My Triumph at Cadillac Mountain

First Stop on the Way Up Cadillac Mountain

Today was a triumphant day.

Fog Rolling in and Out

We drove to Acadia National Park again, this time to see Cadillac Mountain.

Bar Harbor from Look Out Ascending Cadillac Mountain

As you can see from this look out point on the way up to the summit, the fog was rolling in and out.

Apparently, fog is a big part of being in Maine so learning to appreciate a foggy day is part of the Maineiac experience! 

The Gorgeous Granite that Covers Cadillac Mountain

Once we parked at the top of Cadillac mountain, we spent about 1 1/2 hours climbing around on the rocks (with some breaks to sit and rest!)

I'm obsessed with this granite that covers Cadillac Mountain--made of Quartz (white), Hornblende (black) and Feldspar (pink).

There are a lot of steep and tricky areas on the mountain, and while my FitBit doesn't say I took a ton of steps, we all sure did work hard to hike around!

At the Top!

While the sun did pop through a bit and we could see beautiful views of the mountains, we couldn't see much of the ocean.

Cadillac Mountain is the highest summit along the Atlantic coast.

So Many Gorgeous Views

It is known for being able to see spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

I found every ounce of this part of Acadia mesmerizing, and am so glad we spent an entire afternoon here.

The Fog Made it Difficult to See the Ocean

We spent enough time here to see the fog rolling in and out, the sunlight changing, the light glistening differently on the mountains, rocks and water.

A Glimpse of the Ocean in the Background

And, oh did we ever climb around on these gorgeous pink granite rocks! It is steep and hilly and uneven and crazy hard. I don't know how I did it, but I. Did. It!

So what if most people double my age were passing me? Ha!

In my world I was a Rock Star today. I was taking on the world.

Taking a Breather!

Even the puppies seemed to really enjoy the outing. 

They also got a LOT of attention for being so cute.

The Puppies Did SO Well!

We spent our entire afternoon focused on this one part of Acadia, and that helped me to really stay in the moment. I didn't want to rush through this. I didn't want to just take a quick picture and head to the next stop.

Some Ocean Can Be Seen!

Succeeding in staying in the moment felt incredible.

I let myself watch the fog rolling over the mountains.

Tovah Rose took it all in!

And so did Mr. Gershwin.

One Last Shot from the TOP!

The biggest challenge for me when I am on a big outing is trying not to think about how I might feel later, how sick I might feel, if I might have a miserable crash or an autonomic storm. 

Anxiety and a sense of unease can easily slip into my thoughts.

What will the consequences of my actions be?

Look Out On the Way Down

Am I overdoing? I often feel fine while I'm doing the activity, but I don't know how much is too much.

At This Look Out on the Way Down we Could See Some Ocean

My body doesn't let me know until later.

Tonight, I didn't start to feel sick until after dinner.

Then, I started to worry that maybe I wouldn't feel well enough for the nature cruise we are scheduled to take tomorrow.

I am sure this is a completely normal and constant struggle for people with my type of illness who suffer from post-exertional malaise--meaning we often don't feel sick until AFTER we have tried something. 

I keep pushing because I want to keep getting stronger, but too much pushing can mean a big setback.

Still, I don't like the anxiety that creeps in and takes away from living in the moment. Even the alarm on my phone reminding me to take my meds (or else!) reminds me to take a step back. 

Regardless of the consequences, I'll never forget this day or this place. I'll never forget how strong my body was today and how many pieces of beautiful granite I walked on, the puppies by my side and Mom climbing along with me. 

I'll never forget that I did something today that I haven't done in 18 years--I huffed and puffed and stretched and climbed and walked and felt STRONG.

Of Course We Stopped at the Gift Shop at the Top!

Climbing to the top of Cadillac Mountain today, the highest summit on the Atlantic Coast, was indeed a triumph of my very own. I was on top of this great mountain, but also, I was on top of my own world.

Blessings,

Emily

Our First Trip to Acadia: Sand Beach

View of Porcupine Islands and Schoodic Point

Saturday was a perfect day weather-wise, so we decided to get our bearings at Acadia National Park. We lost quite a bit of time trying to get oriented and figuring out where to go, but now that we know what we're doing, the trips will be a bit easier.

Sand Beach

It is a 45 minute drive from where we are staying to Acadia, so we have a bit of a time constraint given my energy level. 

On our first trip, other than stopping at a couple of look out points, we decide to spend most of our time at Sand Beach.

The photos speak for themselves. 

This place is stunning in every way. It's nestled between granite mountains and rocky shores. The beach is made up mostly of shell fragments. The water is two glorious shades of blue. Behind Sand Beach is a funky mountain called The Beehive. :) 

I did a lot of walking on the beach and quite a lot of stairs.

So, my ANS freaked out and I had a night of not sleeping and day of crashing out and not feeling well the next day.

Sadly, illness doesn't disappear on vacation, nor do the ups and downs of good days and bad days!

Other than Sand Beach, we drove the Park Look Road around all of Acadia and got a sense of our next stops.

It's so hard for me to reign myself in on vacation.

I want to see it all and do it all. This place is incredible and there are so many things to try and to experience. 

I spent yesterday a little blue, feeling sorry for myself that I had to pay such a big price physically for the big outing. (I've been having some cause-unknown spasms in my belly that keep me up at night.) The poor sleep has been a challenge lately.

I Love the Contrast of Ocean, Sand, Rocks and Trees

It's interesting how quickly I want more.

Or how quickly I can make 'vacation' stressful thinking about all of the things I want to try to pack in during our stay.

The reality is that all of us struggle with the same things. We feel pressure to see and do it all, and forget to relax.

The Beehive

Somehow, for me, I feel like I am making up for so many years of missing out on all that the world has to offer, it's hard to slow myself down.

But if I don't BREATHE and enjoy this beauty, even if it means seeing LESS rather than MORE, what is the point if I am miserable, anxious and stressed?

What I can do now, what I can do in a day, the fact that we are even on this trip and can take in this beauty is such a huge step from where I was even a year ago. And it was certainly unimaginable for most of the past 18 years.

Lots of Aspen and Birch Trees

I made a little list of the things I most want to see, and we hope we'll be able to make those outings happen.

Any of the 'extras' I listed will be exciting bonuses.

I really want to relish how much I can do, not focus on what I can't do.

Why is this so hard?

I have so much learning to do on the path of acceptance.

Notice the Pink in the Rocks (at a Lookout Point)

My next-day moping aside, Acadia is amazing and I am so excite to go back tomorrow to see Otter Point and Thunder Hole.

We Stopped Here for a Snack Break

 I also love that Acadia is dog-friendly so we can take the pups!

We ended our Saturday with another view of the gorgeous moon glistening over the water.

One More Night of The Gorgeous Moon 

I am in love with this place.

Blessings,

Emily