Goat Trail, My Favorite Hike, Acadia Hike #5
If you would like to read my daughter's account of this hike you will find it here.
This hike was special. After hiking a couple of trails through the week Nina was a little tired and Gigi had to work. Aurora and I headed out. I asked her if she wanted to do a difficult or easy hike, and of course she said difficult. Goat Trail looked interesting. A 600ft climb over about 1/2 a mile, sounded fun.
Pictures curtesy of Hikingproject.comThe Goat Trail is just a small piece of the Norumbega Mountain Trail loop. After Goat Mountain the trail, in blue dashes, follows the top of the mountain. Then drops back down to the base and winds along a pond and through a beautiful Christmas tree forest. This trail is complete with wooden planks over wetlands and bridges over brooks. The scenery was tremendous and constantly changing. It was a little bit of everything Acadia has to offer.
And so we start.
It was a slow climb.
Goat Mountain.
Some of the trail had stairs built into the rock.
More Climbing
At some spots we had to climb straight up the rock. This is about 6ft high, not difficult and a lot of fun for Aurora.
These stones mark the path and point in the direction we need to continue. They are all throughout Acadia.
As we crept up to the top of the mountain, Aurora charged ahead!
We made it, the summit.
It was a great climb and I think Aurora gained a little confidence and enjoyed her daddy/daughter time.
Like the top of every mountain in Acadia it had breathtaking views. Paired with a clear blue sky it was a worthy reward.
As we walked on the top of the mountain the terrain changed from the climb. We were meet with colors, colors and more colors.
Never ending, always enjoyable!!
We climbed down the mountain, it was a much slower climb and very different than the previous two parts we had just hiked. We declined into a small pine forest. The smell was strong and refreshing.
A trek through a Christmas tree forest, there were many good ones to pick from.
As the pine forest ended the path opened up on a pond. A refection lay in the stillness of the water.
Fun, wooden broads slip through the woods.
Goat Mountain Hike
Two wooden bridges to complete the hike.This was by far my favorite hike. It contained such a variety of different elements and challenges. Goat Mountain made us work, the summit rewarded us with distant views and vibrant fall treats. A relaxing decent provided us with the sights and smells of a Indian Summer baked pine forest. Last but not least, wooden paths and bridges surrounded a pond that reflected clearly why we came to Acadia.
