ISSUE 53: Bar Harbor in September
Four days of getting lost in the mountains, the sea -- some bubbly & 3 great books. (do yourself a favour & book a trip with another mom)
The Debrief is a weeklyish newsletter - because the post life event chats are (almost) always better than the event itself. Forever honest and aesthetic driven.
A week and a half ago I was in Maine taking long deep breaths of salt air, climbing up rocky mountains with the September sun warming the inside of my soul, holding onto iron rungs, eating lobster, drinking prosecco, wandering in and out of my favourite book shops while drinking lattes, all with zero responsibility.
I was with my friend Ellen and it was our third girls trip.
Andrew and I are at the point of life where it is very difficult to get away just the two of us - yet we know how life giving taking a real break from all of the responsibilities of life can be. So we’ve both been taking a trip with a friend for the past three summers and I can’t tell you how much I recommend it.
Where we went
Bar Harbor - Naturally
If you know me at all, this destination comes as no surprise. My chest is attached to this location and when a waiter at Havana asked if this was our first trip to Bar Harbor, I delighted in admitting that I’ve been coming for almost 20 years.
Where we stayed
Acadia Yurts - Precipice Tiny House & Acacia House Inn Bed & Breakfast
Ellen joked that we keep upgrading year over year when it comes to the places we choose to stay in, and I have to agree. This summer when we were all in Maine, we drove by Acadia Yurts on our way to a hike and I remember Andrew telling me I should look the place up for my trip with Ellen - so I did and sadly you can only book the yurts one week at a time but they had a tiny home available and it was perfect.
The location was quiet, I delighted in brushing pine needles off the chairs out front in the early morning before sipping coffee and reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry before we took off for the day, the ceilings were tall, we saw the same deer three nights in a row on our drive back at night, we popped bubbly and unloaded on all that it means to both be moms to twins plus one more. We listened to This Summer Will be Different, and then to People We Meet on Vacation. (I never would have thought that listening to an audio book with a friend would count as time well spent, but I’m now realizing that audio books may just be one of my favourite things in life.)
Next we headed to Acacia House Inn in downtown Bar Harbor. Andrew and I stayed here when it first opened almost 18 years ago (I think) and it was like nothing had changed. The rooms are still adorable, the owners so kind, the breakfasts insanely good. The location is right down the road from the bar island walk and when my alarm went off at 6am on our last morning (and we’d had a generous amount to drink the night before) - I knew getting up and down to the ocean would be work it and gosh it was.
Where we hiked
Cadillac Mountain & Precipice - Naturally
The first morning after we arrived we headed up the ladder trail, over Dorr and up Cadillac. We did the same hike this summer and the kids insisted I take Ellen up it too. I love this hike for the steep climb, the rush of cardio and the views.
The second day we circled the path above Sand Beach. It was so different being at Sand Beach with so few people. In the summer it’s a mad dash for parking and a slice of the sand. In September it felt easy and beautiful.
For our last hike we did Precipice. Ellen had been googling things like “deaths on precipice trail” and “how hard is Precipice Acadia” and while I didn’t want to convince her to do the trail - I also wanted to badly do the trail. Precipice is closed in the summer for falcon nesting so I haven’t done this trail since before we had children (when we used to always come in September instead of July).
Precipice turned out to be fun, almost easy honestly. The rungs are plenty but they make the climb a lot easier than say the ladder trail on the way up Cadillac. There are always places to hang on and the views of the ocean while you climb are fantastic.
Where we did everything else
Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor & Beyond
I wish I could add about 40 more photos to this substack but alas I am getting the “approaching email length” warning so I will do this the quick way & you can follow along on instagram to see the rest when I post them this week.
Where we ate:
Sidestreet café for pulled pork mac&cheese, mango margs and fish tacos
Havana for a meal you’ll dream about for an entire year
Thurston’s Lobster Pound to have your very first lobster where it didn’t arrive all pretty on a plate and you actually have to follow instructions and get the meat out yourself (I can’t wait to go here with Andrew and the kids next summer)
Rosalie’s pizza for takeout (and lunch the next day)
Colonels Restaurant for Blueberry Donuts
The Salt Market for a latté (and honestly the gorgeous branding)
Where we shopped:
A&B Naturals for an adorable pumpkin beeswax candle
Sherman’s bookstore
The Nook
New at Ash Izsak Studio
Lots! And I’m slowly updating it over here (but website updates are coming too)!
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Thank you for reading. I used to write a lot so this feels good. — Ashley.
What’s the book, Ashley?
Adding these recos for my next trip there! Looks so dreamy in the Fall too 🍂😍