Sunrise Hikes and Ocean Breezes in ANP

"The early worm gets the worm." - Michael Scott

After getting back from Bar Harbor the previous night, the sun quickly set. In the woods, things get dark fast. With headlamps on, we did our best to get Acadia down for bed while also packing up our backpacks for a morning sunrise hike.

Success on all fronts and our alarm was set for 4:15 a.m.

Cadillac Mountain is the place in the United States where you can see the earliest sunrise. Put that together with an easy access road and large parking lot, and you can start to picture in your mind how popular seeing the sun crest over the water will be.

Sunrise was set for just past 5:50 a.m, but we wanted to get there earlier. We'd want to meet Lou, Emily, and Emily's dad, Rick, by 4:45 a.m. outside the entrance to Blackwoods Campground. They'd leave their car there while we crammed into the Vue and drove 20 minutes to the Cadillac Mountain parking area.

If we could have fallen asleep right when we wanted to, we would have ended up with about seven or eight hours of sleep. But that didn't happen.

A pair of girls rolled into the neighboring campsite late, left their car running and headlights on full beam while they set up camp. They also had industrial-style floodlight flashlights that they would shine into all neighboring campsites. Add that to the fact that they lit a tiki torch (a big no-no in a National Park) and leaned it on a rock (it wasn't even staked into the ground!). Despite getting in late and staying up past "quiet hours," the girls talked excessively loud. Sound travels in these close campsites. They had no filter.

Needless to say, Cara and I spent most of the first few hours of "sleep" complaining to each other as well as speaking to them directly before reporting them to a ranger when the tiki torch was precariously rested on a rock.

In the end, the tiki torch was confiscated and they were issued a citation. They still stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m., talking with an incredibly high volume.

How can people go through life with such little self-awareness?

Fortunately for us, Acadia slept through it all, and we did eventually get some sleep. But by 4 a.m., alarms began sounding throughout the campground. We weren't the only ones with the idea to see a sunrise on Cadillac Mountain.

All things considered, especially given the fact that we were next to the winners of the Worst Camping Neighbors Award, we got up, got the Vue ready, and met the other members of our party at right around 4:45 a.m.

A crammed vehicle and 20 minutes later, we arrived at Cadillac Mountain to this breathtaking view about 30 minutes before the sun would peek over the horizon:

The main parking lot was full, so I dropped off Cara, Acadia, and the rest of our hiking party. From there, I drove about a quarter-of-a-mile to the Blue Hill Overlook parking area and ran up to meet them.

We all snagged some gorgeous sunrise pictures. The mix of calming colors that so seamlessly blended together put a calming mood over everybody, especially for Cara and I, who had a pretty rough night thanks to those neighbors of ours.

It was both windy and cool up on Cadillac Mountain - definitely chilly enough to wake you up if you were still feeling groggy from the 4:15 a.m. wakeup call.

Obviously, those photos aren't going to give you the full feeling of seeing these colors spread panoramically around Mount Desert Island, but they should give you an authentic look into how popular a sunrise on Cadillac Mountain is.

After a quick backlit family picture, we were off to the Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail near the restrooms and gift shop. I had to run back and forth to the Vue a few times. (I guess getting little sleep doesn't keep you the most alert.)

Anyways, with the sun having fully moved past the horizon, it was time to pack up Acadia and begin our descent back to Blackwoods Campground.

Despite having woken up early, Acadia sure was pumped to be placed in her hiking backpack.

Depending on what site you check, descending Cadillac Mountain on the South Ridge Trail is somewhere between three and four miles.

The hike is broken up into two distinct surroundings. The first is mostly open granite and occasional trees that somehow survive through the cracks in the granite.

The sun, the weather, and the wind made for a perfect combination to hike.

Everybody was enjoying an invigorating hike down the mountain. Some of us were even getting a little dozy.

Even with the occasional slightly more forested feel to the hike, it doesn't last too long early in the trail as it will eventually open back up onto large granite sheets. 

One of the best parts about this hike, aside from the stunning views of rock mixed with green mixed with blue was the lack of other hikers.

Despite being arguably the most popular mountain in Acadia National Park, we saw only two other hikers on the trail up until the final quarter to half a mile. In essence, and it felt like this at times, we had Cadillac Mountain all to ourselves.

We'd make short stops here and there to get some water and rest our legs, but we didn't run into any issues. Lily loved her hike. I can't even imagine how she must have felt after having spent more than 11 hours in the car. Judging by how exhausted she was later on this day, it's safe to say she enjoyed every bit of hiking down Cadillac Mountain - just like everybody else.

Acadia would go through bursts of 20-minute naps followed by being up for 20 minutes laughing, blowing raspberries, and soaking in the beauty of a park that she was named after.

For much of the first part of this hike, like I said above, you are out in the open on sheets of pink granite. The general lack of trees means the cool ocean breeze would surround and refresh you.

But as you descend further down the mountain and begin to approach the Blackwoods Campground, the hike becomes more wooded.

While there is still granite, it's more in the form of rocks scattered on the ground large, immovable boulders.

It's incredible to think that thousands of years ago, as glaciers receded, these boulders were being moved around with such ease. The power behind those glaciers isn't anything that I can comprehend.

Once in the wooded, final portion of this hike, the wind coming from the water is no longer present. If it weren't for the shade of the towering trees, it'd be quite warm.

After reaching the trailhead across from Blackwoods Campground right around 9 a.m., Cara took Acadia and Lily back to the campsite, while I got in the car with Lou, Emily, and Rick. Twenty minutes later, I was at the Vue. I made a quick stop in the gift shop to get a couple things and headed back to camp.

Despite it only being 10 a.m., it felt much, much later. Cara and I were in a mix of wanting to take a nap and maybe eat lunch or dinner.

On the way back to Cadillac Mountain to get the Vue, we drove through Bar Harbor. In the main central park, there were 10x10 tents all around. There was a local craft fair taking place.

Lou, Emily, and Rick said they were going to head into Bar Harbor to check things out, eat some food, and take a nap.

It took us a little bit of time to get our energy back after a 6 a.m. hike, but we also headed into Bar Harbor around 1 p.m. We had a feeling this would be our last trip into the main town as it was becoming the height of Labor Day Weekend, and the town was crowded.

Still, we checked out some more shops, bought a few things for Acadia and ourselves, and then browsed the craft show. We ended up buying a decorative wooden mixing spoon from The Burnt Porcupine. No photos of the spoon from today, but it did become one of Acadia's favorite things to hold and play with. You'll see it in the next post.

After meeting back up with Lou, Emily, and Rick, they were off to Atlantic Brewing Company's main tour facility. While that didn't sound too bad, Cara and I were feeling more like checking out the park. We said our goodbyes and planned to keep in touch in case we wanted to do another hike the next day.

We planned to take Park Loop Road throughout the park and stop here and there. But before we did that, we needed to make another stop in Bar Harbor.

We went to another favorite of ours, Side Street Cafe, for a drink and appetizer - a brief happy hour if you will.

They are dog-friendly on the patio, but with a few other dogs out there and Lily a bit overtired, we didn't stay long.

Once back at our vehicle, we meandered our way onto Park Loop Road, passed Precipice Trail, passed Beehive Trail, passed Sand Beach, and then started looking for parking. It was packed and crowded, but we did eventually find a spot to park.

After getting Acadia and Lily situated, we walked across Park Loop Road and onto the Ocean Path Trail.

Everybody was feeling good. A cool temperature, low humidity, an ocean breeze, and spectacular views put aside any feelings of grogginess that lingered from such an early start to the day.

I don't think we walked more than 50 feet on the Ocean Path Trail before finding an opening that takes you to a mini-opening of granite that provides a closer look at the bay and Schoodic Peninsula.

We enjoyed just sitting back and relaxing while you could hear the waves crashing on the sharp edges of the granite below.

Once another group of people had similar ideas as us and found our opening, Cara and I decided it was time to head back to camp. We made a quick stop at Thunder Hole and took a long way back, driving our way through the winding Park Loop Road to Blackwoods Campground.

By this time, it was 5 or 6 p.m., and we were feeling it.

Especially Lily, who barely moved from that spot until the next morning.

We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out and enjoying each other's company by the fire.

Acadia eventually got a bit too tired, so we walked her around the campground a bit until she fell asleep. And she ended up sleeping quite well that night, just like the rest of us.

We had rearranged our campsite to block out our noisy neighbors from the previous night. With no lights blaring into our tent and the Vue blocking out the sounds, everybody had a much-needed restful night of sleep.

Before heading to bed, we got in touch with Lou and Emily, who were planning to do a hike on their lung of the island. They wanted to do an Acadia Mountain and St. Sauveur Mountain loop in the late morning. We did some research, and it seemed doable, but we weren't sure if we could handle it all with a dog and baby on the backpack. We didn't commit officially but said we'd be in touch. Cara and I were still thinking of checking out Jordan Pond, although we did want to check out some hikes on the other side of the island.

At the time we fell asleep, we didn't know exactly what or where we'd end up. But by the time Sunday was over, it turned out to be one of the best hikes we've ever done in Acadia National Park.