Spring walk, Acadia

It’s spring, spring is here! I’m feeling it. I’m finishing up some winter projects. My friend’s book has been uploaded to the publisher. I’m wearing my Last Word vest that I cast on impulsively at the beginning of March. A few seeds are sprouting indoors, and peas and favas have been planted outdoors. We took a walk in Acadia on Tuesday, enjoying the park before it gets crowded. The carriage trails were officially closed due to soft soils, but we didn’t find them soft at all, so we proceeded. We walked around Eagle Lake, which is a foolhardy almost-six miles, and I was exhausted at the end. I stayed exhausted for two days and am finally feeling pretty much back to normal energy levels.

I was thrilled to see three mourning cloak butterflies, my favorite butterfly. They are so beautiful and so early. One flew past us, turned, and flew past us again, several times as though it were curious. I couldn’t get close enough for a photo, but there’s a butterfly on the ground in the photo below.

On the west side of the lake, we passed a few vernal pools and one was alive with wood frogs. They make a distinctive quacking noise like a flock of ducks.

The east side of the lake involves a long stretch of clambering over boulders. I got into a frame of mind where I saw it as play, and felt like a child, even though my old legs were not that happy. I had sturdy boots on, which helped.

As we finished up the hike, the mountains (hills?) again became visible to the south. I always think this prominent little mountain is one of the Bubbles, but my Peakfinder app identified it as Pemetic. The North Bubble is peeking out on Pemetic’s right, further away. I don’t know if I’ll ever learn the names of these mountains.

It is odd to think that just a few months ago we were skiing ON TOP OF this lake, on thick ice and snow. No signs of any ice-fishing huts today.

As we were leaving the parking lot, there was a young snapping turtle crossing the road. Unfortunately, a small group of people showed up at that moment, the first we’d seen since we started walking. I wasn’t in the mood for human interaction especially since they didn’t seem that respectful of the turtle, so we left.

It was great to be outside, watching the animals and plants starting to come alive. Other parts of the country are experiencing hot weather, so I’m very grateful for the spring coolness. We had a thunderstorm last night, very unusual for this time of year, with loud long rolls of thunder.

I think it’s time to get serious about spring gardening.