After traveling to Acadia, setting up camp and visiting a few local spots, I got a good night's rest. The next morning we had a good breakfast and set off in the car again. I knew it wouldn't be a long ride because we left all our camping stuff behind. Before I knew it we were getting out of the car and we were on a wonderful, wide road. It wasn't paved, but it wasn't dirt, either. It was like tiny stones, and it felt better on my paws than pavement. Daddy said they were called Carriage Roads and they were better than the paved roads where he had to drive our car! It was hot, but not so hot that I didn't want to hike!

Before long we left the Carriage Road and we got on a real trail! I scrambled up some rocks and along the trail and then I found it! Just what I had been looking for! The thing that I probably like best about hiking when it's hot. I like to find a nice, stinky, disgusting mud puddle that is more mud than water. I find that the stinky, smelly mud cools me down better than water, and the mud protects me from the sun and from the nasty bugs I hate so much! I have been trying to get mommy and daddy to try it for years, but they are less than enthusiastic about the whole thing, so I just go about taking a nice wallow and enjoying it myself!

When mommy and daddy were finally able to coax me out of the mud and I was convinced that they weren't going in to try it, we were off on the trail again. Daddy cheered my muddy little self along the trail, but soon we came to a spot where I needed a little boost up the rocks. He stuck his hand under my little butt and up I went! He says he still has crud under his fingernails from helping me. He's so funny!

Soon we came to a spot where I could look around us, and I could see we were getting up high! I could see the ocean away far away, and something daddy called Somes Sound, which is like a long harbor. Before too long we were at the top of the first hill. It was called Parkman Mountain, but it was hot and dry up in the sun and I didn't wan to stay too long. There was a nice breeze, though, so I didn't get too hot. Soon we were hiking down into the cool shade of the woods again. That is what I like about Acadia: You can be up on top of a bald summit in not too much time, but you don't have to stay above the trees for a long time like on the big Presidentials.

Soon we were heading up again and soon we came out onto another bald place. This one was called Gilmore Peak. Mommy and daddy weren't sure if we should go on because of the heat and my leg, but I felt fine and was doing well, so we continued with our plan of going to Sargent Mountain. On the way we crossed a nice brook and I gave some of my mud a new home. We found a place where I could crawl under a rock and mommy and daddy could eat their lunch, and share all that they had with me.(I had already eaten everything mommy brought for me!) From Sargent Mountain we backtracked a little , then followed the Maple Brook Trail back down to the Carriage Road. Although it was kind of tricky because much of the trail was on wet rocks, the trail wound back and forth across the stream in a beautiful, narrow gully. It might not be much fun in high-water!

Now we were back down to the Carriage Road. There was a beautiful stone bridge where it crossed Maple Brook and the trail we were on. The trail continued for some ways, but we got off and back on the Carriage Road and we were back at the car before we knew it. Back at the car it was decided that we all needed a place to cool off and maybe to swim. Daddy took us to Ike's Point which is really a boat launch, but there is a nice sandy bottom on Echo Lake, and no one to say that I'm not allowed there! After cooling off we went back to camp and had a great supper! That night we went to Ship Harbor and then watched the sunset at Bass Harbor. Next day was a LONG drive home, but I didn't care. I just snoozed and rested my leg. I am happy to report it feels good an I hope to resume my hiking career little by little with trips like this!

Emma