Where Are We Going? Bradbury Mountain!

 

Northern Loop Trail, Bradbury Mountain

May 6, 2012

After Mia and I left L.L. Bean's, we headed out to find a trail to conquer, and to test out Mia's new pack. Where we were in Freeport, I had pre-planned that we would go to Bradbury Mountain State Park. It was only minutes away from the Flagship Store, and ended up only being about a half hour away from home! I had heard great reviews about this park, and that there were many trails to choose from. I had printed out the trail maps, and had a couple of the trails in mind for us to hike. By the way, their trail maps are great! Easy to read, easy to follow, AND gives a brief description of each trail so you know what you're getting yourself into before hand!

When we arrived at the park, we were greeted by a nice gentleman who takes admission for the park. He greeted us with positive energy and a welcoming smile. I explained that we had never been here before and I asked him what trails he thought would be best suited for kids. He mentioned the Summit Trail and the Northern Loop. These were two that I had been eyeing, but I wanted to hear it from a confirmed source.

Every State Park in Maine that we have been to always has the most pleasant people working at the admissions gate! If you've never visited a particular park before, they are always eager to answer your questions, and never make you feel hurried or like you're a bother. Maybe it's the fresh air, or maybe it's the camaraderie of fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Whatever it is, it's refreshing, and I tip my hat to whoever chooses the employees of these booths!

Anyone feel like farming?!

Mia and I headed into the park and found a place to rest the Jeep. I pulled out the West Side trail map which had the Summit and Northern Loop trails on it, and talked to Mia about them while I was trying to decide on which to take. Mia was in the back seat, bustling to get out and run around. I rolled up the windows, grabbed our packs and got out, stuffing the trail map in my pocket.

I went around to the other side of the Jeep to get Mia. I didn't put her new pack on her right away, because I had a feeling that she would have some issues adjusting to it. So, we walked towards the trail head to get a better look at the area. Mia was in a hurry to get into the woods, so stopping to look at the information board was a no go this time around! Before I knew it, Mia had picked the trail that we were to hike. She headed up the Northern Loop Trail, blazed with blue markers.

We walked a good distance in before I stopped Mia. It was time to test out her new pack. With no one around at this moment, the timing was prime. I put her pack behind her, and like she was putting on her jacket, she moved her arms so that they were going under the straps. I buckled the sternum strap and made some adjustments so that it fit her better.

And then.....the tantrum. Remember when I said that she doesn't like foreign things touching her, or things hanging off of her? Well, what I should have said was that she detests it more than going to the doctors! She tried and tried to get the pack off, hollering at me to give in to her want. I grabbed her hand and led her further down the trail. No, I wasn't being mean. But even though Mia can't talk, she is like every other kid. If she doesn't want to do something, she tantrums, and she thinks that if she continues she'll eventfully get her way. Give in, and it becomes a learned behavior. No, I was determined that Mia was going to have this skill behind her by the end of our adventure.

Sure I'll step over this, there's more mud!

She continued to make a fuss about this new piece of annoyance, until I got down to her level and smiled, taking my pack off and put it back on while saying, "Look Mia, momma has one too! Let's carry our packs together and do some hiking!" Whether it was my goofy nature as I was talking to her, or the fact that I had a pack too, she stopped crying and flashed me her room brightening smile! We were off on the trail again, with an excited Mia who was now happy to be wearing her new blue sprout pack!

We continued to hike the Northern Loop trail with ease. This trail was a mile long to the summit, and described as a gradual ascent with wide trails. And that it was. All of the trails were easily marked, and we only needed to pull out our trail map to get a general idea of how far we were from the summit. When we got to the Bluff Trail, we detoured from the Northern for a scenic look out, and a quick snack and drink of water. I attempted to get a picture of Mia and I. But as usual, she wanted to explore rather than look at the camera. I can’t say as I blamed her, the rock we were on was full of interesting features to discover! Covered in tree roots and pine needles, it was much more interesting than the camera!

First scenic view

Happy Mia o our first scenic view

Someday she'll look at the camera!

After I got done taking a gazilion pictures, and Mia had her fill of snack time, we packed up and continued on. We stayed on the Bluff trail instead of back tracking. This trail was basically like walking on a big rock, with lots of tree roots growing over it. It was relatively short, but with all of the small obstacles, it was kind of fun. Especially when Mia decided that we should run and hop over all the tree roots as we went on our way!

Enough sitting around mom, let's go!

Bluff Trail

More of the Bluff Trail

After we headed down this trail, it eventually led us back to the Northern Loop, and then on to the summit. When we reached the summit, there were quite a few people there. More than I expected actually. There were some people up there observing the osprey flying in the air, others were sitting down enjoying the view, and others were getting ready to head back down the mountain.

Mia seemed pretty impressed with herself when I told her that we made it to the end! She loved climbing around the big rock that made up the summit, and laughed at me when I tried to get her to stand still for a picture. We only stayed at the top for about fifteen minutes before she was ready to head back down the mountain. The entire way back, she ran, skipped, or kicked mud on the back of my pant legs. This made her laugh too! We stopped a few times so she could look around and take in her surroundings, and so she could climb around on various rocks and anything else  she could find.

Summit!

Okay, one picture mom!

A little bit of this puddle, and many more, ended up on the back of mom's pants! I'm just helping with her get closer to nature!

Oh yeah, did I mention that we danced too?! Like no one was looking, until I turned around and saw someone coming from the other way. And then we danced like they were looking, which didn’t change our dance at all!

Mia, let's dance!!