Recreation & Demise in Acadia National Park

(Show notes from our Acadia National Park podcast episode.)

Acadia National Park is one of America’s most beautiful vacation destinations. Acadia was originally designated Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916 by president Woodrow Wilson, and 3 years later, re-designated Lafayette National Park by Congress. Finally, in 1929, it was officially named Acadia National Park.

A Premiere Vacation Destination

Acadia National Park

According to National Geographic, Acadia National Park, which sits mostly on Mount Desert Island in Maine, is the 7th most visited national park in the country, welcoming over 3.5 million visitors each year!  And it’s no surprise why.  Acadia offers some of the best vacation and outdoor recreation experiences in the entire country. In the summer you can bike, run, swim, boat, climb, kayak, hike, camp, or even just lay on the beach.  And in the winter, you can cross country ski, snowshoe, and snowmobile. So there’s always something to do.

Acadia has 120 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of carriage roads woven throughout the park, 30 lakes, 16 beautiful stone bridges, 3 campgrounds, and beautiful beaches including Sand Beach which is one of the most popular spots in the park.

The Wildlife in Acadia National Park

And the wildlife is also incredible.  Acadia is famous for it’s marine mammals right off the coast of Mount Desert Island.  People commonly spot seals, dolphins, and even whales making themselves at home up there. Other mammals including fox, deer, and even the occasional moose and black bear can be found up there as well.

Marine mammals are commonly spotted in Acadia

There is also a huge diversity of birds in Acadia. With over 330 known species calling the park home, Acadia is one of the premier bird-watching destinations in the entire country. And no bird is more well-known in Acadia, than the peregrine falcon.

Peregrine Falcon Mating Season

Acadia is known as a breeding sanctuary for peregrine falcons.  Peregrine falcons were hunted and trapped to an endangered classification back in the 1950s. This led to the disappearance of the falcon in the Eastern United States.

Falcon, Peregrine, Bird, Falconry, Prey, Eye, Beak
Peregrine Falcon

But once the endangered species act was established in 1973, Acadia National Park made it a mission to help restore the peregrine falcon population to the northeast.  And after an incredible reintroduction effort in the 1980s, Peregrine falcons finally returned to Acadia to nest.  And since then, over 160 chicks have been hatched in Acadia. 

Each year, park officials watch carefully for any sign of Peregrine Falcons mating, and when they are, certain hiking trails in the park are closed for their protection. This is typically in late March through May. One of the most famous trails that often gets closed down for peregrine falcon mating season is the Precipice.  We were fortunate enough to hike and it was absolutely incredible.

And while we’re on the subject of the Precipice, this seems like a good jumping off point, no pun intended, for some of the stories we’re gonna tell today…

Survival and Demise in Acadia National Park

To my surprise, Acadia has a long history of accidents and deaths.  And the Precipice is responsible for more than one of them.  If you are familiar with the hike, this shouldn’t surprise you. You could easily fall off the cliff side at multiple points. In fact, Insider Magazine considers the Precipice one of the most dangerous tourist attractions in the world, despite its low accident rate.

Fall From the Precipice

 Though there was a 27 year stretch where no one died on the Precipice between 1985 and 2012, that all changed when a 22 -year-old UMaine student named Shirley Ladd lost her footing on the trail and fell over 60-feet off a cliff. 

More than three dozen rescue workers jumped into action when they were made aware of her fall, including all on and off duty rangers.  Shirley was hauled up over 250 ft by rescuers using ropes and climbing equipment. A Life Flight helicopter even landed on the edge of the mountain in the rescue attempt, and they transported Shirley via medivac to the hospital where she later died of her injuries.

Fall From Beehive

In 2000, a 57-year old man was hiking with a friend up the Beehive trail.  They were only about 5 minutes from the top when the man lost his balance and fell over 100 feet from a cliff. It took his friend nearly an hour to hike out and get help, but by then, the man had already unfortunately died of his injuries.  His name was withheld per park policy. 

A Deadly Sunset

Another gravity-related incident occurred right between Sand Beach and Thunder Hole in June 2016, when a 63-year-old man named Mark Simon got out of his car and walked onto a bluff to try to capture the perfect sunset. 

His wife waited for him patiently in the car until well after the sun sent down, when she became concerned so she flagged down a car and got help.  Rangers located his body 40 feet below the bluff on the edge of the water, and the Coast Guard had to come retrieve his body…he unfortunately died of his injuries.

And there are many other falls at various spots throughout the park, all with similar sad stories…

Drowning in Echo Lake

Drowning seems to be a common theme in the park as well owing to the coastline and all the lakes.  And it turns Echo Lake is the scene of multiple deaths.

In 2005, a 22-year-old named Stephen Chan was last seen wading into Echo Lake by his girlfriend before he went missing.  Everyone jumped into action and a full-on air, ground, and water search ensued. The search last nearly 24 hours, and they finally discovered his body floating face down in the middle of the lake…Nobody knows what actually happened to this day.

A Swim and Sudden Death

In 2016, a 39-year-old-man named Nathan Savage, just completed a swim across Echo Lake.  He made his way out of the water and sat down on a rock to catch his breath.  Suddenly he lost consciousness and collapsed.  His wife called 911 and began CPR, but he was unable to be resuscitated, and died…

Swept Out to Sea

The waves near Thunder Hole have claimed lives as well.

In August 2009, Hurricane Bill was moving in which caused spectacular waves to break on the coast.  This attracted thousands of people to come watch the show.  Well 7-year-old Clio Dahyun Axilrod and her family traveled up from NYC for the experience.  They were enjoying themselves by the Thunder Hole when suddenly, a massive 20-foot swell came in quickly.  Everyone tried to retreat but the wave crashed violently. Clio’s mother was knocked down and seriously injured, while Clio, her father, and five other people were all swept out to sea.

Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park, Massachusetts, Usa
The Thunder Hole

After about an hour long rescue effort, coast guard patrols were able to pull Clio’s father and the other 4 individuals, including a 12 year old child, out of the water alive.  But Clio was lost for over 3 hours before rescuers finally found her body over half a mile out to sea…

And in 1999, a couple posing for a photo was also swept out to see and died…

Skateboard Accident

There have been various extreme sports related deaths on the island as well.

In October 2008, 23-year-old Corey O’Brien was skating around the Bar Harbor area of Acadia National Park, with a friend.  He could be seen skate boarding around rather frequently.  He was travelling over 20 mile an hour on his board, not wearing a helmet, when he fell backwards off his board and cracked his head on the road, receiving a huge gash, and losing consciousness.  Corey was taken to the hospital where he later died. 

Bar Harbor, Morning Light, Store Fronts, Shops
Bar Harbor, ME

Bicycle Crash

In April 2004, a 63-year-old man named Stephen Kennedy was riding his bike with his son on Park Loop Road, when he crashed into a closed barrier gate, which is kept close during the winter and early spring.  He was seriously injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance, where he later died of his injuries.

Snowmobile Crash

And let’s not forget about winter. 

In 1997, Shon Lewis and his friends took a snowmobiling trip to Acadia.  They had just finished riding and all headed back to the parking lot of the Hull’s Cove Visitor Center to kick back and relax a little bit.  While everyone rested, Shon decided to take one more lap around the parking lot.  He took off, and moments later he lost control and his sled veered out of the parking lot and down an embankment into some trees, where he was killed instantly…

Non-Accidental Deaths

The rate of suicide is actually higher in national parks than elsewhere, due to their beauty.  People want to end it all in these types of areas. 

Carbon Monoxide on Cadillac Mountain

In July 2012, a 38-year old Connecticut man was travelling alone when he drove up Cadillac Mountain early in the morning.  For one reason or another, he decided to end it all, so he pumped his car full of carbon monoxide and as the sunrise crept in, he drifted off into Neverland…

Acadia National Park, Maine, Landscape, Fall, Autumn
View from Cadillac Mountain

Suicide on Great Hill

In March 2004, park rangers noticed an empty car that had been parked in the same spot since the previous day.  The car belonged to 21-year-old Benjamin Ellis, who was found a short time later at the top of Great Hill, a lookout point with a beautiful view, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. 

Accident or Murder?

On October 11th, 1987, Dennis Larson and his wife Kathy Frost Larson were taking in the views when Kathy tragically fell off a cliff and plunged 80 feet to her death. 

But was it an accident?  When police began investigating the incident, they uncovered some crazy shit. 

It turns out, Kathy was his 3rd wife.  They were involved in a whirlwind romance soon after Dennis had gotten divorced from his second wife. He put an ad in the paper looking for a new girlfriend, and Kathy responded. They were married 7 weeks after they met. 

What Kathy didn’t know was the day after they were married, Dennis took out a $200,000 life insurance policy on her, which would pay double in the event of an accidental death.

Then police looked back even further, and it turns out Dennis Larson’s first wife tragically drowned 12 years earlier in Montana.  At the time, Dennis said she fell in and was swept away.  He claimed he jumped in to try to save her, but failed.  Her body has never been found. 

The officer taking his statement noted that Dennis was completely dry (despite supposedly jumping in to save her), but with no body and no other evidence, they couldn’t charge him.  It took the authorities 7 years to officially pronounce her dead, but once it was official, he ended up claiming $20,000 in life insurance.

He ended up admitting to both murders and is serving a 50-year sentence.

  Poacher Kills Ranger

On November 13th 1938, Park Ranger Karl Andrew Jacobson was out on boundary patrol when he was shot and killed by poachers.  The poachers turned out to be and elderly man, and his wife.  When questioned about the incident, they said they mistook Ranger Jacobson for a deer.   They pled guilty, served one day in prison, and were released…

Azalea Garden Murder

The Asticou Azalea Garden is on Mount Desert Island near Acadia National Park. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and very peaceful, but it does have it’s dirty little secrets…

In June 1977, a 27-year-old yoga instructor named Leslie Spellman was hitch-hiking her way through New England with her sister, when the 2 decided to go their separate ways. Leslie hitched a ride up to Maine for a backpacking trip with her dog…

At 9:45 the following morning, a group of tourists found her dead body lying in the Asticou Azalea Garden.  Police determined she had been killed hours earlier during the night by several blows to the head with a blunt object.  The murder is unsolved to this day, but authorities attributed it to a serial killer with a similar M.O., who had been terrorizing Connecticut during the same time period…And that serial killer was never caught.

And so concludes our Acadia National Park episode.

Stay Safe & Stay Alive!

Cody & Devin

The Wild Bites Back

References

Peregrine Falcons in Acadia

Nature & Wildlife in Acadia National Park

Wikipedia- Acadia National Park

Town of Bar Harbor

PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

14 of the Most Dangerous Attractions Around the World that Tourists Keep Flocking To

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