Winter Hiking in Acadia National Park
It all started when my cleaning job got canceled for the day. I knew my Aunt Irene had the day off, and now I did too. I called around 11AM when I called and said, “Do you want to go hiking in Acadia in about 30ish minutes?”
“Of course!” was the answer I heard, so we got out gear together and headed for the Sargent Mountain trail head in Acadia National Park.
The wind howled above us as we started on our hike in the shelter of the trees. The temperature was in the thirties but the wind carried with it a bitter cold reminder that it was still February in Maine. The trail was covered in snow and ice so we made sure we had the appropriate gear on our boots to aid us in our ascent.
Soon we were hiking in patchy wind beaten pines and spruce. The snow had drifted much more in this section making each step a challenge. With constant “postholing” (a mountain term used when your foot punches through the snow leaving you up to your knees in snow) every other step and the wind baffling us more now that we were higher up, we decided to take a break in the shelter of a small patch of trees. With the wind off of us, we put on our extra layers, had a quick snack, and a sip of water headed for the top.
We were now fully exposed to the winds of the North Atlantic. With heads down and only eyes exposed we made our way up the rocky ridge to the summit. The strong wind made walking in a straight line difficult and the stinging pain of a frozen nose and cheeks made my mind dream of warmer days.
We were now fully exposed to the winds of the North Atlantic. With heads down and only eyes exposed we made our way up the rocky ridge to the summit. The strong wind made walking in a straight line difficult and the stinging pain of a frozen nose and cheeks made my mind dream of warmer days.
As we approached the top, the wind came from even more directions and made standing still for a photo almost impossible. After reaching the top, we snapped a few photos and turned around and headed for the shelter of the trees.
The hike down went by quickly and we were soon back at the subaru. We gathered our snacks for the ride home and changed out of our hiking boots. Our day ended with a warm car ride home and a few slices of pizza from a small local shop.
