Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA: Otter Point and Gorham Mountain

Dwight Peck's personal website

Summer 2007 -- Late September in the USA

Coastal path, sandy beach, stubby granite summit, and a squirrel

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Yesterday, it was a nice 'hikish' up Cadillac Mountain, but today we're looking for a gentle coastal walk. Kristin scopes out Otter Point at the southeastern tip of Mount Desert Island, looking westward towards Western Point -- today, however, we're walking north towards Newport Cove. 1 October 2007.

The "Ocean Path" northward rises a bit up over Otter Cliff on a well-prepared tourist sort of path, part of Acadia National Park.

The first destination, the sandy beach at Newport Cove, with "The Beehive" up on the left and Great Head out to the right. The "Park Loop" tourist road runs right along the coast next to the path, so that people can enjoy the scenic coastline from any number of carparks along the way.

Looking back southward towards Otter Cliff. The wheelchair-accessible path is on the right.

Kristin has to pause in our hike to take an important telephone call.

Kristin has to spend a little longer on her telephone call.

Kristin signalling that this is a really important telephone call.

Maybe we should just jump.

Kristin's important telephone call.

Back on the hoof, the sandy beach at Newport Cove -- we're heading out around Great Head behind.

The trail out around Great Head is mostly 30 meters or so above the sea, so there's a brief scramble up off the beach to start it off.

A brief pause out on Great Head to have a snack and make a few important calls.

Once around Great Head, we're in the market for a different way back to the car at Otter Point. That's The Beehive trail up there, with several people apparently stuck on it halfway up.

The Beehive Trail. Which looks a bit out of the way for today.

Kristin, gazing at the The Beehive trail, settles on Gorham Mountain instead.

The gentler Gorham trail provides more welcome opportunities for explaining the plight of the Palestinians to a receptive audience.

From the side of Gorham Mountain, a look back down at Great Head and the sandy beach of Newport Cove.

Cadillac and Dorr Mountains from the south-southeast.

Mr Peck looking around for the Gorham Mountain summit marker. Kristin's in this photo, too.

Kristin looking all about for the elusive summit marker, and with an eye out for cute little squirrels.

There it is -- the Gorham Mountain summit, rising granitely 160m (522 feet) from the seashore below, with various Cranberry and associated islands in the offing.