Day 11 - Last day in Acadia and heading to Katahdin! by Kenny & Kristen

We got up early with hopes to get a good view of the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain (which claims to have the first sunrise on the east US coast). And it was supposed to be a nice and sunny day - ideal for good views! Unfortunately, it seemed everyone else in the park also had this idea. Since we were coming from Ellsworth, we hit the road at about 4:45 which should have put us on the top about a half hour early. But by the time we got there, the entire road up Cadillac Mountain was full and a complete nightmare of a parking mess. There were tons of people there and at some points people were just parking in the road (on only two total lanes of road). So I let Kristen out so she could at least catch the view while I handled the parking mess. I did end up finding a spot and running up to the top, to catch an already rose sun but at this point Kristen was already on her way down. The view itself was amazing, but if you're looking to see it, plan to get there way earlier than we did and/or hike up to it to see it.  From here, we drove over the the precipice trail head where we were going to begin our hike for the day. This trail is supposed to be the most "thrilling" hike of the park where at points you are climbing up ladders and rails on the sides of cliffs. Kristen was pretty nervous for this but we were determined to try and get it done. The trail starts off in a long set of stairs and at some points you really are climbing straight up. It is a TON of fun though and only about 3.15 miles round trip - but still takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes. The view from the top was definitely worth the crazy climb. The hike did start backing up as we were on our way down at around 9:40 am so you definitely want to start early.  After the hike, we wanted to see the quiet side of the island as well so we drove around pretty much the entire perimeter of Mt Dessert Island. We got to see a lot more of the shore line which was really pretty and some of the smaller villages that are also on the island which was neat.  After this, we stopped for gas and some supplies for the evening and made our drive to Millinocket Main where we would get to Baxter state park. We had a cabin booked in the Nesowadnehunk Fields which was super awesome AND had a wood stove! We got here a bit early so we could get some food cooked and settle in early because we knew we were going to have another long day in the morning. The plan was to get up at 4am in order to make it to the trail head by around 5am or so to start the hike. It was only supposed to be about 5.3 miles to the peak and then another mile or so across the knife edge - weather permitting.  Once we were cozy and warm (thanks to the wood-stove!) in our cabin, we cuddled in to get some good rest - after Kristen had her hot chocolate of course!.

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