Maine on my mind

I’ve got the coast of Maine on my mind lately and have recently booked another vacation cottage for a week this summer. It used to be the North Carolina beaches for us, but the heat and the sun bother my husband very much, so in 2007 we booked a trip to Maine to see if that would help.

And we fell in love with it.

We especially love Acadia National Park, which is on Mount Desert Island. We go early in the morning, packing lunch and drinks, and we hit the trails.

Three years ago, we were much more adventurous. I’m hoping that my husband doesn’t expect me to do any killer trails this year. In the photo above, that’s him standing in the middle of a ‘trail’ which is actually a series of rock and boulders that tumble down the mountain. You can tell where to go by following the blue markers.

This step trail is easy, and can be found at Sandy Beach.

This one, on the other hand, is not.

I don’t remember where this spot was, but I had a bad feeling about it as soon as I saw it. It seemed as though we had come to a blockage on the trail; it was nothing but boulders. But the arrows and circles show blue markers and we had to climb up the rock to stay on the trail.

Sometimes there are handy iron bars that enable you to pull yourself up.

Gulp.

But it’s all worth it when you get to the top and experience a euphoric satisfaction of having done something this worthwhile. And look at the incredible view!

These photos were taken with the little Sony Cybershot I used to have. It was my first digital camera.

Along the top, you follow the cairns, which mark the trail. I’ve circled them here to show you.

I just hope I can do it this time. I’ve been trying to build up my daily walking and am now up to twice what I was doing just a month ago.

Hiking like this is one thing that my husband and I enjoy doing together.

And I hope to be doing it with him for years to come.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .