Along the eastern base of Dorr Mountain, a mere 357′ lower in elevation than Cadillac Mountain, the massive Laurentide Ice Sheet left a deep cleft in the granitic rocks, which eventually filled in to become a small glacial pond called the “Tarn.” (Of course, the ice sheet itself was several miles thick.) A short walk through the woods at the northern end of the Tarn brings you to a very special area in the floodplain of Cromwell Creek, Sieur de Monts Spring, an ancient water source used by the native Penobscot (Wabanaki), as well as early White Settlers. Ultimately the spring came to be the property of George Dorr, the “Father of Acadia National Park,” and thus, eventually, a part of Acadia. The land around the spring is low and moist, a perfect ecosystem for a variety of ferns that seem to grow abundantly and thickly.
A focal length of 32mm, in the long end of wide-angleland, gave me the angle of view I wanted: a broad, but intimate, swath of the woodland scene. An aperture of f/16 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1/5th second was obtained with an ISO of 400.That ISO/aperture combination was three-stops faster than what I would have achieved at ISO 100; f/22; and it allowed me to freeze the motion of a slight morning breeze wafting through the forest.
The beauty of Acadia, so iconically apparent driving along the Park Loop Road, is no less so in the many out of the way places that stitch the rocks together into the fabric of Pemetic, the Sloping Land.
Don, love this view and interpretation. I’ve hiked to The Tarn, a magical quiet place. Your image took me back to a really pleasant memory. Ray
What a lovely, peaceful image, which captures the beauty of Sieur de Monts. It’s nice to couple it with news of your continued recovery.
So peaceful in a world of turmoil. Thanks for sharing.
The ferns are very calming as they create a beautiful green carpet of repeating patterns. This looks like a great place to stop and clear your mind. You would walk away much calmer than when you arrived.
Thanks for sharing this special place with us. I am still in Fla. where it is colder than it has been in 10 yrs. A field of spring green ferns would be nice right now. I am planning to start home this weekend.
If you are trying to get me even more excited about Acadia, you are succeeding. What a beautiful and peaceful image. Love the path the trees create taking you from the front of the image to the back. Really like the use of the branch laying on the ground to the right side. It’s curve brings you back into the scene. Great composition!
Good morning Everyone. Thank you all very much for joining me for this conversation. I don’t know how it may be today where you are, but in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it is overcast and rainy: a perfect day for beauty and lots of other good things. The clouds are low and scudding; the rain is steady, but not driving; the winds below are even but almost still. A walk beside a moving river would be excellent.
Hey Ray. Thanks for your thoughtful comments and kind words. The physical connection between the Tarn and Sieur de Monts Spring can be easily overlooked from the ground, but the map clearly reveals the proximity and geographical/geological unity of these two places. I am honored to be able to evoke such a memory. Walk in Beauty.
Hi Joel. It’s great to hear from you. I hope all is well in your corner of Missouri. Thank you for all of those kind words. We will miss having you with us for Acadia 2020, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share this magical place with you in 2018. The hard cast came off on Thursday; now for the “boot” and five weeks of slow healing before PT begins in earnest. I wish for you a most beautiful and wonderful winter.
Hey Donna. Thank you so much for being with us. Every day that passes is a day closer to the adventure that awaits us. Sieur de Monts is just one of the many magical places on Mount Desert Island where the icons are soft and pacific even among the rocks. Hope all is well.
Hey Nancy T. It’s good to know where you are and how things are going. I’ll catch up with you this coming week after you’ve settled in back home. I can’t remember if we shared this exact spot with you some years back or if we somehow missed it; but I certainly hope we get the chance to visit it together again one of these days. We can just sit on the edge of these wonderful plants and listen as they talk to each other in the often quiet language of nature. It would be some time before we wanted to go elsewhere. Drive carefully, my Dear.
Hey Kev. It’s great to hear from you. You have seen through my ruse exactly. I knew this would serve to increase your anticipation. Mine as well. Your description of the compositional process pretty much mirrors my thoughts as I constructed this image. The neat thing is that my result is just one of an immense number of interesting possibilities to be found in this one small part of Acadia. We have much to look forward to my friend. Be well; talk soon.
Thanks, again, Everyone for taking the time to share your thoughts and observations of this and all of the Images of the Week. As we take off into the ninth year of this endeavor, I must say that I enjoy it now every bit as much as I did the very first one. Walk in Beauty, Everyone.