Acadia National Park

by Mike Graf

  The forest soon gave way to a more-open area on a granite dome called the South Bubble. There Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad stared down at Jordan Pond far below.

  Mom gazed at the picturesque body of water. “That’s an awfully big pond,” she said. “In California we’d call it a lake.”

  They continued on to Bubble Rock, the famous hanging erratic. Once they arrived, the Parkers examined the precariously perched, giant boulder.

  “I wonder how much longer it will stay up there,” Morgan mused. “It looks like you could just push it over.”

  “Gravity will certainly get it at some point,” Mom added. “But I wouldn’t want to be around here when it happens.”

  Across the way from Bubble Rock were the cliffs above Jordan Pond. And as it goes in Acadia, there was a trail up there, too. While overlooking Jordan Pond and snacking, James pointed to their next destination. “There’s what’s waiting!”

  Jordan Pond

  After hiking back, the family drove to nearby Jordan Pond. Once they found a parking spot in one of Acadia’s busiest areas, they waltzed past the teahouse, called Jordan Pond House. James licked his lips. “I can’t wait to come back here for treats!” he announced.

  The family left the hubbub behind and soon were on the Jordan Cliffs Trail.

  “Uh-oh!” Morgan called out a short distance later. She noticed a familiar sign along the trail. Morgan summarized it for her family: “Steep, exposed, and iron rungs.”

  Mom remained confident. “We’ll just see how it goes along the way.”

  While climbing through a rocky, rooty section of trail, the Parkers were serenaded by the constant chirping of birdsong.

  Dad tried to imitate some of the calls by whistling. After several attempts, he glanced at his family. “Not very good, am I?”

  “I didn’t say anything!” James replied, smirking.

  Soon the family’s climb led them to a series of cliff-side traverses across narrow granite ledges. “Stay close to the wall!” Mom said repeatedly.

  “And watch every step,” Dad added to their hiking mantra of the moment.

  At one point Dad stopped until everyone had gathered together. “Let’s take a little break here and enjoy the views.”

  The family stood and gazed out at Jordan Pond far below. “It’s like an inland fjord down there, a glacially sculpted valley filled in by water,” Dad said, admiring the scenery.

  Soon the Parkers were back hiking. They kept scrambling, climbing, and traversing. Then they arrived at a long, thin, downward-angled plank of wood with railings to hold onto.

  Dad stopped his family at the top of it. “It looks like we’re all going to have to walk the plank,” he said in his best pirate voice.

  Then Dad got serious. “Really, we’re going to need to go one at a time in here and slowly.”

  The family made it down, with Morgan and James having delighted looks on their faces all the way. Morgan said at the bottom, “Hiking in Acadia feels like being in an Indiana Jones movie.”

  “Or Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland,” Mom added.

  More catwalks and traverses awaited the family. “Hello, iron rungs!” James said at one point to the familiar trail obstacle.

  Eventually they passed through the major hurdles along the trail and began following blue-painted streaks on the rocks and cairns to the summit.

  Mom commented as they passed a particularly fanciful cairn, “These things each have a little style to them. They’re like art on the trail.”

  Dad added, “Acadia may have some of the best-constructed hiking trails of all the national parks we’ve been to.”

  Soon the Parkers arrived at the top of Penobscot Mountain. They celebrated by gathering together for pictures and having a light lunch.

  The family spent a few minutes soaking in the views. Cadillac Mountain was in one direction and nearby Sargent Mountain another. Far below was the Jordan Pond House.

  The Parkers made a loop trail out of their hike by taking the sloping trail down Penobscot. Later, when they arrived at the Jordan Pond House, they each got a Bar Harbor Bar from the gift shop and sat outside.

  “Pretty good!” James grinned after biting into a quickly melting bar and licking the ice cream off his lips.

  6

  Ridiculous, but Incredible!

  The next day, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad stepped off the Island Explorer Bus at the Precipice Trailhead. The Parkers approached the ominous warning sign at the base of the hike.

  “If you are afraid of heights, think twice before hiking this trail,” Morgan announced.

  “You climb 930 feet in less than a mile,” James added.

  Dad also read over and summarized, “This is a nontechnical climbing route, not a hiking trail.”

  Mom looked at everyone. “I know we’ve been talking constantly about this trail. And the hikes so far have been fantastic, fun, challenging, and adventurous. But, if any of us doesn’t want to go, we can turn around right now and no one will think the worse for it. It is a lot easier to turn back here than anywhere up there. What say you all?”

  The Parkers all agreed to go on. “But with one condition,” Dad said. “Mom and I will make certain we all go slowly and safely at each step.”

  Soon they all hoisted themselves up the first of what would be many metal rungs placed along the trail. “That,” Dad said, “wasn’t easy!”

  Immediately after, the family began climbing up a steep gully filled with giant boulders. Familiar blue marks painted on the rocks indicated the best path up. “Just take your time in here,” Mom reminded everyone.

  The haul up the boulders continued. At one point Mom paused to let everyone rest and gather together. “I think,” Mom said, then caught her breath, “this is our decision point. We either turn around here or make it all the way to the top.”

  “To the top!” James exclaimed, and everyone else agreed.

  Soon the Parkers passed a family coming down. “How was it?” Dad inquired.

  “Whatever you do, don’t come down this trail,” the mom answered. “There are several trails around the Precipice at the top. We made a bad decision coming this way.”

  Dad turned to his family. “Did you get that, everyone?”

  The long haul up the incredibly steep boulder field took the Parkers to more metal rungs and railings. “Ah, our old friends,” Dad joked.

  •••

  The Parkers’ ascent now was over a series of highly exposed sections. Morgan remarked, “I can sure see where this trail got its name.”

  Dad decided to coach from the back. “Use three points of contact, everyone. Make sure you’ve got the grip you need before going on.” He stood directly behind Morgan and James, spotting them if needed. But once again, the Parkers passed through the latest obstacle.

  At each new challenge, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad used what they learned from their recent rock climbing in the Tetons.

  “I just mantled over that boulder,” James said.

  “I’m using an under-cling to get up this rock,” Mom called out.

  Dad announced, “I’m going to chimney up that crevasse.”

  Finally Morgan said from near the top of another steep pitch, “I’m stemming over here.”

  But when Morgan hoisted herself over the latest section of vertical ascents, she looked up and said, “Oh, there are plenty more of these above.”

  “You can’t say we weren’t properly warned at the start,” Mom said, wiping sweat off her forehead.

  Dad again spotted for Morgan and James on another ladder with handholds. He said, “This trail kind of reminds me of Angels Landing in Zion and Half Dome in Yosemite. I can’t say which of the three is the most difficult, but the Precipice sure is a supreme challenge.”

  The Parkers kept on. They reached a section Mom named the “Ridiculous Traverse.” “There’s a huge drop-off at this ledge,” she described while staying as far away from it as she could. Mom looked in the direction of the cliff. “I
don’t want to even think about it.”

  But she carefully guided Morgan and James across.

  Dad, at the back, said, “My hands are sweating and my life depends on my grip. I wish we had some climbing chalk.”

  The climb continued, with small sections of flatter rock for breaks in between. The Parkers made it to another such place when they came upon a Ridge Runner sitting next to a man. The uniformed trail patrol person said to the man, “Just take some deep breaths. It’s OK. We’ll just sit right here for a while.”

  When Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad were all on the same ledge as the man, they took advantage of the brief respite on the rocks. But they also didn’t want to crowd the situation.

  The man was now shaking while saying repeatedly, “I just don’t want to be up here anymore.”

  Mom whispered to the Ridge Runner, “Is there anything we can do?” The Ridge Runner shook his head. “No. I’ve got food and water and a radio,” he replied. “We’re going to just hang out for a few minutes and go from there.”

  The last thing the Parkers heard the man say when they climbed on was, “I should have paid more attention to those signs at the start.”

  “More ledges, climbs, and traverses,” Dad called out from the back. Then he added, “This is the hardest, longest nine-tenths of a mile that I’ve ever done.”

  Another cliff-hanger traverse greeted the Parkers. “This one is even crazier!” Mom said while cautiously making sure her family crossed it.

  “If you need my hand, kids, I’m right here.” Mom held out her arm, but the twins made it through without help.

  Once the Parkers passed the obstacle, they reached an area where the trail clearly wasn’t as steep. Mom looked up and cried out, “I see the summit ahead!”

  Soon they were back on a more secure trail, and they passed a sign warning hikers not to go down the Precipice. “We already know about that,” James said.

  The family followed the blue lines to the summit of 1,058-foot Champlain Mountain. There Morgan gathered her weary but exhilarated family together and said, “Smile, everyone!” Then she snapped several photos.

  From Champlain Mountain, the Parkers took the long, slow downhill trail toward the Bowl again. Along the way James called out, “You can see Cadillac Mountain over there!”

  Somewhere on the descent, Morgan noticed tiny fruit growing among the low-lying shrubs. “Blueberries!” she exclaimed.

  The Parkers indulged, hiked on, and ate some more. Dad mentioned casually while nibbling on a tiny sweet blueberry, “The Precipice, that was nothing,” he laughed. “Bring it on!” Then he looked at his surprised family. “I was just kidding!”

  Mom said seriously, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime trail, that’s for sure. Morgan and James, you both were amazing on it. ”

  Eventually the Parkers made it to the Bowl and then Gorham Mountain and finally down to the Ocean Path. There they took the mostly flat trail to Thunder Hole.

  Unfortunately, the famous shoreline chasm was just gurgling and sloshing with each gentle, lapping wave.

  “Oh well,” Morgan said. “You can’t always get what you want.”

  After the hike and the brief time at Thunder Hole, the Parkers caught the next bus back to their campsite at Blackwoods.

  Calm water in Thunder Hole

  7

  We Made a Beach!

  In the bright early-morning light, the Parkers hurried down the stairs at Sand Beach. They were a little late for the Super Sand Sleuths program. Morgan and James joined the group on the beach, while Mom and Dad stood behind and watched.

  Ranger Lisa said to the twelve or so students, “The sand here is surprisingly complex. I want all of you to take a scoop of it and put it into these little magnifying containers. Examine the sand, noticing color, texture, and whatever other details you can find.”

  Morgan and James each took a magnifier. James scooped up some sand and began studying it. “There are green and red flakes,” he announced.

  “And yellow, white, and brown,” Morgan added.

  A moment later Lisa said to the group, “The colors come mostly from the crushed shells of sea creatures. That’s what’s really making the sand. And the waves are doing all the work.”

  Lisa next had everyone stand in a straight line on the sand. “We’re going to be waves,” she informed them, “and crush the shells just like waves do. First, everybody, let’s jump up and down at least ten times.”

  All the kids jumped a bunch of times on the sand. Lisa stopped them and said, “You were just crushing the sand, exactly like waves do. If you did that all day long and for years, you might have a similar impact as the waves—they never stop. Imagine how fine the sand would become!”

  Lisa went on. “Let’s imagine I’m Old Soaker Island out there.” The ranger pointed to the small rocky island visible from the beach. “Waves hit it all the time. So we’ll pretend you are the waves.” Lisa moved a distance away from the group. “And over here near me is the island. When I say ‘wave,’ run toward me. When I say ‘rocks,’ stop—you’ll be crashing into the rocks around the island.”

  “OK, wave!”

  All the kids ran quickly ahead.

  “Rocks!”

  Everyone stopped, pretending they were waves smashing into Old Soaker Island.

  Lisa gathered everyone around. “Waves not only hit the island, helping to erode the rocks, but they bring something with them. And I am going to show you what it is.”

  The ranger held up a black rectangular-shaped piece of cloth netting. “Follow me,” she said to the group.

  Lisa walked toward the small waves crashing on the shore. “I need a few volunteers to help me out. But don’t worry, you will all get a chance.”

  A group of three children came up. Each held a corner of the cloth with Lisa, and they marched toward the water and dipped the cloth down so that a small wave crashed onto it. “Now, lift!” Lisa directed.

  They lifted the netting; there was a bunch of sand in it.

  After all the kids took a turn, Lisa explained, “When waves batter shells into rocks and rocky shorelines like we have here in Maine, they break down the shells into sand. We call that ‘erosion.’ The suspended sand is now in the water and eventually gets dumped onto beaches like this. We call that process ‘deposition.’”

  “Here, let me show you some more.” Lisa took a large, clear plastic jug already nearly full with seawater. She very gently scooped in several cups of sand, showing the group two distinct layers, sand at the bottom and water on top.

  “Now the waves are coming!” Lisa exclaimed. She shook the jug several times, and everyone saw the cloudy, sandy water inside.

  “Yep. That’s what you are swimming in here at Sand Beach, sandy water!” Lisa informed the group. “That’s one of the reasons we have showers up at the parking lot. But that’s if you choose to swim at all. The water temperature right now is about fifty-seven degrees.”

  “OK,” Lisa said. “We have one last thing to do.”

  The ranger led everyone to the back of the beach, where she had shovels waiting. “Let’s find out what’s under the sand here. Take a shovel, everyone. Find a safe spot away from others and start digging.”

  All the kids did so. But they didn’t dig for long. Within a few moments several started calling out, “There are rocks down there!”

  Morgan and James quickly hit bottom, too.

  Lisa gathered the shovels and gave one last bit of information. “Sand Beach wasn’t completely like this until recently. In fact, it was an April, Patriot’s Day storm in 2007 that deposited a great deal of this sand that we are standing on. Until then, it was quite a bit rockier.”

  The ranger added, “Given that information, who knows what this beach will look like the next time you are here! We might even have to relocate this program,” she laughed.

  Lisa looked at the group and said, “Thank you all for coming to Super Sand Sleuths. You were a great class!”

  Everyone
clapped and said good-bye to the ranger.

  After the program, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad waded in the water at the fluctuating shore. “It’s cold!” Dad exclaimed.

  The Parkers spent a few more minutes at Sand Beach. Then they walked the Ocean Path up toward Thunder Hole. Instead of going directly to their car, Morgan and James persuaded their parents to return to Thunder Hole. “Maybe the waves are bigger now,” James said.

  “Look at the crowds,” Morgan added. “Something must be going on.”

  Thunder Hole boomed below, and the Parkers knew this time they were there at the right time. They scurried down the stairs and found a spot along the rails where they, too, could watch the chasm.

  In a moment the water in the ocean gully quickly sucked out to sea, draining the chasm to a much lower level. Collectively all the onlookers took a deep breath and watched a large swell funnel into the tight passage. It crashed into the chasm and boomed against the rocks inside the hole. Then a showering curtain of cascading ocean water pummeled and sloshed about the rocks before draining off.

  “Whoo-hoo!” James called out. “Way to go, Thunder Hole!”

  The Parkers watched four more large waves careen into Thunder Hole before Mom said, “We better go if we want to catch what’s next.”

  They scrambled to their car and drove to the west side of the park at Echo Lake. There they caught the last minutes of the Peregrine Watch on the beach. A ranger pointed out the nesting pair of peregrines on the cliffs above Echo Lake.

  Peregrines Are Back!

  * * *

  For centuries peregrine falcons hunted across all of North America. Using their sharp talons, these predators dove at prey at speeds of over one hundred miles per hour!