Category Archives: Acadian on My Mind

Cadillac Mountain road closed 54 times in 2018 by crowds in Acadia

Acadia National Park rangers in 2018 closed the summit road to Cadillac Mountain to incoming vehicles 54 times because of traffic congestion, possibly accenting the need for a reservation system to park at the peak. The 54 closures at Cadillac occurred between June 26 and Oct. 24. The closures came as the number of visitors […]

End of federal shutdown comes in nick of time for Acadia National Park

An agreement to end the partial federal government shutdown came just in time for visitors and year-round staff at Acadia National Park in Maine. While the park was kept open during the 35-day-long shutdown and the closure came at the slowest time of year for the park and had little economic effect on surrounding communities, almost […]

Maine virtual race helps make new year resolutions, friends, and Stephen King connections

Get off to a good start with 2019 new year resolutions to get fit, do good and keep up with friends – join nearly 100 virtual racers and log miles from Acadia to Katahdin no matter where in the world you are. Earn a custom medal with a star for every 20-day streak of at least 1 mile a day, with a fifth big sequined star for 100 days in a row. Help raise funds for charity. And stop by and wave a virtual hello to Stephen King.

Ready, set, go! Team Lobster vs. Moose in virtual Millinocket, MDI marathon

In a showdown promising to be more fabled than that of the tortoise and the hare, Team Lobster vs. Team Moose face off starting today, in a virtual Mount Desert Island and Millinocket marathon to help benefit Friends of Acadia, Millinocket Memorial Library and Our Katahdin. Join in on the fun by signing up now for the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race, pick your team and set a personal mileage goal you feel you can meet between today and Oct. 14. Legendary coach Gary Allen will lead Team Lobster Virtual MDI, while epic Tricia Cyr of Moose Drop In of Millinocket will do the honors for Team Moose Virtual Millinocket. Read all about it here.

Hike Acadia’s 26 peaks – in real life, or virtually! – and earn this gold medal

The Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race Medals are in! Whether you love hiking Acadia’s 26 peaks or Katahdin, or are in training for the Mount Desert Island Marathon & Half or Millinocket Marathon & Half – or just love seeing a Google Street View photo of one of those real-life places pop up as you enter your walking, hiking or running miles in the virtual race course for the day – you, too, can earn this special medal. Made by the same company that makes the Boston and MDI Marathon medals, it features a raised profile of the Bubbles and Katahdin.

MDI Marathon named into Maine Running Hall of Fame – run it virtually now!

virtual races with medals

Congratulations to Mount Desert Island Marathon for being named into the Maine Running Hall of Fame! Proud to co-sponsor the virtual edition of this iconic race (and that of its sister race, Millinocket Marathon & Half) with you! If you’re running the MDI Marathon on Oct. 14, or the Millinocket race on Dec. 8 – or just dreaming about doing it one day – why not join the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race as part of your training – or your daydreaming? The Virtual Edition of the Sea to Summit Series entry page is live now. You can log your running, hiking or walking miles anywhere in the world. You can backdate your miles to July 20, and log them through the end of the day Dec. 8, after the running of the real-life Millinocket race.

Real-life, virtual journey on Down East Sunrise Trail raises funds for charity

virtual race

Won’t you virtually join Jennifer Popper as she approaches the Down East Sunrise Trail in real life, to raise more than $15,000 in memory of her husband Michael, for the East Coast Greenway Alliance and FreeWalkers? We added the Ellsworth to Gouldsboro section of the Down East Sunrise Trail to the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race in support of Jenn’s journey north. The Down East Sunrise Trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, and also the setting of Maine’s only all-night relay, Down East Sunrise Trail Relay, which had its fifth running last weekend. Everyone is a winner, even if you can’t complete the course from Acadia to Katahdin by Dec. 8. That’s because everyone who signs up will be helping to benefit charity, will earn the special Acadia to Katahdin Medallion, and will be entered into giveaways of Acadia, Millinocket and Stephen King-themed gifts. You can backdate your walking, hiking or running miles anywhere in the world, to July 20, and see your virtual race avatar move from Cadillac to Katahdin.

Hike Acadia’s 26 peaks, earn gold medal, aid charity

Have you ever hiked the 26 peaks of Acadia? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about it? Now there’s a way to earn a gold medal for bagging the peaks, or even for virtually “climbing” them, by signing up for the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race, which runs through Dec. 8, 2018. The virtual race helps raise funds for Acadia and Katahdin-area charities. We’re proud to co-sponsor the race with Mount Desert Island Marathon & Half and Millinocket Marathon & Half as the virtual edition of the Sea to Summit Series. Between now and Dec. 8, racers are virtually heading over the 26 peaks of Acadia, along the real-life MDI and Millinocket Marathon & Half routes, passing by the offices of the 3 charities benefiting from this virtual race, skirting by at least 6 sites associated with Stephen King, and finishing on Katahdin. Everyone’s a winner whether they complete the race route by Dec. 8 or not, because every participant gets a medal, helps charity and enters a giveaway of Acadia, Millinocket and Stephen King-themed gifts. You can log your hiking, running or walking miles anywhere in the world.

New virtual race links 26 Acadia peaks, Magic City, Stephen King

On your marks! A new Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race is open now to help raise funds for charity, connect fans of Acadia National Park hiking, Millinocket and Stephen King, and jumpstart training for real-life runners, hikers and fitness walkers. Earn a medal or two and be entered in giveaways of Acadia, Millinocket and Stephen King-themed gifts, while helping Friends of Acadia, Millinocket Memorial Library and Our Katahdin.

Peregrine falcon chicks total 8 at Acadia, Precipice Trail now open

precipice trail

Three nests at Acadia National Park produced eight peregrine falcon chicks in 2018, making for a successful year for the state-endangered birds despite the unusual failure of a nest at the Precipice. But that nest failure means the Precipice Trail is now open, earlier than the usual late July, early August time frame, after chicks fledge.