A little hike

We’re having a January thaw. Enough snow and ice disappeared that we could take a chance on hiking up McFarland Mountain in Acadia.

There were some great views.

Patchy snow and melting ice. It was possible to keep our footing though.

It was awe-inspiring to be surrounded by the peaks of Acadia.

We took a wrong turn looking for the trailhead and walked up to a building. A young woman in a ranger uniform was working on some equipment installed on an outside wall. Air-quality monitoring, she said. We’re getting better ozone readings and less acidic rain, but more particulates (from wildfires). Science. Sam said “You still have a job!” She smiled and said she was surprised and happy about that.