Bringing Up the Rear

So.

Biking is hard.

A mountain bike weighs a ton. A bike seat is not as padded as it appears. A slight incline on foot feels like a serious hill on a bike. A quick downshift (or three or four) doesn't make stinging quads magically disappear. An open mouth catches bugs. A downhill coast inevitably ends too soon. A rented bike is the way to go (that way you can drop it off and happily never see it again).

Bar Harbor Bike Shop

I don't think I've ever felt so out of shape in my life. Now I have some idea of how terrible it feels to be consistently bringing up the rear, to be chasing moving targets ahead that seem just out of reach.

My Instrument of Torture

In order to preserve some of my pride, I had to really move on the declines. As you may have guessed, I am totally a break-on-the-downhills type of girl. When we reached the summit on our 12 mile around the mountain loop, I slowly experimented with letting my momentum lead me down the twisting carriage roads. By the end of the ride, I was pedaling downhill at full speed. What a rush (for me, surges of bubbly laughter, silent weeee's, and a healthy dose of this is kind of scary but I don't want it stop)!

Carriage Roads, Acadia National Park

After a quick lunch and lemonade break, we decided to embark on a short but reputably outrageously steep hike called the Bee Hive. Standing at the foot of the climb, we could just barely make out a pair of hikers clinging to what can only be described as the face of a cliff (that appeared to be impossibly far away). Feeling slightly daunted but also buoyed by curiosity and determination, we started up.

The View from Below, Distorted

Of course, we got off trail once again. For three decently intelligent adults, you'd think we'd be able to pick a trail on a map and actually stay on it...wrong. Because we were constantly on the lookout for those little spray painted blue dots and searching for sturdy hand and foot holes, I hardly had time to panic about the possibility of a quick slip and a painful death.

We climbed hand over hand, used iron rungs to assist in particularly hazardous areas, and scaled sections that rattled even the most diehard hikers (let alone Mom and I, who are somewhat afraid of heights). Don't look down became a popular refrain.

Iron "Bridge"

Looking Back (Oops!)

Iron Rungs, Bee Hive Trail

Our efforts were rewarded with views of the Atlantic Ocean that were second to none. We left Acadia National Park feeling quite proud of ourselves and rather humbled as athletes. I can't wait to wash away all of the accumulated grit and grime and lace up my running shoes at home again! Maybe it's time I gave some thought to trail running...

Sand Beach from Above, Zoomed In

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