Red Monkey Visits Acadia National Park

Last Sunday Maura, Jennifer and I set out on a short family adventure in the form of a camping trip to Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We left home before dawn, the car having been loaded with our gear the night before and we had the roads almost too ourselves as we made the trip to Acadia in very good time, arriving  before noon even though we took a slightly longer and slower route than we had originally planned and made a detour to purchase blueberries and maple syrup for the next day’s breakfast along the way.


On reaching the park we stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up a pass for the park loop road, necessary for camping, and a junior ranger activity book for Maura. From the Visitor’s Center we headed to the Blackwoods Campground where we would be staying until we had to head for home on Tuesday morning. We took a little time getting there, stopping at the base of the Precipice Trail in hopes of spotting the resident peregrine falcons (invisible in the clouds) and taking in Thunder Hole (not thundering but still scenic).

When we reached Blackwoods we checked in and set up camp. When the necessary chores had been done and we had eaten our lunch we took a short hike down to the top of the cliffs by the shore, and then along the road until we got to Little Hunter’s Beach, where we could climb down to the water. There we heard the sounds of the beach stones grinding together in the surf and searched tide pools to find crabs and periwinkles but no sea stars. Red Monkey, who was with us at Gettysburg in the spring, was with us again and we got his picture next to the small stream that flowed into the sea across the beach. While we were at Little Hunter’s Beach we were sprinkled with the only rain to fall on us while we were in Acadia.

Looking at tidepools

Back at camp we rested for awhile and then made our supper of split pea soup with bacon. Pea soup is a family favorite and it cooked as well on a camp stove as it would at home. After supper we walked to the campground’s amphitheater for the Sounds of Acadia, put on by Ranger Todd, with musical selections by his twin brother, or perhaps alter ego, Toad. We learned how to listen to the sounds of the natural world and heard the sounds of some common birds, frogs and mammals provided by Ranger Todd, with audience participation. For variety Toad (or was it Todd without his ranger hat) led the audience in singing "Rockin’ Robin" and his own song, "Happy Earth Day". The program was fun and informative and I wish we could have attended others but the trip was too short. After the show we returned to camp and had desert, Jennifer’s creation, a stew of peaches and blueberries with dumplings of pancake batter. It was delicious and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. When the dishes were done we went to bed. It had been a long day and we wanted to be well rested for what we had planned for Monday.

What we had planned was a hike up Cadillac Mountain by the South Ridge trail, which begins at Blackwoods Campground. Our intention was to hike up and take the bus back. After our breakfast of blueberry pancakes we set out on foot from camp. We enjoyed the hike up the 4½ mile trail through forests and up the barren mountain ridges to the summit. The trail was challenging without being overly difficult and once we were above the tree line the views were spectacular. We had perfect weather with bright sun and a cooling breeze. When we reached the summit we had climbed from nearly sea level to 1530 feet, the highest point on the island and on the coast.

Maura and Jennifer at the top

At the summit we enjoyed our lunch and the spectacular view in all directions. We got more pictures to document Red Monkey at the top. When we had had enough of the summit we started looking for the bus stop. It took us a few minutes to realize there isn’t one. There is a road to the summit and many people drive up Cadillac Mountain but the bus doesn’t go there. We’d made the mistake of assuming that it did and hadn’t looked at the bus schedule. Since we had no choice we walked down. We chose the North Ridge Trail. It is shorter than the South Ridge Trail we had come up and it ends at a bus stop. It was a good thing that it did because by the time we reached the bottom we were all exhausted. Despite the longer than planned hike we had all enjoyed it, even the hike down.

Red Monkey on the trail

After the bus ride home and a short rest we headed out again, this time by car to Seawall on the other side of the island to explore more tide pools in hopes of seeing the elusive sea star. We saw a great many mussels and legions of periwinkles but no sea stars which will have to wait for a future trip.

After our return to camp it was time to make a fire and dinner. We dined on macaroni and cheese (with hot dogs and summer squash added for some extra nutrition) and then enjoyed our fire. For desert we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores, without which no camping trip would be complete for Maura.

In the morning we broke camp and headed home. I had to work in the evening and there was a long way to go. The weekend was far too short but despite the busy pace it was fun and relaxing.

Purgatory Chasm and the Blackstone Canal

It’s been a rough summer with little to write about but last Friday it was time for Maura and I to have a father and daughter outing. When our original plan to visit the Boston Harbor Islands proved impractical so we settled on a trip to Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, Massachusetts with a possible side trip to the Blackstone Canal. When our morning chores were done we loaded our lunch and hiking gear in the car and hit the road. An hour and half later, after winding our way through the Massachusetts countryside and getting slightly lost (a necessary part of all of our long trips together) we arrived at last at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. After a brief stop to eat our lunch of salami and cheese sandwiches we made our way to the Chasm itself and began our first hike of the day.

Purgatory Chasm is a fascinating geological curiosity and also a fun scramble around, over, through and sometimes under rocks. Carved by glaciers in the last ice age the chasm resembles a seventy feet deep gorge without a stream at the bottom. Much of it is choked with boulders fallen from the granite walls making it a rugged and challenging hike. The boulder piles create talus caves and narrow crevices that can be explored by the adventurous and young and the tumbled landscape is weird but beautiful though it is marred by trash and graffiti left by thoughtless visitors. Maura and I walked down the trail to the base of the chasm and then returned by a route that took us along the rim before cutting back into the chasm on the way to the top. Maura explored caves and both of us ventured though a crevice where I tried to show Maura how to chimney climb. She wasn’t willing to try it so I had to help her out of the crack but it was still fun for both of us.

Back at the top of Purgatory Chasm we took a short rest in the shade. We purchased treats at the ice cream truck that was parked there—an ice cream sandwich for me and an enormous ice pop for Maura. Both were thoroughly enjoyed. From there we headed to our next destination, the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, on our way home. We stopped at the visitor center at River Bend Farm for awhile. While we were there I took in the historical information about the region, the canal and the industrial revolution in the Blackstone Valley. Maura was a bit tired and not much interested in history for the moment, though she often is. After the museum we took a short hike on the tow path, between the old canal and the Blackstone River itself. The walk was pleasant and mostly flat and Maura’s interest in history revived in the outside setting when we stopped to read the descriptions of what we saw in the interpretive guide I'd picked up on the way to the trail.

When our walk was over we headed home. Before we started driving the only unfortunate event of the day occurred. I tried to call Jennifer and found my phone dead. I’d considered stopping for dinner on the way but unable to contact Jennifer I decided we should head straight home. We took a slightly longer route to avoid traffic at rush hour and arrived home at 6:30. Jennifer had not eaten dinner either so we all went out for a meal together to close out the day.