Granite, Fire, and Fog The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia [Paperback]

Acadia National Park, on Maines Mount Desert Island, is among the most popular national parks in the United States. From the road, visitors can experience magnificent vistas of summit and sea, but on a more intimate scale, equally compelling views abound along Acadias hiking trails. Tom Wessels, an ecologist, naturalist, and avid hiker, attributes the parks popularityand its unusual beautyto the unique way in which earth, air, fire, and waterin the form of glacially scoured granite, winter winds, fire, and ocean foghave converged to create a landscape that can be found nowhere else. In this beautifully illustrated book, Wessels invites readers to investigate the remarkable natural history of Mount Desert Island, along with the unique cultural story it gave rise to. This account of nature, terrain, and human interaction with the landscape will delight those who like to hike these bald summits, ride along the carriage roads, or explore the islands rugged shoreline. Wessels concludes with a guided tour of one of his favorite hikes, a ten-mile loop that will acquaint the reader with the diverse ecosystems described throughout his book.

TOM WESSELS is a professor of ecology and the founding director of the masters degree program in conservation biology at Antioch University New England. He is the author of Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England, Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape, The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future, and The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of Americas Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite.

Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Introduction The Rock of Ages Life Returns The Dawn Land Fire and Fog Pathmakers The 1947 Fire A Look to the Future Lets Take a Hike Notes Appendix A. List of Species Appendix B. Glossary Index