This was the third trip to Maine, but the first where Isaac could hike all by himself.  We conquered two mountains--Ste. Sauver and Gorham Mountain, both on the smaller side, but both tremendous climbs for Isaac.  We had been preparing all summer.  Isaac twice climbed Crow's Hill Ledge and has done Mt. Wachusett before, so we knew hecould do it.  Its never really a matter of ability, but one of desire.  Climbing up Ste. Sauver was a long slow hike as Isaac stopped and wandered off once every five or so minutes.  

Thinking about it from his perspective, it seems kind of silly--this arbitrary drive to get to the top.  Why? Its not like its Everest.  And while the views are great, there are a lot of places along the way that have just as good of views.  I guess it would be like running a marathon through the Field Museum, right past Sue the T-Rex.  Of course you stop and look.  But we finally made it to the top of both mountains.

Ste. Sauver does not have that impressive of a peak, still well below the treeline, you can't see much of anything.  At the top Isaac and everyone else played around and then hiked to the bottom.  But Gorham Mountain is taller and its peak is above the treeline so the view is amazing.  Here is a shot of all of us, in panaroma, at the top of Gorham Mountain.  

There were a number of false summits and each afforded an amazing view.  At the top of the mountain, we took a break and ate lunch.  Isaac was quite good, hopping around and hanging out with everyone, including random hikers.  He even got so busy talking that he had to put his dried mango on P-Pa's shoulder.  That's where you put dried mango, right?

As we sat there we could see the ocean and the inlets around Acadia.  Fog rolled up a valley behind the mountain and we all took in the incredible view.  These aren't real mountains like out West, but for a little guy and his family, the views were awesome and the accessibility was impressive.  Oh, and Isaac, had a good ride down the mountain--I carried him on my shoulders the entire way.

Last week we were on vacation in Maine with Nanna and P-Pa and it was a splendid adventure.  Everything about it was fun--the road trip up, the house, the hiking, the food, the ocean, even the ride back.  Its over, but its fun to look back on it.  Here is a shot of Isaac in the big window at Tawney Cottage:



We arrived at Tawney Cottage after a brief and awesome stop in Freeport Maine (complete with LL Bean world HQ and a great knife shop).  This is the third time Isaac had been to Tawney Cottage, but the first time he could really come and go as he pleased.  The first time he was just learning to walk doing the Frankenstein thing, the second time he was still leery of steps, but this time it was all out all the time. 

The house is not really a cottage.  It is pretty massive and a wonderfully designed place.  There are tons of nooks and crannies for Isaac to sneak around in and he loved it.  He would hide things in various spots and then, right before bed, remember where they are.  Many a minute was spent looking for a moose or a stuffed lobster. 

He was also fascinated by the number of windows, and frankly so was I.  The shot above is taken in a bay window in the master bedroom.  It overlooks Southwest Harbor and the sight of fog peeling off the shore as the sun rises is impressive.  Isaac and spent a few minutes here each day planning our attack, which usually meant hiking or kayak riding or both. 

The house has access to the ocean and a small kayak.  Isaac and I have ridden in it before and this time we were able to do some real exploring.  We paddled over to the marina and checked out some positively enormous boats (120' sail boats and 200' yatchs).  We also managed to ride out to the ocean current as it first comes into the harbor.  Its hard to imagine, but in a kayak with a kid on your lap that's hard to overcome.  Isaac turned to me and asked me "Daddy, why aren't we going forward anymore."  I explained about the current and he was totally tuned in (thanks, in part, to the EAC scene in Finding Nemo).  We also patrolled an inlet and found jellies.  I was able to pick them up on the paddle and Isaac was thrilled to see them up close. 

All in all Tawney Cottage rocked.  It got Isaac's seal of approval. 

Maine is a few days away and all three of us are looking forward to hanging out by the ocean, hiking the pristine mountains, and looking at the exotic wildlife.  It will be a good recharge of the old batteries.  But, there is something else we are also looking forward to as well. A little racing, go kart style.  Here is the message:


Be ready, because we are the champs, and the rest are chumps!