Mount Desert Island, home to Acadia National Park, is divided almost in half by a body of water named Somes Sound. The two halves are quite different. The northern and eastern half contains Bar Harbor, the biggest town on the island and a tourist mecca. It also encompasses Acadia’s Park Loop Road as well as some of the most iconic and visited parts of the park. Consequently, it also tends to be very, very busy. This is the “noisy side” of MDI.
The southern and western side of Somes Sound still contains a vast portion of Acadia, but it is far less visited (due to the lack of a true park loop on the west) and therefore the “quiet side” of the island. The portions of Acadia on the west are no less awe-inspiring than on the east, however, and there is tremendous hiking to be found. Parking is easier at trailheads and the trails typically do not get overcrowded. The town of Southwest Harbor here is quiet and quaint and lovely – everything Bar Harbor is not. And it is wonderful!
The west side is where The Cabin and The Cove are located. And if you know Karen and me, you know how much we love peace and quiet! This side just suits us so much better. We have decided to spend the leadup to as well as the holiday weekend on the “quiet side”. Leave the crowds far away.
We did, however, sneak into Bar Harbor earlier on Friday with three goals in mind – to hike out to and around Bar Island, to buy our favorite scented candles at Penelope, and to get ice cream at Ben and Bill’s. Then get out of Dodge before things got hairy! We succeeded, and escaped unscathed.
Bar Island sits in Frenchman’s Bay, which surrounds Bar Harbor. The island is accessible by foot twice each day during low tide. For about three hours during each low tide people can walk out to the island and explore. The walk out gets quite crowded, as it was when we visited. However, we found a little-known hike that circumnavigates the island, just above the rocky coast, and we took that route. It turned out to be beautiful and relaxing and offered wonderful views of Frenchman’s Bay. On the way back we even took a short hike up to the island’s summit and we passed by the field where Michael and Priyanki got engaged in June. Of course, the field of gorgeous lupine were not in bloom now, so the scene was somewhat less colorful. We followed Bar Island with ice cream at Ben and Bill’s (no lobster ice cream this year, though) and did our shopping. It was a fun time and we do not need to go back this trip!
On Saturday, we got up early and had coffee and breakfast by the cove, which is always a relaxing time. Since it was high tide, we took a spin out in the kayaks for about an hour. Wanting to do some hiking that did not necessarily involve a lot of vertical, we opted to try out the Hadlock Ponds loop. The hike was just about 4 miles and wandered around both Upper and Lower Hadlock Ponds. At the start of the hike, the forest floor was blanketed by the most insanely green moss I have ever seen. We found a perfect outcropping of rock where we sat in the shade and enjoyed lunch halfway through the hike. It ended up being a surprising find and one we will do again in the future.
We returned home (to The Cabin, that is) and enjoyed a happy hour drink at The Cove, watching the sunlight gradually fade. Time here is extraordinary. It seems improbable to sit here and not feel at ease. The place just does it to you. I shared with Karen that I truly began to appreciate the joy in just being at this place during our visit last year. Throwing my back out on the first morning of our two-week visit meant no hiking or kayaking. Instead, I learned to appreciate the slower pace and quiet serenity and all that comes along with those.
This morning we awoke to the first precipitation of the trip. Not much, but just enough to have slickened the trails we had planned to hike today. Trust me – neither of us is willing to risk an ankle or knee injury just to hike! Instead, we took the kayaks out under the cloudy skies and hoped yet again to see seals. Winds coming in off the sea blew far down the narrow cove, making out trip out quite an arm workout! The somewhat rough seas, pushing us back in toward the cove, made it a challenge to stay out beyond the moored boats to seal watch. In the end, we again saw no seals. But we still had fun!
We have decided to take the rest of today as a cabin day. Reading and needlepointing and relaxing and maybe even napping are what’s in store. I feel so fortunate to have this beautiful place to stay, and lucky to have a beautiful woman to share it with. All on the “quiet” side of MDI.
Like the t-shirts say – Life is Good.
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