Today was a pleasantly warm Spring day, so after I finished building some new window frames for my boat Tortuga, I decided to go for a walk in Acadia National Park. For this hike I decided to go somewhere I have been dozens of times by boat, but never on foot – Valley Cove in Somes Sound. The trail to Valley cove is actually an old fire road so it is easy walking, which I needed because I managed to re-injure my left knee about two and a half weeks ago. At any rate, I set out at about 3:50 this afternoon and drove the six and a half miles from my house to the trail head. hen I arrived at the parking lot, I hung my new lifetime national park pass from the rear view mirror (a perk for reaching the age of 62), hopped out of the car and set out on the trail.
The first two thirds of the hike is a gentle climb through a pleasant mixed spruce and hardwood forest.
The trail to Valley Cove
The trail was generally is very good shape although there was one swampy spot about ten feet long. There was also one tree down across the trail, but it was east to just walk around one end of it.
A tree down across the trail
Just past the downed tree the trail began a gentle descent to the cove. A few feet before the final descent to the cove the trail forks with the left branch leading around the cove and the right branch going down to the water via a set of log steps and stepping stones. The left branch was blocked off because the cliff the trail traverses is a nesting area for Peregrine falcons. According to the sign the Park Service has hung across the trail, that branch of the trail is closed until August 15.
Trail closure notice to protect nesting Peregrine Falcons
Naturally, after reading the closure notice, I took the right fork and climbed down to the beach. The last few feet of the trail were in poor condition due to erosion over the winter, but the trail was still easily negotiated. It was just after high tide so there wasn’t much beach. On top of that there was a chilly breeze blowing down Somes Sound onto the beach, so I didn’t linger much longer than it took to take a few pictures.
Valley Cove beach just after high tide
The view of Valley Cove was very pretty as was the view up the sound.
Valley Cove looking north up Somes Sound
After I finished taking pictures, I enjoyed the walk back. My knee complained a bit on the downgrade, but all in all it was a very pleasant late afternoon walk. I did encounter two other hikers that I exchanged greeting with, but other than that I had the trail and the cove to myself. In a month or so this trail will be jammed with tourists, so it was nice to enjoy a little solitude on it today.
There some definite positives to living on Mount Desert Island. Acadia National Park is one of the biggest, particularly during the off season. Tomorrow morning I plan to take another walk in the park, but on an unofficial trail. More about that tomorrow.
Todd Dunn 