We have wanderlust, that is true. But this Peachey couple has one member who is directionally challenged and one that is shy about asking for directions. Oh. I was confused for just a moment. They are one and the same. Picnic lunch ready, we found parking in Acadia and were thrilled to find out that we chose the one day OF THE YEAR that there were no park fees in Acadia National Park! Because of the challenged person that is part of us, we took full use of the park busing intending to get to a good starting point of a hike with enough elevation to get some great views of the craggy shoreline with the knowledge that we are picnic hikers.
There are trail mix hikers that wear hiking shoes, know how to draw venom from snake bites, and find it exhilarating to reach the region’s highest possible summit. Picnic hikers want to see breathtaking views and bunny trail constantly and even stop to eat lunch whenever they think the view is picnic worthy. Hmmm. Sounds easy enough to find a great trail except there are 61 square miles and we had a day to get the biggest bang for our buck. Well, it was free so….yeah. Just our biggest bang for free.
A park ranger in the Acadia Gardens gave us a couple of great suggestions when I told him we were looking for a hike with coastal views and we hit Sand Beach (so named because there are few sand beaches in Maine) and found Great Head Trail.
Several weeks earlier my kids and I hiked to the top of Mt Tammany (part of Appalachian Trail with views of The Delaware Water Gap) on a hot July day and there were two great rewarding views–one about a third of the way to the summit and the summit. It was amazing to have constant beautiful views on the way to Great Head. It felt effortless and my companion asked me to pinch him. I did. He didn’t feel it though it made me wonder how much of our life’s pain would be almost unnoticeable if our perspective was constantly focused on the good and the beautiful.
Behind me on the left is Bubble Mountain. That hike would be for the trail mix hikers. The mountain on the right is Cadillac Mountain. It’s a mountain that’s closed to hikers in the spring due to nesting of Paragrine falcons. Obviously, I have kids and those kids watch Wild Kratts. All parents of Wild Kratts watching kids know that paragrine falcons are endangered and have some of the coolest creature powers ever!
We are….Picnic Hikers! To be fair, I had an organic fruit and nut super snack. To be honest, I feel like balance is important and had a Reese’s after that.
I was getting a great tour guide lesson on the loon’s diving and feeding habits from the hubs as we watched one bird dive and eat a fish whole. It was a little while later that another hiker told us that the cormorants–not loons–loved this fishing spot. I didn’t make a big deal about the bird confusion. It wasn’t like he thought it was a turkey or something. The native pointed out seals and two sharks circling in the waters below and were glad we weren’t among the beach swimmers. We aren’t guided-tour types. It was incredible to see so much wildlife all from our little picnic spot on the rocks.
Sand Beach view on our descent off the rocks. Whether you are a serious or not-so-serious hiker, Great Head Trail views are so gorgeous, I’m not sure you’d even feel a snake bite.
I quietly opened our cottage door to be shushed because of this bird prancing around the cottage woods. “Maybe a Maine turkey or something….” Oddly enough, the turkey looked a lot like a peacock without its fan feathers. I realized I want a pair of peacocks now.
The Chocolate Bomb was a sweet ending to a day of outrageous beauty, bird confusion, and the last sunset we spent at the lake house….
