Canadian Pioneer with Trek America - Part Two

Sam Friday on 03 September 2018
It was time to leave Canada to head back into the USA and the State of Maine. First impressions coming from the border was a little underwhelming. From the beauty of Canada and the well-maintained houses, inland Maine was frequented with run-down trailer houses and people with excessive hoarding issues. But arriving at the Atlantic coast and the lobstering town of Bar Harbor and the Acadia Nation Park, the increase in wealth and quality of life was evident.

The evening of our arrival we enjoyed one of the highlights of the trip – a sunset kayaking expedition. The water was so calm with little breeze, and the colour of the sky gave the surface a silky deep-blue appearance. It was bliss paddling around the untouched woody islands. We were blessed with the sight of a seal popping his head out of the water to check us out. And a young bald eagle stood proudly, perched on a tree on an island where human footsteps are prohibited. The Royal Caribbean ship Anthem of the Seas left the harbour after its’ port of call came to an end, and we watched the last few minutes of the sun disappearing before heading back to the marina where I enjoyed a spontaneous dive into the water (it was a very hot day)!

The next morning, we embraced one of the most enjoyable hikes ever! The Precipice Trail takes you to the peak of Champlain Mountain. Not the highest on the Eastern Seaboard (that’s its’ neighbour Cadillac Mountain which has a road to the top). What makes it so interesting are the incredible views of the coast line, and the need for iron rungs to make it possible to climb as the face is so steep in places. Once summited, we took the South Ridge trail to Sand Beach where after a morning of hiking we took a well-deserved dip in the sea!

No visit to Bar Harbor would be complete without dining on lobster. That’s why the town is there in the first place. Only the residents are authorised to set lobster pots to keep the numbers healthy. The evening was spent with lobster and a chilled white wine – the perfect end to what was a truly memorable segment of the tour.

Our final stop was Boston. Not having visited before, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and will revisit one day. The Freedom Trail runs 2.5 miles through the city and is marked with red bricks all the way. Starting at the Boston Common and finishing at the USS Constitution (the World’s oldest floating naval ship), it takes you past sixteen locations significant to the history of the United States. For the first mile we had a guide dressed in costume from the era tell us about the events that led up to the independence of America and the patriots involved, not least Samuel Adams. To my shame, the first time I was aware of that name was on a beer bottle! But he was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the man responsible for the Boston Tea Party, where a shipment of tea was thrown into Boston harbour over a dispute about taxes. He was the cousin of John Adams – the first US President.

We walked the whole 2.5 miles of the trail and ferried back across the harbour to downtown Boston. Adam and I then enjoyed a cold Samuel Adams lager in the Beantown Pub opposite the final resting place of the cold Samuel Adams. A fitting end to an amazing two-week trip in a corner of the Globe abundant with natural beauty and fascinating history.