I had two goals: Hike in Acadia National Park without becoming frustrated by crowds; and exercise my dog, Juno, without her overheating.
The day was sunny and sticky, with temperatures hovering in the 80s. Juno, with her thick coat, doesn’t tolerate heat well, but after two days of rain, she was practically vibrating with pent-up energy. To garner attention, she’d started tossing her toys at me by whipping her head around and releasing them from her mouth mid-whip. Things were getting dangerous.
My solution was to take a hike. Hiking is my solution for many things.
Selecting the perfect hike is a skill that’s developed over time. Having intimate knowledge of local trails helps. So does the ability to read a trail map. Hiking experience, including a few mistakes, can help inform your decision too.
In this case, a scary mishap with Juno caused me to exercise caution. Last September, I led her up the open ridge of Acadia’s Penobscot Mountain on a particularly hot, sunny day and she overheated. She was panting heavily, lethargic and constantly seeking shade to lie down in.
As soon as I noticed this unusual behavior, we turned around and slowly descended the mountain, stopping frequently for breaks and water. She was OK, but I often think about that experience when planning an adventure with her during the warmer months.
I’ve hiked most of the trails in Acadia, but looking at a detailed map always helps jog my memory. Map Adventures, a small business owned and operated by a husband-wife duo out of Portland, makes my favorite map of Acadia. It includes trail names, the mileage of trail sections, contour lines and other key details that can help you decide on a route.
Acadia National Park covers much of Mount Desert Island. Looking at the map, I moved to the “quiet side of the island,” which is the west side. Then I looked for water, shade and trails suitable for dogs.
The park provides an online list of trails that are off-limits to dogs due to steep grades and obstacles like ladders and metal rungs. It also offers a list of trails that are “not recommended” for pets due to their difficulty. While Juno is quite the little mountain goat, I usually try to stay off those as well.
I finally ended up with a suitable route. We’d start at the parking area at the south end of Long Pond, hike west on Cold Brook Trail, then hike up Mansell Mountain on the Razorback Trail.
From there, we’d descend on Great Notch Trail, then turn onto Long Pond Trail to travel along the west shore of the lake, where the mountain would shield us from the afternoon sun. The loop was 4.7 miles.
Many bodies of water in Acadia are closed to swimming (and wading dogs), but Long Pond is an interesting case. Swimming is only prohibited within 1,000 feet of the intake on the southern end of the pond. Therefore, I didn’t need to feel guilty about Juno cooling off in the water when we reached it over a mile from the south end.
I carried a collapsible dog bowl and water for Juno, but didn’t need it. Throughout the hike, the trail visited a number of small brooks, the water clear and ice-cold as it flowed off the mountain. Juno was drawn to each and every one, and I allowed her as much time as she wanted to splash and drink.
Though more than a dozen cars lined the road at the trailhead, our hike was fairly quiet. We passed three small groups, as well as a solo hiker. And along the Long Lake Trail, we passed a few picnickers. We also came across a small sailboat anchored off the rocky shore, its white sail snapping in the breeze and its captain nowhere to be found.
Sheep laurel was in bloom. Lining the trail on the upper reaches of the mountain, these dense bushes were dotted with small, vibrant pink flowers that I look forward to seeing each year.
Butterflies were also out in abundance. Most of them fluttered away before I could photograph them, but I did manage to snap a shot of a red admiral butterfly perched on the branch of a white cedar tree. With black and red-orange wings, they are quite large and flashy.
For much of the hike, trees sheltered us from the sun. But there was a stretch of open bedrock near the top of the mountain where we couldn’t hide from the sun’s hot rays. Despite the breeze, I sweated through my shirt in no time. It’s remarkable how much cooler it can be in the shade.
Much of the hike was gradual, though there were plenty of rocks, tree roots and stone steps to navigate. Near the top, a few steep sections caused Juno to pause, but with a little encouragement, she scrambled right up.
The trail network of Acadia is made up of many intersecting paths, which can make navigating tricky if you aren’t paying attention and using a trail map. While I’d hiked Mansell Mountain before, the loop was a new route to me. I had never walked the Long Pond Trail. To stay on course, I checked my map at every intersection.
The Long Pond Trail ended up being the perfect final leg of our hike. The path was mostly smooth and flat with just a few short sections of rocky terrain. In many places, our footfalls were cushioned by pine needles. The air smelled of evergreen sap.
By the end of the hike, I was proud of my route selection. It ended up being the perfect adventure for a hot day, and Juno has stopped throwing toys at me. For now.
