Chilly and Hilly and Wet Wet Wet

So here we are in Bar Harbor on our second day and it is cold and wet, wet, wet.  Reports from home feature complaints at the 80 degree weather there but, with our 52 degrees and rain, you guys can zip it.

The last post ended with us still in Ipswich and we continued to have a great time.  We woke up on Wednesday and went down to Crane Beach, according to Vicki, the nicest beach in all of Massachusetts.  I don't know many other beaches but I would be inclined to agree with her.

Crane Beach just goes on forever.

A trio of Brant's Geese, just chillin' in the water.

One plover ploving.

Sophie kept us good company while we were at Vicki's and she helped us cope with our kitty jones.

Us and our gracious host.  Vicki, you're the best!

We left Ipswich around 2 or so and made our way to White Mountain National Forest, in the heart of New Hampshire.  We had no idea what was in store for us.  We stopped at a CVS outside of the forest and told the cashier where we were staying and what cabin we were staying at and she laughed.  Then she said it was easy.  And then described a rough hike.  We finally made it to the base of the trail around 5:15 and, after spending some time getting our bags in order, started the ascent up the mountain.

Now, let me set the scene.  We were parked at the bottom of Black Mountain.  The cabin was near the top.  And we were hiking up a ski trail.  This meant 1.5 miles of straight-up hiking.  No switchbacks, no level ground.  This is a trail that is usually traversed on skis and snowshoes, on top of much snow.  Underneath all that is some seriously craggy ground.  We had to dodge lots of rocks and jagged bits as well as crossing some small but very busy streams along the way.  We were warned that it was at least an hour and, oh my god, that was painful.  Because not only was it a tough hike, but we were doing it with a ton of gear.  Baby steps, many breaks, and much whining came from both of us (not just me) along the way and we spent a great deal of time questioning the existence of this supposed "cabin".  Finally, we made it.

Photos don't do height justice.  At this point, the cabin night as well have been on top of the Washington Monument.  We were overcome with joy to finally see this was not a mirage.  It was still a long walk from here.

The cabin itself was very rustic.  No electricity, wooden bunks, a wood stove for heat, and an outhouse.  It was the very definition of roughing it.  It did, however, feature a stunning view of the still snow-capped Mount Washington.  I found myself lost in that vista quite a bit over the next couple of days.

What a view.

After making a dinner of mac & cheese, we settled in to rest our weary bones.  The temps there got down very low at night.  We froze our asses off and the night was very long.  But we made it and we got up on Thursday and, having not learned our lesson the previous day, we hiked the rest of the way up to the summit.  Actually that wasn't all that bad.  While we saw fresh bear tracks we did not see any bears on our way up.  We took the Baldhead trail back down to the cabin and, oh my, there was MUCH snow still on that trail.  A couple of feet in places.  Which was hilarious as I was hiking it in shorts and a t-shirt.  We finally made it back to the cabin and strung up the hammocks for some well-deserved chill time.  There was not a cloud in the sky and while the air temp was probably in the 60s the direct sunlight made it feel like Summertime.  In fact, I even got a bit of a sunburn.  After dinner, I got a raging fire going in the stove which honestly did not do much to keep the cabin warm but it's always fun to burn stuff.  Another very chilly night and we packed up our stuff and went down the mountain.  As tough as the hike up was, the hike down was almost as treacherous.  And we found ourselves continually amazed, on the way down, that we actually made it to the top to begin with.  After about an hour or so we finally made it back to the car and started on our long, long drive to Acadia.

Makin' some mac & cheese after that beast of a hike.  This single-burner stove is one of the greatest camping tools ever invented.  I do not miss the big Coleman one bit.

Andersons, as rock stars, at the summit of Black Mountain.

Krissy loves being at the top of the world.

Since we did not see any bears, I figured I should make up for it.

Just a sample of the snow we encountered on our trip down the Baldland Trail.

The interior of the cabin.

The drive to Acadia was long but it was very pleasant.  Maine has to be the most beautiful state to drive through.  Even the "dangvilles" have a certain kind of charm that you just don't quite get anywhere else.  We made it to the park around 3 or so and got our camp set up as the rain was starting to trickle in.   We finished up and made it to some pay showers that were just down the road.  There was no place to shower at the cabin so we were rightly skanky.  Those were the best showers of all time.  Afterwards we made our way back to the park and walked down to the shore, the beautiful rocky Maine shore.  It was cold and wet so we did not stay for long.  We intend to go back later today, once it dries out a bit.

The coast of Acadia National Park, looking North.

Hans is happy to a) be looking out at the coast over jagged rocks and b) be freshly showered.

The coast of Acadia National Park, looking south.

That's about it.  After making a dinner of mac & cheese and black beans, we retired to the tent as it was too chilly and wet to hang out outside.  It was another cold night but nowhere near as cold as at the cabin.  The new tent is tiny and is tough to get used to.  We could cram all our stuff into the old tent, with enough room to hold a dance party.  This one is, let's just say it's cozy.  But it also went up in less than five minutes, while the big tent took an hour.  So it's a win.  Today, being cold and rainy, has been devoted to doing things like laundry, shopping for necessities, and finding a cafe from where to write this blog.  This evening we might visit a brewery nearby or something like that.  If the rain holds out for a bit, we will visit the tidal pools.  We'll see.

We still have all day tomorrow for exploring and then on Monday we will hit the road early and head for Saint John NB for a night of luxury at the Chateau before heading to the goat farm on Tuesday.  I might update this blog tomorrow if we come into town, otherwise I will update once we get north of the border.

Oh yeah, on the drive yesterday we very much enjoyed the road-mix CD that Krissy's colleague, Erin, made for us for the trip.  Erin, if you are reading this, you hit the nail right on the head.

Also, we must once again extend our thanks to Vicki for being the most awesome host ever and, again, we must apologize for breaking your couch.  We are jerks but we love you.

Lastly, we must wish a happy early Mother's Day to our moms, and all other moms out there.  We love you guys and we miss you and we hope you have the most awesome day ever.