As I lugged my belongings across the river from Fenway House to MIT, from where we would depart, I felt rather unprepared for the 80 degree weather in Cambridge. I was wearing jeans and a sweater and had packed for the forecasted 50-60 degree, rainy/cloudy weather that was forecasted for the weekend. While it was cloudy, we didn't encounter rain until making to the Portland area. Visibility was low in some of these rain bursts. During one of these bursts, the driver suddenly realized that there was only one bar of gas left. We had not heard any warnings and hoped to make it to the next exit. The car sputtered and slowed down to close to 20 miles an hour. We wouldn't make it to the gas station three miles down and decided to pull over.
We contemplated Enterprise roadside assistance, but decided that our best roadside assistants would be our MITOC friends. Luckily, another car was a few minutes behind us and brought us the last canister of gas from the gas station. This was a lesson in checking your gas, not putting your foot to the gas too hard, not renting an SUV, and figuring out the safety mechanisms on the gas canisters.
Thankfully, we made it to Acadia safely. Somehow, the skies were clear enough for us to see the stars. I'm pretty sure the last time I saw stars was when I was three years old. Here in Acadia, however, I could see many more stars, including the Big Dipper and other constellations that I couldn't identify. The sereneness I felt staring up at the stars was the start of the connectedness I felt to nature while on this trip.
The next morning, we decided to hit the rocky, exposed paths of Beehive Trail before the rain caught up to us. While the fog blocked the views, it certainly made climbing up the narrow rocks less scary. It was not too physically challenging, so I'll probably come back when the weather is nicer.
Ladder rungs on Beehive Trail
Cool plank walkway! Idyllic forest!
Picturesque foggy pond (The Bowl)
Near Beehive Trail was Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. Nicole and I and others (Ivan, Liane, Geoffrey, Vasiliy, ... ) got bored of the nice Ocean Path so we had a fun time on the rocks in between Sand Beech and Thunder Hole.
We headed back to camp for lunch with the plans to go kayaking afterwards. The kayaking place was closed so we decided to hike around Jordan Pond and the Bubbles. We probably waited too long at the campsite because it grew too rainy and windy for us to finish the hike.
We headed to Bar Harbor Lobster Co. for some lobster rolls. Brioche bun, buttered lobster, light drizzle of garlic mayo with a side of clam chowder. The meat wasn't as succulent as the lobster I had at Portland Lobster Co., but I liked the simplicity. The waiter also insisted that we try the Maine blueberry pie. The filling was a bit sweet, but the crust was beautiful. It was thin but sturdy, crunchy and filled with little air pockets. I couldn't taste much butter flavor, so I imagine it was some other fat. The cinnamon also added aromatic interest.
When we got back to campus, I was ready to dry off the fire. As I stood by the fire, I thought there was smoke coming off my pants but it was really the evaporation of my water-soaked jeans. The billows of steam coming off my butt was good campfire entertainment. At the campfire, I was also introduced to S'm-oreos, where the graham cracker in the s'more is replaced with an oreo cookie. It was great since the oreo was sturdy enough to withstand the squishing and the biting. Would definitely recommend.
Shoes drying by the fire
I'm so glad for the tarp that Latane and Taylor put over our tents so I that could sleep in dry clothes without worry of the rain pouring into the tent.
The next morning, most people decided to wait out the rain and leave for hikes a bit later (around 10am which is late for hiking). We climbed two peaks, Penobscot and Sergeant. We had the first good views of the weekend as the clouds cleared. The downhill of Sergeant was pretty memorable for me. I basically climbed / slid down steep rocks, as water streamed down either next to me or under my feet. It felt like I was a part of the quintessential mountain stream.
Rocky New England terrain
Top of Penabscot
On Sargeant
We made it back just in time for the famous tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant. Blueberry black tea, warm popovers, lots of butter for a hungry stomach, and strawberry jam.
Together with a piece of bread, this was good sustenance for kayaking on Long Pond. Gillian and I decided to get a tandem kayak. Unfortunately, the kayak was defective as it spun around both when we were still and while were paddling. It didn't matter whether Gillian and I were synchronized or anti-synchronized. When we decided to finally head back to shore, it took some heavy course correction and some good humor before we could switch out our kayak. With the second kayak, we had to do a lot less course correction and could enjoy the tranquility in the middle of the pond.
Back at the campsite, it was amusing to watch Latane and Taylor cook shakshuka and grill eggplant over the campfire as I munched on a tuna sandwich. Next level campfire cooking!
The next morning I walked to Bass Harbor Lighthouse for some magnificent ocean views while people were either still sleeping or packing up. After leaving the campsite, we headed to Southwest Harbor, a cute town that we passed often throughout the weekend. I got a sticky bun and blueberry hand pie from Little Notch Bakery. The sticky bun was awesome! It was springy, chewy, and pillowy, even though it was laminated. (I wonder if they simply brushed butter between the layers!) The outside was coated in sugar and the outside had some cinnamon. I preferred the parts without cinnamon because then I could really enjoy the aroma of the bread itself. The blueberry pie was solid, with a good sturdy and flaky butter crust.
Blueberry Pie
Then, we went for a short hike on Beech Cliff Trail. Great view to work ratio! It definitely provided a different perspective on Acadia.
***get photos
On the way back to Boston, we took a pit stop from Boston, where we passed a hippie neighborhood (East Bayside) and get food at Banh Appetit. Note for future trips, Eventide Oysters have easily accessible bathrooms ;)
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