2 Cats and 2 Peaks

Like clockwork (and much to the chagrin of Brother #3), Mom and I woke up at 6am eager to get our vacation rolling. By 6:30am, we were feeling decidedly less chipper as we hauled Brother #3 out of one bed only to find him sinking into another as soon as we turned our backs. By 7am, we were positively dying to run across the street to eat breakfast at "2 Cats" (which turned out to be inside a cheery inn).



2 Cats, Downtown Bar Harbor



Finally (read: 7:15am) we got Brother #3 in gear, took over a quaint corner table, and turned our attention to the menu. Still bleary-eyed, Brother #3 chose French toast and fresh fruit. Mom and I decided to split a 3 egg omelet.




Brother #3's French Toast and Fruit




My Mistake!


Aside: Two months ago, I would have been the one dragging my feet to go out to breakfast. For years, breakfast meant only one thing: a cup of Oat Squares cereal, 1% milk, and berries on top (pictured here). You'd think I had never heard of eggs, pancakes, or waffles. While pancakes and waffles are still too much like dessert-in-the-morning for me, I now look forward to ordering an omelet every once in awhile (especially if it's full of veggies and has salsa on top).

But when my breakfast order arrived this morning it was not what I had expected. My plate appeared, piled hile with hash browns (potatoes in the morning - AH) and an enormous homemade biscuit that dwarfed a very eggy looking omelet (as a recent egg convert, I don't like my eggs to taste like eggs). There wasn't a veggie to be seen. Brother #3 woke up enough to say you ordered a walnut, apple, and cheese omelet, of course there are no vegetables in it. Right.

I'm not very proud of my immediate reaction: This was a mistake! I want my Oat Squares. I can't eat this. Let's face it - I'm just simply NOT flexible. Going out to breakfast is the worst. This biscuit probably has 300 calories in it. I didn't even workout this morning. This omelet tastes LIKE EGG. I spied a Hannaford down the street...would anyone notice if I made an escape for the cereal aisle?




2 Cats, Escape Route



Don't worry - I didn't actually throw a temper tantrum (at least not out loud). I slowly managed to adjust. This is big, this is big! Although I didn't touch the hash browns, I ate 75% of the biscuit, all of the omelet, and a little bowl of fresh fruit.

About an hour into our hike, I wished I had eaten all of the biscuit and swiped a piece of French toast from Brother #3. After many wrong turns and family squabbles, our half-day hike up Sargent Mountain and Penobscot Mountain in Acadia National Park turned out to be (to our delight) appropriately labeled as "difficult".

Even the mid-morning hazy skies couldn't dull the views...crystal clear waters (freshwater immediately below and saltwater beyond that), dozens of little islands, and miles of green in every direction. We all agreed - it looked exactly the way we had pictured Maine three years ago when Mom and Dad announced unceremoniously that we would be moving here after my high school graduation. The chirping birds, the trickle of running water, and the total lack of other hikers on the trail only heightened our idyllic surroundings.


Our Hike, More or Less*


*We aren't quite sure what we did - although Mom and I have trusty internal alarms, we do not have equally dependable internal compasses.

I consider myself to be a reasonably fit person, but hiking never fails to bring me down a peg. Just because I can run 10 miles doesn't mean I can go out and hike the same distance. After the first steep stretch (and by steep I mean I had to use my upper body to help haul my sorry legs up), I worked up a sweaty sheen and had a nice calf burn going. While I loved being challenged and moving at a good clip, I didn't hesitate to stop and take pictures...and rest for a second and take a swig of water.

Some of my favorites of the day:



Jordan Pond




A Pretty Warm-Up At Water's Edge




The First Sign of the Ascent




Peak #1!




What's in the Pack? (2 waters, a camera, a cell phone, a raincoat, a bag lunch)




What Happens When Brother #3 Navigates




Swimming Hole Between Peaks




Good Photography?




Scenic!




Peak #2!




Bag Lunch, Lichen-Covered Rock




On the Way Down




Sandy Saltwater Beach