2019 Big Truck Trip to Maine, Day 7

August 8, 2019

Bar Harbor, ME

Bar Harbor Campground

Site K-14

Day 7 started a bit slowly, with me sneaking outside to see how completely soaked we were (very), and the other inhabitants of the Big Truck barely stirred. I spent a little time outside updating this blog until I heard some stirring, then we started to put together a bit of a game plan.

This being our 2nd day at Acadia, and with it still being completely shrouded in fog, we decided we would do a bit of driving to explore the west side of the park, on the other side of Somes Sound. This is often referred to as the 'quiet' side of the island, as many tourists/visitors never go beyond the Park Loop road on the east side.

Our plan was to head down to Northeast Harbor, grab some lunch and come up with a hike or some alternatives depending on the weather.  We pass this little section of beach between our campground and the park entrance every morning and every night. This is low tide, which is crazy, because by 7pm tonight this whole beach will be covered with a few feet of water, all the way up to the rocks.

As we worked our way south toward Northeast Harbor (wrap your head around that one), we were skirting the eastern side of Somes Sound. This little roadside turnout taught us the difference between a Fjord and a Fjard, and also got us yelling 'Fyaaaaaard' for the rest of the day. And by us, I mean me.

Also, after seeing this picture, I believe that tree is the side profile of the Pearl Jam Alive guy trying to quiet a crowd. You be the judge.

We arrived in Northeast Harbor, and Kimberly had scouted a bakery/restaurant called the Colonel's. We decided to check it out, so we rolled down Main street, found a parking spot, and started to wander the shopping district. It's basically a one street district, with some small boutiques, a few galleries, and a museum.

Even though she looks like a startled shoplifter in this pic, I assure you they were just browsing.

Apparently someone at the Great Harbor Maritime Museum is an Assassin's Creed fan.

The downtown retail district isn't just one street, it's one side of one street.

If you find yourself anywhere near Northeast Harbor, go to the Colonel's Restaurant and Bakery, go straight to this rack, and buy whatever is on it. You will not be disappointed.

We had reviewed a few options for hikes, and since it was still sort of raining and quite foggy, we figured we would shoot for something relatively short, but still on the west side so it wouldn't be very busy. We settled on a trail that started at the base of Echo Lake called Beech Cliffs.

Now I must preface this with the fact that although I love trying crazy things, I also was concerned about our 11 year old daughter with a newfound fearlessness, so I was trying to balance something challenging with something relatively safe. Still not sure it was a successful choice. Especially after reading this description once we had completed the hike.

"For advanced hikers who aren’t afraid of heights, I suggest hiking up the Beech Cliffs Trail and descending the Canada Cliffs Trail. For hikers who do not like climbing ladders or standing close to cliff edges, hike up and down the Canada Cliffs Trail."

I will let these images speak for themselves, but given the wet conditions, I'm not sure I would have done it again with Jordan. She completely disagreed and loved it. Kimberly - well, her expression will say enough.

This is the first half of the trail, up to the lookout. With everything covered in fog, there really wasn't much to see.

After the summit overlook, things start to get much steeper in a hurry. The first ladder:

Not too sketchy, leads to a small series of steps and a narrow path along the base of a cliff.

Just to the right of the path it drops off pretty quickly. I imagine the views are pretty cool, although we just saw a blanket of white.

The next ladders:

These felt a little sketchier. Longer span, more exposed, but still solid.

 Once we reached the top, here was the spectacular view as a payoff.

Here is what it would have been without the fog.

Here is what your wife looks like when you drag her up a cliff with zero reward at the top.

Once we regrouped and congratulated each other on not slipping to our untimely demise, we decided on the Canada Cliffs trail back down.

This trail was a welcome relief, and we all enjoyed it. We enjoyed the Beech Cliffs trail as well, just probably not in these conditions. The hike back down went by quickly.

Once we reached the bottom, Kimberly was feeling especially rebellious (Hint - read the fine print). There is no taming her.

From Echo Lake, we drove around the rest of the island in a failed attempt to see the lighthouse at Bass Harbor - there was a line of at least 30 cars, and at this point we had no patience. I'm sure it's cool, but not today. We decided to head back to the main section of Acadia and check out Sand Beach.

Since it was a Thursday night with rain and fog, as well as being after 7pm, Sand Beach was not crowded at all. It was a very eerie scene, since we knew there was another end to the beach but you couldn't see anything in the fog.

Jordan joined a bunch of other kids running away from the waves, while we found another couple to snap a quick family photo. They did not make any disparaging comments about my hat, which was a welcome change. I strained to overhear them as they walked away, imagining "They seem like a nice family, but what the hell is that dude trying to pull off with that hat?"

We chose to head down the road to Thunder Hole (not to be confused with Blue Thunder or Thunder in Paradise), and found various spots on the rocks to watch the crashing waves.

Kimberly discovered a 'noir' setting on her phone camera, as deployed here. It does add a touch of class to my mullet, I must say.

The drive back to the campground was pretty quiet, as we had pretty much worn ourselves out. Any day on Mount Desert Island is a good day, but this one was exceptionally so.

Tomorrow - Schoodic Peninsula, an even less traveled portion of the park.