We'll have our "shakedown" hike today, judging Road Scholar energy levels and hiking skills, before marking a "definite" beside the rest of the week's planned activities.
A continental breakfast will be served at the motel.
We’ll give you a capsule look at Mount Desert Island, “the jewel of New England,” and show you the possible routes we’ll be hiking this week in Acadia National Park. Mount Desert, known for its dramatic scenery and universal appeal, is the second largest island on the east coast. We’ll also take a few minutes to get to know each other better. Then the hiking begins! Weather permitting, we’ll tackle Gorham Mountain, a moderate mountainous hike which offers spectacular views over the Cranberry Islands and the Gulf of Maine. From the summit, we’ll view a wide expanse of Mount Desert Island’s southern, surf-pounded coastline. The route up and down is a well-traveled mountain trail which is in good condition. Challenging but not overly demanding, Gorham will give us a good idea of energy levels and hiking abilities among participants.
One of the many pleasures of our hiking week is having our picnic lunches – individually prepared sandwiches – in some spectacular settings, usually along one of the trails. We’ll stop somewhere on Gorham Mountain to relax, refuel and drink in the beauty of Acadia.
We'll continue our hike, noticing the unique geological features carved out by the Wisconsin Glacier thousands of years ago. We'll enjoy the views eastward towards Schoodic Peninsula, a spectacular headland that juts into the Gulf of Maine.
We’ll dine at a downtown Bar Harbor restaurant, where we’ll enjoy our meal while replaying the day’s adventure.
We’ll enjoy a scenic drive up Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard. When the serpentine summit road was built in the 1930s, it was considered the best-engineered mountain road in the world. From the summit, we’ll marvel at the 360-degree views and will look west towards Blue Hill as the day comes to an end.