Soak up Acadia’s Ocean Sounds

It is late fall here at Acadia National Park. The tide along great head Beach is high signaling the handoff from day to night. The fading sun hovers low on the skyline with the pale moon, slowly rolling into view here at the border between land and sea. Acadia National Park supports a wide range of native ecosystems covering coastlines, forests, and towering mountain summits. There is all manner of life to witness and explore in this vast space. So as we prepare for tonight's journey, let's begin our evening with a brief wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you are ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now just bringing the attention to the breath, just noticing where you feel it in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm, your nice and relaxed. We are going to be taking a deep breath in for four. Holding it for four, then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin in for 4, 2, 3, 4. Hold it for 4, 2, 3, 4. Now breathing out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5. Six. In for four, two. Three. Four. Holding for 4, 2, 3. Four. Out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for four, two. Three. Four. Holding for four, two. Three. Four. Out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for four, two. Three. Four. Holding for 4, 2, 3. Four. Out for 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Great. Now returning the breath to normal. Acadia's landscape is no stranger to change. Igneous granite has been sculpted over the millennia by sliding glaciers within the span of a year. Green hues give way to warm yellows and intense reds until a white shimmering blanket of snow takes hold every winter. Each day brings a cyclical dance of sea and sand swaying at the tide's tempo. The water responds to the sun and moon's gravitational pull like an archer's bow aimed toward the planets. The effects of this celestial play can be seen on the beach at Bar Harbor where a land bridge appears during low tide, the massive sea retracts letting the sun warm The ocean floor, pockets of water remain in small pools created by seaweed and rocks where a familiar dance begins. Periwinkle shelled snails crawl in slow motion gathering algae as they go. Pea-sized acorn barnacles glow like moo stone on the mossy rock. A plump magenta starfish climbs across tangled seaweed toward a cluster of nearby mussels. The residents of this tide pool know their environment will shift in due time when high tide sweeps in these secluded pools are reunited with the expansive sea. The sandy land bridge is swallowed by the sea and the cycle spins on. A series of carriage roads run through Mount Desert Island, allowing visitors to experience the park without a car in sight. Designed in the early 19 hundreds for horse and buggy, the satisfying hollow lop of hooves can still be heard. Crossing the 17 bridges along the wandering trail, hand placed...