568 - Cadillac Mountain
Today I decided to escape the clutches of fall by hiking the tallest hill on the eastern seaboard- Cadillac Mountain.
This “mountain” was named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac- a French explorer that also founded the city of Detroit. Coincidently, the car company Cadillac (founded in Detroit) was also named after this man.
I’m not sure how I’ve never heard of this guy before, but he clearly gets around.
Now, since the mountain is named after a car, they obviously give you the option to drive to the top. But since I’m more impulsive than a dog in a ball pit, I randomly decided today would be the day I’d shoot it. And it turns out, it’s the most popular thing to do in Acadia National Park.
Go figure. I’ve been running around this place for several days now, completely clueless on the monstrous mountain in my backdrop.
And it turns out, you need tickets to drive up it. And guess what? They’ve been sold out for weeks. Because of fall.
Which left me with one option- hike it. 4.4 miles roundtrip, 1,000+ feet of elevation gain, a walk back in the dark. What could go wrong?
Turns out, nothing. Except my cockiness on the matter.
For context, you need to know that when I’m not doing photography, there’s a good chance I’m running. It’s my secret, now not-so-secret hobby. Right now I probably average 25-30 miles a week. So when I saw this measly hike, I laughed it off like the Joker on Halloween.
…and started my ascent one hour before sunset.
All was fine and dandy for the first half hour. But when I sat down for a quick drink, I realized my pace was ridiculously slow. Like… atrociously slow. For some reason I didn’t equate that hiking ≠ running pace… And it’s not even close.
Then I realized I was rising 1,000 feet in two miles, with a giant backpack full of camera gear, food, and water, taking photos every 5 minutes. Yeah, that’d do it. Fuck me.
I looked at my clock. 30 minutes to make it to the top, and I’m only halfway.
I could see the sun lowering in the distance, and the light was already getting good. In 15 minutes it’d dip behind the hills and I’d have nothing to work with. I needed to hustle.
Switching my mind into exercise mode, I busted my chops for the next 20 minutes and somehow made it to the top. I guess this is one of the benefits of having running as a side hobby. You can bust out moves like this.
I looked around the summit, and a cool breeze hit me. Sweat was dripping down my back, but it turned cold as the wind whipped through my sweatshirt. I shivered.
The composition I landed on was an old classic. Layered mountains in the distance:
“Caked Up”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3
[ISO 400 ~ 295.7mm ~ f/10 ~ 1/1000s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
I always find that having long telephoto lenses when you’re on top of mountains is the best. You can zoom in one niche details around you and land on something cool.
Ironically it’s the complete opposite for being at the base of mountains, where wide-angle lenses come in handy.
Anyway. That’s that hike. My first fall-free adventure in awhile.
Stay tuned. Next time I hit a lighthouse and get torched by a wave.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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