Thursday morning dawned with bright sunshine and a mild breeze, perfect hiking weather. Mom being a bit sick, we left her at the campsite and traveled up the Loop Road for our next adventure. We stopped at Sand Beach to drop Sylvia off so that she could paint while the rest assailed the nearby mountains.
The first leg of the journey was Beehive. John had planned to come with us but decided to go with Dad when he saw where we would be going. The three oldest headed straight up the rock face, following the old path. This one was far more trecherous than Jordan Cliffs as we climbed up the granite blocks that form the south end of the mountain. At one point in the trail we had to step across an iron grill set into the gap between two cliff faces. Most of the time we pulled ourselves up the rocks, looking for the next rung, if we were lucky, or just a solid hand hold, if not.
We were able to pause almost at the top to look down and see the scene behind us. At the top we met a man and his dog. He said that he has come to Acadia twice a year for twelve years and that what he loves most about it is that "every time you turn the corner you see the best view you've ever seen." I'd be inclined to agree.
Smile! Somewhere down there is Sylvia.
The two small figures waving are Abe and Dad across on the other ridge. We hiked together up to the next ridge where Dad left us to go fish. We continued on up to Champlain Mountain.
A nosy seagull tried to eat my lunch.
On the way there we found another marshy spot, complete with bullfrog.
On the way up. By this time it had gotten rather hot and we had not brought enough water.
Spectacular views. Bar Harbor is further over on the left.
Ben stopped for a few panoramic photos. Even those barely do justice to the grandeur of the view of the ocean and deep blue sky.
Another 10-second dash. Cadillac Mountain is on the left.
Finally got some cell reception!
Ben calibrated his phone's altitude at every marked spot.
Taken by some friendly hikers.
Dad got pretty excited by all the dwarf jackpine.
We returned to find Sylvia with a completed landscape.
The Beehive on the way back. We decided that backing down on tired legs would not be a great idea.
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