Acadia National Park

Eagle Lake
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Our first full day at Acadia National Park. We got up early and headed to the Visitors Center to plan our day. We talked Ranger Michael at the Visitors Center and he gave us some ideas on trails to bike and hike. He also told us what trail not to go on. We will have to have a chat with Ranger Michael More about that later! More things that can be done in a single day, that’s why we are hear for a week!

We started with our bikes – a 5.8 mile loop on the carriage road around Eagle Lake. We started at the south end of the lake parking the RV in the parking lot at Bubble Pond. Don’t tell the ranger, but there was no RV parking! Since it appears as if the tourist season doesn’t start until June 15 we decided to take our chances and wing it.

Pemetic Mountain - A nice easy Climb!
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The first half of the trail was fairly uneventful – fairly flat around the lake. We stopped at the north end of the lake where there is a small dam. On the way back down the west side of the lake, it started as a slight incline, then got a little steeper, then a little steeper … for about 2 miles. When we got to the top we were all a little tired, so we stopped for break and some Grandma mix. Once we started again we went for about 100 yards and then hit the downhill! R/ was on the trailer back behind Dad, every time I asked her how she was doing she would response with a resounding - “PERFECT – can you go faster!” Remembering that stress test I had last year – NO! Mom later told me that R/ was riding side saddle for a good portion of the ride – so much for helping peddle!

We did her in - Day 1
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We finished up the ride in OK shape, got back to the RV for some lunch . After lunch we got the bikes back and the rack and started on a “little” hike starting at Puddle Pond.

We started up the trail to Cadillac Mountain, after about 50 yards, we decided that this trail was going to be a bit to rugged – since it wasn’t in the book of easy to moderate trails, and we didn’t need a sprained ankle on the first day. Instead we started around Bubble Pond and found the Pemetic Mountain Trail. It started out innocent enough – but we should have figured that the since the name of the trail had mountain in it – it was going to be up a mountain, but being from New Jersey – Nah! Turns out the Pemetic Mountain trail went UP AND OVER the mountain. We were at Shenandoah National Park a few years ago and decided that the toughest hikes always lead to the best views. The Pemetic Mountain trail did not disappoint. We got to the top – on one side we could see Eagle Lake and the North coast of Acadia, the other side, we could see the open Atlantic Ocean. What a view!!! We told K/ about the time when we were on top of Ayers Rock in Australia at sunrise (rub, rub Uncle Bill) trying to decide if we were on top of the world and invincible or insignificant. Sitting on the top of Pemetic Mountain we asked K/ the same question. She agreed with us – insignificant!

End of a first good day!
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Not to change physics, what goes up, must also go down – and the trail did indeed go down, and down and down. Very step rock covered caverns, with built in railing at one point, not to help make the trip down, but it was required. Very steep and very wet. I think the girls made it down better than Dad. At one point, I was quit uncomfortable trying to keep my own balance, not to mention helping the girls . Lets not do that again tomorrow. We decided that the National Park need to learn from the ski resorts and start labeling the trails – Green – Blue – and Black Diamond.

Eagle Lake
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All in all it was an enjoyable hike, we climbed up steep inclines, up over rock and ledges, for almost 2 miles. In hind sight it was probably not very smart to even attempt a hike like that with the four of us. Thank you Lord for watching over us – next time we’ll stick to trails in the book! (refer back to Mom’s comments earlier).

Less that 5 minutes back in the RV, R/ was gone! Man I am jealous!!

We got back to camp just as the sun was setting. Chicken, broccoli salad and CnJ pasta salad from the other night. K/ has been wanting smores, but since we haven’t official even checked into the campground, we haven’t been able to buy firewood yet. Instead of the fire we roasted the marsh mellows over the – you guessed it – the stove in the RV. The once konked R/ is now wired for the rest of the evening. I am off to take a shower – latter Mom!