The Beauty of Acadia

Valley Cove
N 44 18.585 W 68 19.069

Yesterday we tried to anchor in Valley Cove but the anchor wouldn't bite on the rocky bottom. We continued up the sound to Somesville for the night. This morning we returned to Valley Cove and we had better luck. We are tied to a massive iron mooring ball said to be put here by the Hinckley Yacht Corporation.

I chatted with a cruising couple that we met in Rockland. Sorry, I didn't get their names. They were young, around thirty, yet they had been cruising full time for seven years now. They started in Oregon and took seven years to work their way down to Panama and up to Maine. They said they are becoming weary of sailing and might sell their boat this year and give up the cruising. I learned one very interesting thing. They said they loved Panama and that they spent 9 months there and thought
that it was hurried. They explored both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Panama. They saw everything from mountains, to white sand palm tree islands, to jungles. Panama lies outside the hurricane zone. I never thought of Panama as a cruising destination before. Hmmmm, that's food for thought.

The three of us went ashore and set out to hike the Acadia trails. It sounded easy, less than one mile to Valley Peak. What the sign didn't say however was how steep the trail was. Poor Libby had to give up 2/3 of the way up. She has a few bad vertebras and she can't take the steep climb. We left her with water and food and shade, and Nick and I continued to the top. Actually Nick zipped up to the top, almost at a run, while grandpa straggled along behind huffing and puffing.

The reward for the climb was a truly spectacular view from the top. We could see out to sea over the huge archipelago in front of us. I can't recall such a magnificent view of land and water since we toured the fjords of Norway. It was also an especially sight for a man who hasn't seen anything higher than 65 feet in more than a year (not counting the old post office in DC). The states from New Jersey south on the US Atlantic coast are all so flat and featureless. Seeing a hill is a thrill,
and looking out from the top of even a small mountain is good for the soul.

We'll stay here on the mooring tonight. There is another of those dreary cold fronts with severe thunderstorms coming this evening. However, after Tuesday, they promise several days of nice weather.