We chose a similar trail, Beehive. It has steel ladders throughout and is very steep up a big rocky mountain. Atop you get views of the ocean surrounding you.
We continued along the trail and connected to the Gorham Mountain trail and Cadillac Cliffs trail. Ending at the Ocean Trail we walked back along the water to the car. Our next stop was Jordan Pond which is gorgeous, surrounded by big Pine Trees. At one end there’s a tea house overlooking the pond that serves tea and popovers. It was also closed until summer, so another reason to come back! At the end of the pond is the Bubble mountains that we decided we want to hike tomorrow. We continued driving up to the highest point in the park, Cadillac Mountain. The views from atop were incredible, seeing the whole park we had just been climbing around in, Bar Harbor and the vast ocean. Tired from all the hiking we decided to stroll around Bar Harbor and get some ice cream. Now we’re back at camp getting ready to cook another dinner and get warm for the night.
Favorite Granola Recipe / Camp Snack
1 cup Shredded Coconut
1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 cup Raw Walnut Pieces
1/4 cup Premium Shelled Sunflower Seeds
2 Tbsp Hulled Hemp Seed
2 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal
1 Tbsp Blue Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp liquified Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients from coconut to flaxseed, and mix gently until evenly distributed
In a separate, small bowl, combine agave nectar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until well-combined
Pour the liquid ingredients over the coconut mixture, and mix very gently until well-combined
Spread the granola onto the cookie sheet in an even layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt across the surface of the granola.
Bake for 5 minutes. Stir, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until a golden color is reached. Be careful not to burn!
