4 October 2019, Friday: We are on the road early. We drive to Moncton in New Brunswick, dine at the Tide and Boar Gastropub and get laundry done.

5 October 2019, Saturday: From Moncton we drive on to Acadia NP with a brief stop in Saint John, New Brunswick to pay the last (I hope) of the medical bills from my ankle fracture. The day is cool and sunny, and in many places fall colors are in full swing. The border crossing goes smoothly. We check in at Seawall Campground and have a delightful dinner at Rogue Cafe and Restaurant. I think we will try to stay on Atlantic time – waking at 6 am, with bedtime around 8 to maximize our daylight hours.

6 October 2019, Sunday: In an effort to protect plant life in the Acadia campgrounds from root compression, current park rules state that one may not tie lines to trees or bushes unless they can be reached without leaving the camping pad. In other words: no tromping through the bushes to find a sturdy tarp-hanging tree. This turns out to be an ideal time to try out our thus far unused picnic table shelter. We encountered prohibitions in many of the western parks last year against tying anything at all to trees. Luckily for us, we rarely had rain last year. In any case, I found (online) a small, easy to pack, relatively easy to assemble, picnic table shelter made by Thermarest and ordered one this past winter. It is finally coming in handy. 

After breakfast O and I get out the shelter and soon have it set up. It just covers the table and should provide protection for at least four people if it rains. Tall individuals will have to duck though. There’s a good chance of rain over the next few days. We’ll see how it holds up.

After breakfast and shelter set-up we drive around Somes Sound and park at the Norumbega Mountain parking area. The trail to Sargent Mountain, today’s hike, begins right across the road. Our path is initially fairly level, although roots and rocks demand that we pay attention to our feet. We cross the Carriage Road and continue through woods until we once again intersect the Carriage Road at the Waterfall Bridge. Now the trail begins climbing along Hadlock Brook, becoming steeper as we climb up Sargent Mountain’s South Ridge to the expansive, glacier-smoothed granite summit.

The views are beautiful! Our way is marked by easy to follow blue blazes and classic cairns. It is very windy. . .and cold. O and I tuck away our Tilley hats, before they blow away, and exchange them for tocques – much better for keeping ears warm.

We do not spend much time on the summit – too cold! We descend steeply along the Grandgent Trail to the rocky Maple Spring Trail and make our way back to Vincent. It’s a great hike and a good workout for my ankle, although the rocky descent along the little stream on the Maple Spring Trail is a challenge for knees.

Then it’s back to camp once more for dinner, chocolate, and journalling.