A warm August morning
greeted us
as we set off for a 4.5 mile hike
up Mount Desert Island’s Cadillac Mountain.
Forged millennia ago
by massive volcanic activity,
the granite mount
offers forest and ledges
before opening
to a smooth top with views
of Somes Sound and the ocean beyond.
At fourteen,
I could not wait for our sunrise start.
Mother was too slow for my liking…
packing iced tea and offering to make sandwiches.
Sister hated early starts.
Little brother and father prepared cameras
and spyglasses as we set off.
After 1.5 hours,
the pines and ledges gave way
to an expanse as wide as
the universe.
How did I not know
this sort of openness
existed alongside my every day life?
My young mind stretched
with each breath of crisp mountain air.
I was thankful for my mother’s sandwiches,
the chance to bath in summer light,
and a family
I did not know would eventually fracture.
Scientists say
our minds discard memories too similar,
to avoid a competition for attention.
Cadillac Mountain does not fade for me.
Though my mother is no longer here,
and I have a family of my own,
the bright coastal afternoon
is available anytime.
A Reading Life 
Your post is beautiful. Sad and beautiful. You have captured the wonder and awe of those early memories with family. Memories made more precious through the lens of knowledge. I hiked Cadillac Mountain with my husband and sons when they were younger, when we were all younger. I’m looking back at it now with new knowledge, and I’m cherishing the memory.
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I love the way you captured your thinking back then with the knowing of today. Beautifully crafted.
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What a great memory! You wrote with such beauty and detail that I could picture myself there. “…a family I did not know would eventually fracture” really gives a glimpse into the innocence of being a younger person. I really loved reading this.
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We recently read a book titled Inside Out and Back Again with our students. It was written in prose and beautifully constructed, much like this one! I hope you are a published! On a side note, I often wonder about those memories that never fade and I swear it has something to do with the way our senses are stimulated! When I read the breath of crisp mountain air, I immediately considered the tie this sense must have had on your emotions at the time! What a fabulous trip!
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What a beautiful piece. I felt as if I was hiking by your side, feeling the same sun, seeing the same vistas, and wishing I could protect you from the “fractures” you would eventually have to endure.
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Beautiful post. I have been there years ago, and your vivid writing took me right back.
Bravo!
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The imagery in this slice is visceral; the memory crystal clear. This moment in time before the fractures is etched in your brain, and now in cyberspace for all to enjoy. Thank you for sharing.
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