I woke up early to check off one of my own hiking goals: the precipice trail. Climbing up one of the vertical faces of granite Acadia is known for, it is one of the sought after iron rung routes.

Our drive along the coast the day before showed how tight parking was due to the lack of shuttle this year. So I started from a more distant and less frequented trailhead that took me along one of the first trails that eventually became Acadia National Park.

After a couple of miles of fantastic searches of granite dotted with greenery, and incredible stairs made out of hunks of the same stone, I came to the bottom of the trail and the first iron ladder. Rapidly gaining elevation using iron treads anchored in stone, switching back on narrow ledges and repeating, I (relatively) quickly reached the summit and was greeted by a wide vista from bar harbor to sandy beach.

I enjoyed a hoppy beverage before descending an easier, but incorrect, trail down. It put me a mile down the road from where I parked, so my hike became longer than expected.

We wrapped up our day with a hearty seafood takeout dinner from the lobster co two blocks away. Fresh lobsters and rolls, so much chowder. Stuffed to the gills, we retired ready for another day of exploring this wonderful island.