Acadia National Park

by Mike Graf

  Text © 2013 Mike Graf

  Illustrations © 2013 Marjorie Leggitt

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

  FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

  Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

  Illustrations: Marjorie Leggitt

  Models for twins: Amanda and Ben Frazier

  Photos by Mike Graf and Kimberly Alexander Graf with the following exceptions: p. 5 Paul Marshall; and the following, which are licensed by Shutterstock.com: inside front cover/p. i © Tim Kornoelje; p. i inset © picturepartners; p. 7 © Colin D. Young; pp. 9, 44 © Jeffrey M. Frank; pp. 29, 31 © T. Markley; p. 37 © Zack Frank; p. 38 top © dp photography; p. 38 bottom © kurdistan; p. 41 © Jerry Whaley; p. 45 © Celeste Costa Photography; pp. 72, 94/insideback cover © Lynda Lehmann; p. 75 © David Ashley; p. 81 © jaytee; p. 82 © Brett Atkins; p. 85 © spirit of america; p. 86 © David Kay; p. 88 © Tom Reichner; p. 92 © Stephen

  Map courtesy of National Park Service

  Project editor: Julie Marsh

  Layout: Melissa Evarts

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Graf, Mike.

  Acadia National Park : eye of the whale / Mike Graf ; illustrated by Marjorie Leggitt.

  pages cm. — (Adventures with the Parkers)

  ISBN 978-0-7627-8262-8

  1. Acadia National Park (Me.)—Guidebooks—Juvenile literature. I. Leggitt, Marjorie C., illustrator. II. Title.

  F27.M9G7 2013

  974.1'45—dc23

  2013003352

  Printed in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Contents

  1 The Trails Are as Scenic as the Place

  2 Do You Think We Look Like Bees Up Here?

  3 Morgan’s New Friend

  4 This Thing Probably Hates Me Right about Now

  5 Indiana Jones and Tom Sawyer’s Island

  6 Ridiculous, but Incredible!

  7 We Made a Beach!

  8 Rockefeller’s Gift

  9 The Adventures of Mini-Ed

  10 Island Bound

  11 Return to the Mainland

  12 Flipped!

  13 Stranded

  14 The First Shall Be the Last

  15 The Adoption

  1

  The Trails Are as Scenic as the Place

  The Parkers slowed their car as they drove through busy Bar Harbor, Maine, in the mid-afternoon. The sidewalks were filled with tourists walking along and shopping. Once they were beyond the quaint town, they entered Acadia National Park in the forested Sieur de Monts section. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad got out of the car and walked over to a sign that read Wild Gardens of Acadia.

  The family strolled through the lush and manicured botanical preserve. They learned of Acadia’s fauna and the areas of the park they were found in: mixed woods, mountains, meadow, seaside, thicket, marsh, and pond, among others.

  Standing in the shade of a white birch surrounded by ferns, Dad said, “It’s a little paradise in here.”

  The Parkers meandered over to the pond habitat area. There they settled on the wooden footbridge and examined the lily pads, ferns, and plants of the mini-terrain.

  James lay down and peered into the water. “Hey! There are pollywogs in there!”

  “And look,” Morgan pointed. “There’s a frog on a leaf.”

  The Parkers watched the amphibians. While the pollywogs glided from one spot to another, the frog lay on the surface perfectly still.

  “There’s another one over here,” Dad whispered. Morgan snapped a photo then said, “They’re so still, they almost look fake.” As if hearing her comment, the frog plopped into the water, showing how real it was.

  After a few more minutes in the gardens, the family visited the nature center nearby that was filled with information about the wildlife of Acadia. The Parkers meandered among the displays, then went to the ranger’s desk. They wanted to get in a little hike after the long drive and before settling into camp.

  The ranger showed the family a map and suggested the Emery-Homans loop trail that started right behind the visitor center.

  “It’s just a mile, then we’ll head to our campsite at Blackwoods,” Mom said to her family as they walked out the door. So the Parkers jaunted over to the Homans Trail and began hiking.

  Instantly the path led the Parkers up a series of carved granite stairs. After several minutes of climbing, Dad said, “Well, this is a nice little workout after all of our plane and car travel getting here.”

  They kept on climbing up the steep and seemingly never-ending stone steps. “This is quite a trail,” James mentioned about halfway up.

  Eventually the pathway leveled off. There the Parkers took in distant ocean and island views and gazed far below at the mostly forested Sieur de Monts area and the marshy Great Meadow.

  The family continued skirting along the flatter plateau and then began the long descent on the Emery Path.

  “What goes up must come down,” Morgan said while carefully negotiating the steep stairs down.

  “I don’t know about all of you,” Dad said, “but this trail sure whets my appetite for more.”

  Finally the Parkers returned to level ground and their car. They drove a short distance to Blackwoods Campground. After checking in, they found their assigned site #93. They set up camp, ate a quick dinner, and hustled over to the amphitheater for the evening program.

  The talk had already started by the time the Parkers arrived, so they sat in the back. The ranger, Angie, was scrolling through pictures of Acadia’s trails and asking the audience to guess where they were.

  At a picture of a small lake, someone in the audience called out, “The Bowl!”

  “Right you are,” Angie replied.

  On a mountaintop, someone shouted, “Cadillac Mountain!”

  “Boy, we sure have some hikers in the audience,” Angie said.

  In a forested region with a peek of the ocean, a person correctly guessed, “Wonderland?”

  On a steep ascent with iron rungs and ladders for climbing, another person called out, “The Precipice!”

  “Yep,” Angie replied. “And it’s probably the most challenging and talked about of all our hikes here in the park.”

  Then Angie flipped to a trail showing a bunch of hikers scaling a rocky dome high above the ground.

  “The Beehive,” several voices called.

  Next Angie displayed a gentle trail near the ocean with lots of people strolling along it.

  “The Ocean Path” was the answer, to which Angie replied, “Not all of our trails have steep, rocky ascents, but they are all beautiful!”

  Finally, after several more trail photos, a picture came up of steep granite stairs with a small rock bridge overhanging them.

  “The Emery-Homans Loop Trail!” James exclaimed.

  “Exactly!” Angie said. “And one of our most historic trails.”

  The Parkers smiled at each other, knowing they had already hiked a great trail and there were many more to come.

  Angie told the crowd about Acadia’s trails. “They are one of the most famous things about the park. A man named Waldron Bates was a pioneer trail builder here at Acadia in the early 1900s. You can see his classically constructed cairns all over the park.”

  Angie switched slides to show
several of the Bates-styled cairns along Acadia’s trails.

  “Later George Dorr, often called the Father of Acadia, continued implementing granite carved pathways among our trails. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, also built many of our paths.”

  Bates cairn

  Angie went on showing historical and modern pictures of Acadia’s trails.

  “The goal here,” Angie said, “has always been that the trail is as important as the destination, and it should be just as beautiful as the landscape itself.”

  Mom leaned toward her family and whispered, “Just like the one we were on.”

  “Today,” Angie built to her conclusion, “the organization Friends of Acadia is funding work on maintaining, restoring, and even opening new trails for our park. So, please,” she concluded, “take a hike here in Acadia somewhere, if you can.”

  The audience clapped and then Angie invited everyone to come up front and see samples of carved-granite steps as well as the tools used to craft them.

  While watching Angie demonstrate some of the stonemasonry involved in carving granite, Dad mentioned to his family, “That’s a lot of work!”

  Then Morgan said, “I know what we’re going to be doing a lot of the next two weeks!”

  “Hiking!” the clan chimed in.

  2

  Do You Think We Look Like Bees Up Here?

  Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad started hiking on the forested, but also rocky, Beehive Trail.

  At a clearing, the family got a glimpse of the granite dome that awaited them. “Are we really doing that?” James said, noticing a few hikers carefully skirting a precarious ledge far above.

  Mom quickly tried to divert the nerves by changing the subject. “I read that the granite here in Acadia originated over four hundred million years ago as part of an ancient volcano.”

  “So that’s what we’ll be hiking on?” Morgan said.

  Soon the family got another view of the trail that loomed above. “Wow!” Dad gasped, nervously but with excitement.

  A woman coming down the trail approached the family. “Did you just hike down that?” Dad asked.

  “No,” the woman replied. “I’m just reminiscing. I’ve already hiked the Beehive once in my life, and I think that’s enough.”

  As the woman walked on, Morgan and James each thought to themselves, what if the trail is too much for us?

  Mom also wondered aloud. “You know, we can always turn around at the base of the climbing part. We don’t have to do this.”

  Soon they came to a warning sign: CAUTION: EXPOSED CLIFFS AND IRON RUNGS WITH STEEP DROP-OFFS. NOT FOR THOSE WITH FEAR OF HEIGHTS.

  Dad looked at his apprehensive family. “Are we all good?”

  James nodded and then said, “At least for now.”

  Soon the Parkers arrived at the first of a series of climbs up the massive rock. At one point James saw people watching them from below. “Look!” he called out with a sense of pride from where he already was. “They’re waving!”

  James and Morgan waved back.

  Mom asked, “So far, so good, right? Are you all for going on?”

  Morgan and James nodded their heads, “Yes.”

  “Personally,” Dad said, “I’m loving this, but we’re also at the point of no return. It’s easier to hike up these iron rungs and ledges than to hike down.”

  The Parkers caught up to another group. They slithered to the side and let Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad go by. “We’re far too slow,” one of them said. Then she turned to her friends and asked, “Are you sure you want to hike the Precipice Trail next?”

  The mention of the Precipice again planted a seed in the Parkers’ minds, and as they continued up the Beehive, their confidence grew with each passing obstacle.

  Mom took the lead now and coached, “Hold onto that tree there. It’s a good grip as we cross here.”

  On another precarious point, Mom said to the twins, “I’ve got a good hold right here. And I’m not going anywhere if you need to grab onto my hand.”

  The Parkers followed Mom’s cues and climbed on, slowly and steadily. On a long, exposed section, Dad went first. “Let’s go one at a time here. Hold onto the bar along the way, OK?”

  One by one, Morgan, James, and finally Mom followed. Once they were all across the narrow, exposed ledge, Dad said, “This really is just like rock climbing without being roped up.”

  At another narrow ledge with steep drop-offs, the Parkers stayed as far as they could from the edge and rested a moment. “There are more people waving at us,” Morgan said. “I wonder if we really do look like bees buzzing around a hive up here.”

  A moment later, Mom asked, “Are we all ready to go on?”

  “Yes” was the quick reply.

  Mom now led through a catwalk-like section with bars for holding onto on both sides. “It’s a little tricky in here,” she guided.

  A few more climbs and handholds later, and the cliff gave way to sloping rock. Dad looked up, noticing the cairn trail markers leading up the rest of the way. “I think we’ve made it through the toughest part!” he announced. “Congratulations are in order!” Dad high-fived Morgan, James, and Mom, toasting their achievement.

  Soon the trail topped off and began a short descent down to a body of water called the Bowl. The now deeply forested pathway led directly to a rocky area next to the large pond. Several people were nearby, dipping their feet into the water on a rare hot day in Acadia.

  Dad wiped the sweat off his brow. “I know what I’m going to do! Anyone care to join me?”

  Dad took off his shoes, and Morgan, James, and Mom did the same. Then all four Parkers plunged in and started splashing each other. It was quite a celebration. Once soaked, they climbed out and sat on the rocks to dry off.

  “There,” James said. “We’ve now graduated to the next level. Do you think the Precipice is waiting for us?”

  Mom smiled. “Let’s enjoy this accomplishment first. We can consider that one later!”

  The family pulled out snacks and ate silently while enjoying the well-earned scenery.

  3

  Morgan’s New Friend

  The Parkers stepped onto the boat and took a seat. As the Sea Princess chugged out of the harbor, Dad noticed the blue skies dotted with white, puffy clouds and the calm seas. “It’s a great day for a little cruise,” he said to his family.

  Once the boat was out of Northeast Harbor, the ranger on board stepped up.

  “Welcome to the Islesford Cruise,” she said. “I’m park ranger Wanda, and I’ll be taking you out along our splendid waterways and eventually to Little Cranberry Island.”

  Mom looked over the wildlife identification chart given to each person. “Wow! Check out all these birds and sea mammals,” she commented. “It looks like we may get to see a lot!”

  The boat passed by Bear Island, and as it did, Wanda called out, “There’s a cormorant right at three o’clock.”

  The passengers looked where the ranger pointed. The grayish white bird was perched on the rocky shore. “As you can see, cormorants are slim and have especially long necks. They’re most famous for diving up to one hundred feet deep in water just to catch fish,” Wanda described.

  “Whoa!” Morgan said. “I think I can dive up to five feet deep.”

  The boat passed by colorful buoys spread throughout the water. Wanda explained, “Those buoys are all attached to lobster traps at the bottom of the ocean. Lobster, of course, is pretty famous here in Maine. Each person has a different-color pattern on their buoy so they can find it quickly and easily. The traps have a net in them with a hole designed so that a lobster can easily get in but it is very hard for them to get out. Fish and fish guts are the preferred bait for the traps, with herring being the most popular option.”

  The Parkers gazed out at all the buoys, each imagining what color pattern they would choose, if being a lobsterman was their job.

  Wanda continued, “Traps have to be checked every two or t
hree days. If there are lobsters in there and they have eaten all the bait, they’ll eat each other!”

  “I don’t know if I’d like that job or not,” James said, picturing the smell and gore involved.

  Soon they approached Sutton Island. Wanda pointed out a large, branch-filled nest perched on some rocks just above the tidal zone. “A perfect spot for an osprey,” she mentioned. “They eat fish, so it couldn’t be in a better location.”

  Morgan snapped several pictures of the enormous nest.

  “That nest has been used by multiple generations of osprey for over fifty years,” Wanda said. “And a recent nesting pair was banded so we could monitor them. In winter they left the island. The female spent her winters in Haiti. The male decided the Miami area suited him just fine. But they returned every year in April within a week of each other.”

  “So interesting, huh?” Mom said to the family.

  Someone at the other side of the boat called out, “Bald eagle—nine o’clock!”

  Everyone excitedly shifted their gaze. The eagle was on top of a tree on Sutton Island, with its distinctive white head clearly showing.

  “Our national symbol,” Wanda said, “and an adult, too. Younger ones don’t have the white heads yet.”

  The boat continued to cruise along, and the Parkers looked at the water and island scenery. They also gazed west to Mount Desert Island.

  “It does look a little barren or deserted,” Dad said. “At least those glacier-sculpted granite domes of rock seem to indicate the name of the island.”

  “You can definitely see the U-shape between the mountain bulges,” Mom added. “Sure signs of glaciation. I read that glaciers were once up to two miles thick here.”

  Wanda gave more information about the area. “The water along coastal Maine is from a cold Canadian current. But cold water holds more oxygen, making our coastal waters a very rich habitat. Our ocean creatures love the cold water.”