Continued from the previous page.

After the first false peak the trail ascends more steeply for about a quarter mile to a more gentle grade for the remaining mile-plus to the summit:

Just follow the blue blazes up.

  Looking back down at the little pond in the saddle

Above most of the trees now

On the open rocks the views back down were more interesting than the ones going toward the summit so I frequently turned around to take photos of the mountainside and ocean:

 

 

Besides all the great views, I also enjoyed the colorful rocks on this route. Most of Cadillac Mountain is composed of reddish-pink granite:

Much of the granite above 1,000 feet is partially covered with contrasting bright green algae (lichens?). A pretty bluish-gray and other subtle colors decorate other rocks:

 

It was fun to spot all the different colors on the rocks.

About half a mile from the summit a trail comes up from Bubble Pond. The intersection is marked with a tall sign and pile of rocks. The trail continued to the summit through some more trees:

 

 

It is 3½ miles from the trailhead I used to the parking area on the summit but I reached the true summit a little before that. It's right about where I'm standing when I took the next photo.

The store and parking area are a little farther ahead, below the arrow:

I spent about 45 minutes on the summit. There were fewer people that morning than the first afternoon when Jim and I drove up to the top.

You can follow trails like the one below and/or wander around the bedrock for different views:

I showed some other views from the summit in a previous entry.

I sat down for several minutes to eat my lunch and watch the boats down in Bar Harbor. There was a large cruise ship anchored off-shore, more visible to the naked eye than most of the smaller boats:

 

Smaller boats came and went from the cruise ship, taking passengers to shore.

Most of these smaller boats were anchored out in the water; some were moving.

About 10:15 I could see the four-masted schooner Margaret Todd leaving the harbor and beginning to hoist its sails as it neared the cruise ship. Jim and I had seen it earlier in the harbor when we wandered around the town.

No sails hoisted yet; the Margaret Todd looked big compared to
smaller ships in the harbor but she was dwarfed by the cruise ship.

Two of the four sails are up now. I wonder what the passengers thought of that big cruise ship?

We have reservations for a 2 PM windjammer cruise on the boat on Monday. That appeals to us a lot more than being on a large cruise ship for any length of time.

Before leaving the summit I went into the Eco Store to browse for a couple minutes. In addition to touristy items like mugs and t-shirts you can also get books about the park, detailed trail and carriage road maps, framed photos, calendars, etc.

On the way down the mountain I wandered off-course a couple times in the first mile so I could see down to Bubble Pond:

There is so much exposed granite that hikers aren't likely to damage plants by going off-trail along the upper parts of the Cadillac South Ridge Trail.

Here's one last shot going down:

If I'd had another day to hike this mountain I would have liked to go up one of the steeper trails and come down this one. That requires two vehicles or a buddy to pick you up at the end, however.

I highly recommend this trail if you're in good enough shape to hike up 1,500 feet elevation from sea level and back down for a total of at least seven miles. The footing is mostly good and the spectacular views make all the effort worthwhile.

Next entry:  windjammer cruise on the Margaret Todd four-masted schooner

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup

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© 2014 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil