Perspectives From Maine

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I spent the last week of August (mostly) in Maine. Traveling to Maine gave me a perspective I desperately albeit unknowingly needed, and I was actually glad to return to the desert where I live. One very odd side effect for me from vacations is how glad I am to return “home” when I finish. Sure, there is much to like about Maine. My trip taught me that there was also much to like about Nevada. As I returned on the plane (which took about 12 hours with the indirect route I flew and layovers), I thought about the surprising things I learned going to Maine and how its beauty helped me appreciate more the things I already have.

Optics

Maine is a much prettier state than Nevada on average. I know that this beauty comes at great cost. It was far more humid in Maine than I expected. Under the treeline, without wind, I was wet and sticky almost immediately. You have to go basically to the top of every peak to see anything, so unlike western hikes, you must reach your ultimate destination in order to get any validation and feedback. That’s the only place to rest. The peaks are also not all that high. The highest point in Acadia was under 1600 feet above sea level. Ok, a 1200 foot elevation gain is good, but I do about that much every week out west. Additionally, there is no more cover in Acadia as you get higher. More trees give way to very short trees, and so I get about as much shade near the top as I do on a 11800 foot high mountain out west.

At Acadia, there was a man playing bagpipes (for tips) at the top of the peak. I overheard the rangers talking about escorting him out (probably because he was making money). On one hand, I felt that it interrupted the experience. On the other hand, it felt a bit like Scotland standing atop the rocky crest and hearing the pipes on the wind. It was an interesting experience, but it was not even close to authentic. I visit national parks for a sense of authenticity, when it was wild, before we commercialized everything. Acadia doesn’t feel that way.

People in Maine are HUGE. Many of them were fat, but the ones who were obviously athletic were also thick and built. I didn’t realize that I would seem small and thin just by going to Maine. I am guessing part of that is the diet; everywhere you went there was always fried food, especially fried seafood, which is probably the only way to cook seafood as fast food and have it be “safe”. I saw precious few people exercising outside the parks, and I think that’s a high price to pay for fitness.

Price

Recreation and travel are expensive in Maine. Despite cheaper gas prices (by 10% compared to NV), it cost $7 just to drive into Maine on the freeway in tolls on the highway. I am spoiled by the fact that the intermountain west has few if any toll roads. We drive wherever whenever for whatever reason and don’t have to stop except to declare fruit at the California border. Additionally, the price structure for entertainment is lower out west. The state parks in Maine charge PER OCCUPANT of the vehicle, but in Nevada, it’s per vehicle, meaning that our one day hiking in a state park cost as much as it would to go to any National Park for the day. Pricey!

Contrast that to the west where a single annual pass grants you access to the federal parks as often as you want for the year for $80. It primarily drives me to Lake Mead, Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Red Rock, etc., because one pass gets me into all of those. State parks are PER PARK, but even at $5 per car, Nevada seems a whole lot cheaper than before.

Amenities differ out west. Apparently Acadia is VERY popular. You can access some parts of it for free, but inside the paywall, it’s crowded easily and early. We went to Acadia on a Wednesday during the school year, and by the time we got back to our car at 11AM, the parking lot was jammed full. I mean, Acadia has a shuttle but it’s nowhere near as convenient or nice as the one in Zion, and you can hike Zion without the parking/shuttle if you avoid the main canyon. It’s a strange dichotomy of public/private vendors, which worked so poorly for the Forest Service out west that it decided to hire its own employees rather than pay vendors. This works for me, because I’m actually a known entity in the local park area, so I get accommodations and allowances that other people don’t get because they know I volunteer with federal agencies and give me some things for free. Without other alternatives, without other parks, Acadia can demand whatever it likes.

Access

As soon as we drove into Maine, I wanted to start wandering through the vast forested expanses. I know however that just because the land looks vacant doesn’t mean I have access. I’ve been spoiled living in the Great Basin. It took 2.25 hours to drive from Belgrade ME to Acadia NP because we had to drive through rural Maine. In 2.5-3 hours, I can reach six different national parks from the Vegas area. Granted, I drive more miles, but I have more options, and as aforementioned I don’t have to pay tolls to get in and out of the state.

Out west, we have a myriad of public land. In fact, you can step outside the city limits into federal land and camp, hike, hunt, shoot, or go 4-wheeling unless otherwise prohibited. I was in Maine for almost a day before I was able to just wander into the woods. You see, most of that land, even if it’s wild, is actually private property. Organizations carved out small sections and donated them for public use, but that means that the free trails are short and not in good repair because they are not funded like the more distant options.

Acadia is on an island, and the park constitutes only part of the island. I like having places to go that are not federal fee areas, but the private land contains even more expensive amenities. The park has a one way road. Parking is at a premium. It’s slow traveling everywhere. The land they have was “generously” donated by some of the big wigs in industry of yesteryear- Rockefeller and the other evil industrialists who have actually “poisoned” the world. It amazes me that they are not vilified as if they could pay indulgences by donating this island to the park service. Camden state park was also once a national park holding, which would have been a nice additional option denied to us because it’s an additional fee.

Maine is a beautiful state. That beauty comes at great cost. Aside from those already mentioned, I knew that the lush forests, abundant blueberries, verdant grasses, and pleasant mornings all came at the cost of a Maine winter. There is more than meets the eye. Things cost more than I anticipated. There are more opportunities for outdoor recreation than I expected out west. I managed to visit two states I had never visited on this trip, but I find that I’m looking forward and more willing to travel now to visit the areas near my abode. Visiting Maine ironically helped me appreciate where I am.