as ever during our visit on a sunny summer afternoon.

exploring Maine’s only national park (two of us for the first time).
Island shortly before noon. Already the park was crowded—a side effect of the glorious Sunday weather. We bought a park pass and headed up Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the park.

mountain.

YJI students Kiernan Majerus-Collins of Maine, Dawit Leake of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Beth Criado-Band of Perth, Scotland on the top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, Maine.
Cadillac Mountain also provides a view over Bar Harbor, the main town on the island, which looked small and insignificant from above.
managed to find the highest point, where the first rays of sunlight hit the United States each day.
After our adventure on the mountain we set out on the park’s loop road, a winding one-way drive that passes many of Acadia’s most famous features. We skipped Sandy Beach, which seemed crowded, and headed directly for the rocky shores the park is known for.
Acadia’s coast is a full sensory experience. It’s beautiful, of course, but the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the smell and taste of the salt air, and the warm, coarse
rock below your feet are at least as important to the park’s magic as its amazing views.
The biggest drawback of the jagged shores near Thunder Hole – one of the park’s attractions – is that getting in the ocean is impossible.
The water is mesmerizing, and you sometimes feel as though you just want to jump in. Anyone foolish enough to try, however, would likely end up badly hurt, if not drowned.
Thankfully, there are other places where wading or even swimming is possible if you’re willing to brave the park’s chilly water and jaggy beaches.
One day isn’t enough time at a place like Acadia, and we are all looking forward to going back again someday.
For now, however, we’ll cherish the memories of a place where the waves meet the woods and the crash of the ocean against the rocky cliffs creates a sense of timeless wonder we won’t soon forget.
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