We rode the bus to the Visitor’s Center then to Jordan Pond House to check off another Maine food item by eating popovers. Served with butter and strawberry jam, popovers and tea have been served here for over 100 years at this restaurant inside Acadia National Park . The baking pans and the popover mix are sold in the gift shop. Blueberry lemonade and blueberry jelly bellies provided some extra sugar. We also ate from the lunch menu (buffalo meatloaf sandwich and potato gnocchi Mac-n-cheese) then set off on a strenuous hike with full stomachs.

This hike had some easy parts first and then some difficult rock climbing that was made more difficult with the morning’s rain. Wet rocks are slick. We had the added pressure of getting back to Jordan House before the last bus left. The Jordan Pond trail is right by the water and is on wooden platforms for about one mile, then it continues with rocks. The platform has frequent “step aside” sections to allow for hikers to pass by each other without stepping off the trail. And the trail is level around the lake, and pretty popular.

We came to the trail for the summit of Sargent Mountain, and decided to leave the crowds behind. Deer Brook trail is listed as moderate, but the Sargent Mtn trails are listed as strenuous. We totally agree with that assessment. This is the second highest peak here, and the top is above the trees. The name Mt. Desert Island is understandable while standing at the top of Sargent Mountain. This view of treeless mountain summits inspired French explorer Samuel de Champlain to give the island its name.

Five+ Miles, Three Hours, Elevation 1371, and 700+ calories later, we made it back to Jordan Pond House to catch that last bus with about 15 minutes to spare. It helped that we took the carriage road for easier/faster walking where it intersects Deer Brook Trail. We had time for a restroom break and to grab blueberry pop from the store.

Tony has a sore leg that will have a colorful bruise later from a fall as we were coming down the rain-slicked rock. We were in a hurry to catch the bus, and his watch detected the fall, so he had to pause to answer questions to stave off an automated emergency call. That feature on the Apple-watch works!