We were up at 4 AM with the sunrise for an early departure aboard the Atlantic Cat, carrying the same mindset that had followed us to Finland in search of the northern lights: hopeful rather than expectant. Wildlife doesn’t perform on command, and that’s part of what makes these encounters meaningful.

That hope was rewarded beyond anything we imagined. Two juvenile humpback whales approached the boat and stayed with us for more than an hour, feeding, spyhopping, and repeatedly breaching just yards away. Rather than simply passing through, they seemed almost curious about our presence, creating one of the most memorable wildlife encounters I’ve ever experienced.

On the return trip we cruised beneath Acadia’s towering Otter Cliffs, passed Thunder Hole and Sand Beach from the water, and rounded Egg Rock Lighthouse where a puffin flashed past carrying a fish too quickly for the camera to capture. After lunch at Glyph and one last stop at MDI Ice Cream, we returned to Marsh Road to pack for the trip home. Before leaving, I shared a few photographs and the CBH68 journal with our VRBO host, who told us the story of the little red cabin on the property—a duck hunting camp he and his family built in the 1960s for just $600.

The week ended the same way the best adventures often do: not because everything went according to plan, but because we left room for the unexpected.