Few places on Earth can boast a mixed Northern Hardwoods/Coniferous Forest on Granite Mountains meeting by the edge of the Sea. In the far Northeast of the United States, one such place exists - Acadia National Park, Maine.
In the handful of times I have visited this place, perhaps the one thing that truly never leaves me is the smell of the Sea mingled with the scent of Fir. The fragrance inundates your senses with such pure Earthly air. If you have experienced this sensation, you know what I’m talking about. If not, all I can say is it practically forces you to succumb, willingly mind you, to the whim of Nature.
Acadia is also famous for it’s sunrises. Most notably from Cadillac Mountain, where one can be the first (along with a few hundred other people) to witness the first rays of the rising sun to touch the US. I do highly recommend this experience. But I also have made it a point to find other, quieter places to take in the dawning of a new day. On this particular morning, awaking from my hammock in the wee hours on the “Quiet Side” of Acadia, I enjoyed an utterly peaceful hike along Ship Harbor Trail all to myself…
As the darkness slowly gives in to soft blue light and your headlamp is no longer required, you see the mist and the fog lifting off the cliffs and sea. The ocean calmly lapping the rocky shores. From the canopy of forest, a burning red sun breaches the Atlantic. Moments later the glowing orb’s rays turn sea to gold and glisten trees with speckled light, softened by the misty atmosphere. Salty breezes blow in and dance with the sweetly dank aroma of the surrounding fir. Back and forth, salt and sweet, ocean lapping - such a tranquil state of being.
“Tranquil State of Being” - Brandon Kline
