Waiting for the Sun on Cadillac Mountain, Maine: America's First Sunrise

[Nicholas Kontis]

 

Waking up at 5 am on a Saturday morning is not my idea of a fun way to begin my weekend. However, being in Bar Harbor, Maine, gateway to Acadia National Park and home to Cadillac Mountain, Told by more than one local, "You just have to get out of bed at 4 a.m. and hike up to Mount Cadillac to see America's First Sunrise," so how could I refuse America's First Sunrise. It would rude wouldn't it.  I did not hike up to the summitt of Mount Cadillac. I let Japanese rental car engineering take me to the top, as did most of my fellow "hardy souls."  In my life I have pulled many an "all nighter," but this early day was clearly by design. After all, America's first sunrise is not a daily occurrence. Clearly a once in a lifetime event for most of us. After all I had climbed up Annapurna and made it to Base Camp and most recently up Ynapicchu, Machu Picchu's highest peak in Peru. So, one hour out in the cold should be no problem? Wrong, I did not come prepared and boy was it cold.The wind chill factor was 20 degress. That's not my California. I was never cold in Nepal, nor Peru. I thought that my hands were going to fall off. So, if you come, bundle up, and get ready to bear the cold.  Trust me when I say that at 5:00 am even when the weatherman assures you of a 65 degree day in Maine by noon on a  mid September day, be ready. The weatherman was not talking aboutnrise on  Cadillac Mountain at 5am. I cannot remember too many times in my existence being as cold as I was on this September day on Cadillac Mountain. Wear gloves, and layer your clothing, or you will freeze like I thought that  I would. Frozen or not, the drive or hike up Cadillac Mountain is worth the trek.

 

You will be in awe as the burnt orange and yellow sun rises toward you.  Wake early, dress warm, it goes by quickly and then before you know it, the sun is up and you can plan your day. Many, fellow "brave hearts" simply go back to sleep. Not I for I love a National Park early in the day then you are the only one around. Also, being as early as I was, I was able to avoid park entrance fees, as even the rangers hadn’t showed up yet. Pretty cool, to be up before Ranger Rick. Sometimes the best travel tales require a little hardship, and a pinch of wing it,  and thus  provide the greatest memories. Here’s a  crazy thought bring some hot coffee or hot chocolate. Now, why didn’t I think of that? You’ll be happy to know that the author and his ten fingers in ten toes arrived in Los Angeles intact and is now sitting in a hot tub in Malibu, California sipping a Macallen's 18 year old single malt in hand, planning his next trip, to Scotland in November.

 

 

Cadillac Mountain is commonly believed to be the first location in the United States to be struck by the sun’s rays each morning. Driving or hiking to the summit of Cadillac Mountain to see “the nation’s first sunrise” is a popular activity among visitors of Acadia National Park. However, Cadillac only sees the first sunrise in the fall and winter, when the sun rises south of due east. During most of the spring and summer, the sun rises first on Mars Hill, 150 miles (240 km) to the northeast. For a few weeks around the equinoxes, the sun rises first at West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine, the easternmost town in the United States.

On a clear day, it is possible to see Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest mountain, to the north and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia to the east, both over one hundred miles away.

 

 

The Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail follows old Native American footpaths and a former buckboard road up spectacular 1,532-foot Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic coast. Like many of the ridge trails in Acadia, this one is along exposed granite ledges much of the way, offering grand views of land and sea. Here the views include Bar Harbor, Frenchman Bay, and a series of distinctive rocky islands, beginning with Bar Island and extending into the bay with the Porcupines.

Learn more about the great state of Maine.

www.mainethingstodo.com