Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

As we made our way to Acadia, I was excited for my first visit to Acadia National Park. It was everything I imagined it would be and more! The landscape was filled with vibrant shades of green. When we arrived at Acadia, we had our sights set on Dorr Moutain for a morning hike. My favorite part of my first full day in Maine was hiking Dorr Mountain with my roommates Candice and Kira. We were feeling adventurous and wanted to see an overview of the ocean. This just felt like the perfect way to start our day! When we reached the top I could not believe I was there. We paused to take photos and soak in the view. We were even able to see the sailboats from the top with Kira’s cool binoculars her dad let her borrow.

On the drive to Sand Beach, I caught sight of the Bee Cave Trail behind us, and it totally took me by surprise—it looked incredible. Although I decided to skip the hike and head straight to the beach instead. I wanted to wander and breathe in the salty air. This made me feel grounded. Macie and I found the most perfect log to sit on, and we talked while watching the waves crash against the rocks. It was peaceful, simple, and perfect. After the beach, we drove to Bar Harbor. The town was like something out of a storybook- it was charming, colorful, and full of personality. We strolled through several little shops, and after a few stops, I finally found the perfect hat I'd been looking for. A highlight of my day was visiting Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop, where I picked up a book and a magnet as little souvenirs from the day. After our purchases we headed to Grant Park and laid out on the grass. Candice and I did some cartwheels and then made our way down to the beach to skip rocks. These activities made my younger self feel very happy. As I looked out over the water, the sailboats drifting in the harbor, families and couples passing by, I felt completely full—in the best way. Full of memories, of gratitude, of love for this place and the people I shared it with.

Reconnecting with Nature in Our First Acadia Stop

Injured Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

My first morning in the KOA was surprisingly smooth, especially considering Mallory, Libby and I spent 30 minutes talking about how cold our cabin got and didn’t get ready until 7:30 a.m.. The van left a little after eight in the morning and The Wild Gardens of Acadia, where more than 300 different plants that reside in Acadia can be found in one place, was our first stop of the drive on Park Loop Road. While Libby, Mallory, Kate, Maci, Favour and I explored, we found a frog resting on a lily pad and captured some very nice photos of its colors matching the plants around it. After leaving the Wild Gardens of Acadia, a few of us decided to walk Jesup Path, a very calm trail leading to a beautiful pond. On the way to the end, our group stumbled upon an injured butterfly with a torn wing in the middle of the pathway. I didn’t want to injure it anymore than it had been already, so I took a dry leaf and attempted to get the butterfly onto it. Surprisingly, the butterfly was very willing to step on the leaf and I was able to move it carefully to safety on the side of the trail. While we kept walking, Libby called me to catch up with the group since we had separated a little bit before. We went back to the beginning of the trail to meet up with her, and then we finally walked all the way to the end of it. The view of the pond surrounded by mountains and greenery was immensely worth it and was definitely the highlight of the first stop. After taking some photos and videos, we walked back to the van to set off to our next destination.

The First Half of My First Day in Maine: Filled With Endless Adventures

Emma and I at Jesup Trail

Our first full day in Maine was jam-packed with many different activities. We had an early start to our day, leaving our cabins at 8 a.m. and driving to Park Loop Road, a 27-mile drive with spots to stop at. First, we stopped at the Sieur De Monts Spring in the Wild Gardens of Acadia section, which featured different kinds of plants and greenery that could be found around the park. I was able to explore beautiful flowers, plants and even a frog! Before we left Sieur De Monts Spring, we headed down Jesup Path, one of the many trails we could have picked to explore. This path opened up to the most beautiful pond, which I was not expecting at all, but it was absolutely breathtaking. We all took the opportunity to grab some content there before heading back to meet everyone in the van. Next, we drove to Sand Beach, which had a beach and different hikes we could explore. Libby, Kate, Favour, Emma and I decided to brave the Beehive Trail which was extremely strenuous but beautiful. The trail was entirely rocks and had some really steep points. We made it to the first look-out where we could take pictures, so we took advantage of that. We started to continue from there, but Emma, Favour, and I decided to climb back down as Libby and Kate continued on and finished the hike. Then, Emma, Favour and I walked down by the beach before we had to head back to the van. Following this, we drove to Bar Harbor and were given the opportunity to explore the area and the shops before we grabbed dinner.

Acadia Day 1

 Today was our first full day in Acadia National Park. The highlight of my day was our visit to Sand Beach--a little sandy cove nestled between two mountains off of Park Loop Road. We went around 11:30a.m. and it wasn't too busy yet. We set up our stuff on a cozy patch of sand and stretched out to enjoy the sunny afternoon. Candice shared her jacket with me that we used as a makeshift towel because we both forgot ours. 

I jumped in the water almost immediately, and it was frigid! I splashed about by myself, as my friends had forgotten their swimsuits that day, watching a little boy tumble in the waves. I was contemplating a full dunk and submerging my head underwater, when I spotted it. Something dark and round, floating in the water to my right. It looked like a rock poking out of the waves, but the only floating rock I knew of was the earth. Upon closer inspection, it was a beached seal floating in the waves, bobbing closer to the shore. I never got a glimpse of it's face, but it looked to be on the smaller side. I cautioned a different little boy to not touch it, and I retreated from the sea shortly after that.

In my natural element

After my cool-down in the ocean, I grabbed Candice and we explored the rocky outskirts of Sand Beach. The cliffs were high and jagged, and we scrambled up the sides of the rocks until we found a good place to perch. We talked about everything and nothing at the same time; we watched the waves lap against the shore, so far down below us. We examined the granite cliffs and picked out our favorite looking trees. We took some excellent photos and just took in the salty air, the sound of the waves, and the spray of the water that launched up from the shore. I fell in love with the sights and the sounds and the feeling of the sun on my skin at Sand Beach.

We decided that we were hungry and we made our way down to go sit with Jessica, who had just finished her watercolor painting and was basking in the sunlight. We unpacked our sandwiches, and I had eaten about half of mine when all of a sudden, a horrid shadow flew over me. A ginormous gull swooped down and snatched my sandwich out of my hand, bag and all! The nerve of him! That gull ate it all in one bite, and I cursed it's entire bloodline as I retrieved my plastic bag. It was pretty upsetting, but I refused to let a common herring gull get me down. 

I got in the water again after I could no longer spot the beached seal. The smell still lingered, maybe from the seal or the washed ashore seaweed, but I didn't splash around for too long. I read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson for the remainder of our time, and thought about climate change and wondered how many pesticides were in the sandwich I had eaten, and secretly hoped they would pass on to the gull. Sand Beach was my favorite part of the day, as I always seem to gravitate towards water. I've never visited the east coast before, and I'm proud of myself for getting in the freezing Atlantic Ocean!

The Strenuous Hike!

Kate and I at the top of Beehive Trail.

On June 12, 2025, my day started early after a freezing night in the cabin. We were up and in the van by 8am, off to the Sieur De Monte for our first stop. Here, I walked the Jesup Trail and the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Soon after, we moved to Sand Beach. My friends and I enjoyed the beach for a few minutes before deciding to brave Beehive Trail. The five of us were optimistic in the beginning, but once we hit the first strenuous point, a couple of us started second guessing the trail: me included. I was leading the group over the first walk of iron bars when they decided to turn around, so I felt like I was a little too far to go back. I had no idea that was only the beginning of how intense this climb would get. Kate and I ended up being the only ones to continue, and it was a lot of “We’ve already come this far, let’s just finish it out.” The steep climb full of exposed sections and iron rungs was so worth it and rewarding when Kate and I finally made it to the very top of the 1.4 mile trek. We look forward to finding a souvenir to commemorate this hike, and finding Acadia’s next great adventure!

It's the climb!!!!

LIBBY AND I

It was a bright and sunny day on June 12, 2025 with the Texas State baddies. I was forced to wake up way too early to explore some way cool sights. My favorite sight of all was the infamous Beehive Trail. As I stood in the parking lot of Park Loop Road, the mountain towered over me with its stature of impending doom. A group of five girls of gumption decided to take on the behemoth that is Beehive Trail. This trail is know for its metal rungs serving as the only way to scale this wildly vertical climb. The girls of gumption and I made it about one-third of the way up the mountain until we lost three gumption members to the strenuous nature of the climb. After facing a tough loss, Libby and I toughened up and decided to finish the climb in dedication to our fallen sisters. After many ankle breaks, Libby and I finally reached the top of Beehive and claimed the title of being the only girls in the group in complete the climb.

Day One In Acadia!

 After spending hours in beautiful Acadia National Park, we took a short drive over to the town of Bar Harbor. Audrey, Helena and I walked into just about every store we could until we came across an unreal painting gallery. The gallery was full of work that had been painted by artists who travelled to Bar Harbor specifically to paint. Sitting at a desk in the corner of the store was the sweetest old man, who talked to us the entire time we were in the shop. He asked us about our majors and hometowns, and then shared his own story with us. His wife owns the gallery, and he occasionally manages it for her. They met their freshman year of college at Harvard and have been together ever since. We talked to him for well over 20 minutes, where we learned many details about the paintings and their artists. After taking in the paintings, we walked out of the Argosy Gallery with knowledge of the Bar Harbor paintings and a new friend:)  

My favorite painting

The art gallery

 

Day One of Acadia Park

After 18,000 steps, our Study in America group has wrapped up the first day of our stay in Acadia National Park. We began our day with a quick meeting and were on the road by 8:00 a.m. to drive on Park Loop Road. Our first stop was exciting-- the Wild Gardens of Acadia! My feature story will be on the invasive plant species in Acadia, and this part of the park had plenty of information that I took in about Leave No Trace Principles, invasive species, and why they are dangerous. It was also beautiful to see the wildflowers in bloom in the garden at this time of year. After a walk around the garden, I was off on a walk with Juliana and Helena on Jesup Path. This was a perfect, quiet walk to start off our morning. 

The Wild Gardens of Acadia Entrance

Next up, we headed to Sand Beach, where we walked along the beautiful coast with the cool sea breeze. We hung out on the beach for a while, then headed back to walk the Ocean Path. This was a simple trail that had multiple different jutted out areas to walk out and see the ocean. We went out on one of these for lunch and rested up. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking through those lookout points and walking over the gorgeous rocks along the coast. 

Walking the rocks at Ocean Path

Finally, we ended our day with plenty of shopping and exploring in Bar Harbor. I was able to get some cute souvenirs for my parents, including Christmas ornaments and some Maine specialties. For dinner, we got lobster rolls at The Traveling Lobster. I love seafood and I'm a big foodie, so of course I tried a classic lobster roll (amazing!). We ended the night with s'mores and a campfire (even though it wasn't a great one), and I can confidently say that I had a wonderful first day in Acadia National Park. 

Scenic views at Acadia

 

A hike, a dam and a sunburn: Acadia Day 1!

 First day in Maine/ Acadia was an extreme success! We started the day off with driving a portion of Park Loop Trail, stopping first at the wild garden and for a short 30 minute hike up Dorr Mountain. After we had been sufficiently introduced to the park, we pressed on to my personal favorite part of the day- Sand Beach. Only spending two hours here was hard as there’s just so much to take in! One direction, you have a shimmering ocean with waves crashing in all directions due to the massive rock formations and in the complete opposite direction you’re looking up Mount Desert Island with trees as far as the eye can see (and definitely even further). 

When eating lunch and enjoying our mystifying view, a seagull decided it was his time to shine. After briefly flying above us to plan, he came down at a perfected angle and in one swift motion stole & ate Kira’s sandwich and bag out of her hand. He demolished it right in front of us, much to the dismay and shock of Kira. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive him. I laughed for a good while. 

Taking a walk down the shore after lunch was enriching due to the unlimited opportunities to people watch and explore. Through exploring the rock formations near the water, I found two boys attempting to build a dam out of rocks, seaweed and sand & they asked me to help them! 

After moving two massive rocks to help these two boys achieve the dam of their dreams, we (as a school group, the boys stayed with their mother) pressed on to Bar Harbor!

Exploring for two hours, getting keepsakes for loved ones back home and taking in more of that Maine fresh air were the only items on the itinerary before dinner but I had a wicked sunburn to nurse, so I lathered up in aloe and decided a bookstore was my final stop of the day. I scored some silly stickers, one of which is actually a replacement of one I had to bid goodbye to a few years ago. Dinner can only be described as a show. We were sat right next to the two lobster cookers on shift and after talking to one of them about the lobster business and the tricks of the trade, he noted our curiosity and brought out a live 4 pound lobster for us to HOLD! They are much heavier and weirdly softer than I ever imagined them being when I would see them at the grocery store tanks.

 I’m exhausted, burnt and sore but never have I felt more connected to myself in my 21 years of living. Here’s to day 2!