Birds, reptiles and rodents alike were out enjoying the sun yesterday, Thursday, March 22, in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. The ocean breeze kept the temperature at around 75 degrees – still pretty darn hot for this time of year – while farther inland, the temperature reached mid-80s. I don’t want to completely give away next week’s “One-Minute Hike” local, but I do want to share a few photos of creatures we spotted along the trail.

I’m still learning to be more observant when hiking. It’s easy to keep your eyes trained on the ground, especially when the trail is littered with jagged granite and twisting roots, but it’s important to look up and take in your surroundings (even if you have to pause for a moment to do so).

While hiking this winter, I tried to keep my eyes peeled for animals and usually only found tracks in the snow, telling me that indeed there were animals roaming around in the forest, I just wasn’t all that great at sneaking up on them (I suppose the crunchy snow and click of my ice cleats didn’t help my stealth factor).

But now the forest is coming alive. Birdsong is louder and more varied and yesterday, I even saw a few butterflies. So maybe I’ll be able to add a few more animal photos in my One-Minute Hike videos and galleries. Time will tell.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. A common garter snake enjoys the sun beside a hiking trail in Mount Desert Island on March 22, 2012.