Maine Outdoor Journal

Shhhh! I'm trying to hike... or bike, or sunbathe, write postcards or whatever here in beautiful Acadia. And that damn plane overhead is messing with my back-to-nature mojo. You got that?

Seems a few folks are getting their britches in a bind over sightseeing planes and other low flying aircraft making their noisy presence known over the skies of Acadia National Park.

I rarely notice such things, especially in a busy summer locale like Acadia, which if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, can be mighty jammed with people and cars and be plenty noisy all on its own.

That's why for the most part I've limited my visits to that most stunning Mount Desert Island to fall, winter and spring. Yes, I have an aversion to large masses of tourists, er, I mean visitors.

That said, I guess I can empathize with those summer visitors and local folks who aren't taking kindly to the droning of Piper Cubs and the like just over the treetops, mostly in the interest of getting a few folks a better view, bird's eye like.

Me, well, when I want a bird's eye view I throw on a pack, lace up my boots and hike on up Champlain or Dorr Mountain or something like that. But hey, that's just me.



I recall from numerous visits to the natural glory that is the Grand Canyon, hiking deep into it and far along the Colorado River, that even the occasional sightseeing plane seemed like an incredible intrusion into "our" canyon, this hallowed and mystical place.

The episodes didn't last long, but they came around often enough for us to take note and briefly interfere with our enjoyment of the Grand's most awesome silence.

Turns out a few years later, after I stopped my regular Canyon forays, that such flights were strictly limited to certain times and places. So does Acadia deserve the same type of noise protection to preserve the visitor experience?

I guess so. Sort of. Seems if necessary that a reasonable set of regulations could be worked out so that sightseers who wish to take to the air can still enjoy that option, the pilots who operate those planes can still enjoy the business, and visitors on the ground can enjoy a park that is a little more free from airborne disturbances.

No matter what happens overhead though, you've still got some 3 1/2 million visitors to contend with in a relatively small geographic area. There's gonna be a buzz there regardless I'm afraid.

That's my three and a half sense. What's your take, eh??