Acadia Summit

I'll confess, when it starts raining just as I get back to the car after an early morning hike, I sometimes feel a bit smug. 

On a whim I went up Acadia Mountain this morning, which for some reason I hadn't been up in years and years. In the summer I avoid it because it gets so crowded, but even off season I always seem to give it a pass. Apparently I have some subconscious grudge against it. This morning, however, I came to a trail sign and thought "Why not? Try something new." 

The mountain is unusual for the area because the summit runs east-west rather than north-south like all the others. It made the views, which were excellent, somewhat disorienting. Another unusual thing is its eponymous name. In fact, I encountered a dog at the summit and found myself in the curious position of petting Acadia while hiking Acadia, in Acadia. I was able to keep it together and not mention anything about this to the dog's owner.

A curious thing about about avoiding the crowds here is how often, in the rare case that I do run into someone, it turns out to be a person I know. This was the case at the summit today. Millions of people come crawling around this island all year long, but apparently it's mostly locals who appreciate the importance of waking up early.

The real treat of the whole experience, and probably the karmic influence that tugged upon my soul at the trailhead near the start of the hike, can be found in the extra. Here I was plodding down the mountain, minding my own business and thinking of nothing in particular, when POW! Right there in front of me was this beautiful plant in bloom. I'm not generally so good at identifying exactly what particular things actually are, but I'm pretty decent I knowing when I'm looking at something I haven't seen before. This plant was unusual and there was nothing else like it on the entire hike, or any other hike I've taken all over the whole island. Checking in my copy of the local plant guide I found it appears to be Scotch heather (caluna vulgaris). The guide reports this plant as rare and notes: "This plant is known to escape from gardens but has been documented from only one site in Acadia National Park." You know, if it hadn't been in bloom, I might have walked right on by! 

In other words, "Don't feel too smug about avoiding the rain, buddy. Just show a little humility and be grateful you had the chance to encounter something special!" 

Which I'll try to keep working on.