We spent last weekend at Acadia National Park in Maine and boy was it cold. Andy and I have never been tent camping together, but wanting to keep the costs low, we decided to give it a try. We packed as best we could and took off for a long weekend.
The drive was about 6 hours one way to Seawall Campground. Like most places you travel, we inevitably needed more time, but we did what we could. We fit in a sunrise, a hike, lunch with friends, sunsets and some down time by the fire. We even coincidently ended up eating lunch at a Sri Lankan restaurant. Sri Lanka is one of our absolute favorite places (we honeymooned there), so it was only fitting that we incorporated a bit of Sri Lankan reminiscing, and Lion lager, into our anniversary weekend.
Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain
We thought Cadillac mountain might not be that crowded, given the temperature was a staggering 34 degrees and that was not including the wind factor, but is was. From October to March, Cadillac Mountain is the first place for the sun to peek through in the United States.
We drove to the summit for about 5:45am, just as the sky was beginning to brighten. There is an option to hike, it’s a 7.5 mile loop. Although I am unsure of hiking at night personally, I’m sure it’s an experience that is well worth it, or so I’ve been told.
If you go in the Fall, bring a blanket (or five) and watch the sky illuminate with the first rays of sun. Or go super early and get a spot in the front to watch from your car ;)
Hiking the Precipice Trail
The Precipice Trail was definitely one of the more challenging hikes I have done. It got my palms a little sweaty (completely vertical climbing, meh) but the views during the entirety of the hike were well worth it.
We met up with some friends and hiked roundtrip, about 3.5 hours. The weather was perfect and the sky was clear. The foliage hadn’t changed as much as I had hoped, but it was still beautiful.
Camping Eats.
I must admit food did not exactly go our way, or at least as I had planned. We had planned to cook over the fire because we did not have a portable gas cooktop and didn’t want to buy one. The factor I did not consider was cooking on the fire meant being at the campsite. So we ate out for breakfast and lunch on Saturday and cooked over the fire Friday and Saturday night. Cooking over the fire was still just as relaxing as I had imagined though. Our menu consisted of…
BBQ Jackfruit (Recipe from Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking)
Beyond Burgers
Beets, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, onions wrapped in foil and seasoned with spices
Vegan ‘meat’ is getting pretty popular and although we don’t often eat a ton of ‘meat-replacement’, the ease of preparation made cooking a lot easier. And Beyond Burgers are really good, in my opinion. And of course some s’mores with Justine’s PB cups as the base.
We also brought our Berkey water filter, which ended up saving us from having to buy any water at all. Less plastic and less money.
Overall, it was a weekend that went by too fast. We spent a lot of time in the car singing Jon Bellion and hours staring up at the stars. I love seeing new places and rejoicing in the ‘simple’ things. Weekends like this can feel busy and rushed at times, trying to squeeze so much in the few days before Monday hits, but memories and experience are all we will ever really own. So why not make as many as we can, while we can.
Maine, you were wonderful, but next time I see you will probably be in the summer.