Beehive and Gorham ("The Combo" Take 2)

Hiking buddy: Alex

Weather: Low 50s, evening hike

Mountains: Gorham Mountain and Beehive (Acadia National Park)
Elevations: 525ft (Gorham) and 520ft (Beehive)
Ascent: Beehive Trail, Gorham connector, Gorham Trail (start in the north)
Descent: Gorham Trail (south) and Cadillac Cliffs Trail, and Ocean Drive back to Sand Beach
Miles of trail: 5.1

Total miles this year: 58.8

For my original post on The Hive, click here.

And, for Gorham Mountain, click here.

I love new hiking buddies! A nice long hike and dinner at The Whale afterwards, doesn't get any better than that...

So, the intent of doing Beehive was to show Alex a few "short cuts" that I had picked up from another buddy of mine last year. Do you think I could possibly remember all of them? No. You know me. But, I did remember a couple, and they certainly made the hike more interesting! Normally, I would say, "leave no trace!" However, it's hard to resist on The Hive. It's completely safe, I swear. 

Beehive

There's one of my favorite views! You all are probably getting tired of seeing this shot over and over again. I just can't help it! There's the Veendam heading back out to sea. I would like to say a whole bundle of Willis' jewelry was aboard that ship, but sadly there wasn't. Those 'dams certainly don't like spending money. Or, at least, they don't like spending their money on anything that isn't cheap, tourist crap. Seriously. 

We took our time, enjoyed the views and the warmth (while it lasted). Didn't want to call it a night on the hike, so we keep going and summited Gorham. Enjoyed a nice walk along Ocean Drive back to Sand Beach. Took a pit stop at Thunder Hole...

... I think it's time for a new camera! What do you think?

A Foggy Jaunt up Gorham and The Hive

Hiking buddy: Myself!

Weather: Low 50s, fog and rain

Mountains: Gorham Mountain and Beehive (Acadia National Park)
Elevations: 525ft (Gorham) and 520ft (Beehive)
Ascent: South end of Gorham Mountain Trail and Cadillac Cliffs
Descent: North end of Gorham Mountain Trail, ladder trail of Beehive (what else?!)
Miles of trail: 4.5

Total miles this year: 50.5

FIFTY miles. 

I'm a little giddy on the inside knowing that I am already a quarter of the way towards my goal of hiking 200 miles of trail within this hiking season! It may already be May, almost halfway through the calendar year, but the hiking has only just begun... and it will increase as work hours become more flexible and the weather becomes heavenly warm this summer. I'm super pumped!

I hadn't planned on hiking today, considering the weekend has been wet and dreary. But, there was a break from the rain this afternoon and I took full advantage of it!

For my original post on Gorham Mountain, click here.

For my original post on Beehive, click here.

The fog was rolling its way across the trail, it was so completely serene. I ran into a few other groups of hikers, but other than that, I was on my own. The waves at Sand Beach were crashing in the distance, as usual. It was just me, the pounding of my boots on the trail, and the sounds of nature surrounding me. It was quite perfect, actually. 

Usually, I'm not a fan of hiking alone. When it is just me, I try to bring the pup along for some company. But, today that wasn't an option. This was literally an impromptu hike after a long annual meeting (yes, another one!) and before another gig this evening. I had an hour and a half to get a good hike in. I still can't believe I fit Beehive and a walk along Ocean Drive into that time span. I was only a few minutes late to my dinner meeting...

Gorham Mountain

Gorham Summit

With absolutely NO view available, this was strictly a hike to get the lungs burning. It was quite nice, actually, to look around me and see nothing but the mountain for a short distance in front of me. It helped me focus on the moment, not on what's ahead. Good advice to be applied to life, don't you think? I know I can become too enthralled in thinking about the future, those thoughts can cloud my head all too easily. It's always a nice reminder to remember to focus on the here and now, live in the moment.

I decided to head down towards the north end of the mountain and try The Hive...

There's that view I love! The fog had receded just enough to catch a glimpse of the sandy cove. 

Now, I don't highly recommend hiking this trail after or during wet weather conditions... looking back on today, it probably wasn't a wise decision, especially since I hadn't told anyone that I would be doing Beehive. Don't worry, I already gave the back of my hand a little slap. The granite was definitely slippery, as well as the rungs. I took it one step at a time, and with the fog rolling back in, there wasn't a view to become distracted by.

Once safely off the ladder trail, I booked it down the mountain and back to my car. I already knew I would be late for dinner! That, and it had really started raining at that point. I contemplated hitching a ride back along Ocean Drive to my car parked on the other end... But, you know what? Everyone needs a little adventure in the rain every now and again!

Gorham Mountain

Hiking buddy: The pup; Phoebe

Weather: 45 and sunny!

Mountain: Gorham Mountain (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 525 ft
Ascent: Gorham Mountain Trail
Descent: Gorham Mountain Trail, Cadillac Cliffs Trail, and a walk along Ocean Drive back to the car!
Miles of trail: 3.1

Total miles this year: 19.0

I had been watching the weather report for this weekend obsessively all week. Good news! Saturday's weather report was looking promising. Warm (for March) and sunny! Wouldn't you know it, amidst the snow, sleet and rain was a clear and sunny day, just as was promised. Go weatherman!

Phoebe and I set out to take a stab at Gorham Mountain; one of my favorites. Of course, I say that about most peaks on the island. But, truly, I love Gorham Mountain. It's not too hard, not too easy, and there are some amazing sights along the way. During the summer months, you can catch a frog in the stream. There are caves to walk through, over and around. An exposed rock face that overlooks the ocean, Sand Beach and Ocean Drive. A breathtaking glimpse of "The Hive", which, by the way, is looking wonderfully dry! Gorham Mountain trail goes up, down, this way and that; never a dull moment. And, if you listen carefully, you can hear the waves crashing on the beach, children squealing with delight, and a distant thundering at a famous hole. 

I decided to park the car by Sand Beach and hike the Gorham Mountain trail north to south, with a nice walk back along Ocean Drive afterwards. I wasn't exactly sure what condition Phoebe and I would find the trail in. Like I said, we've had a blizzard, rain, sleet and warm temps this week. The perfect ingredients for... a mess. 

Well, folks, we experienced it all; puddles, running water, snow drifts, sheets of ice, and... mud. Lots of mud. 

The higher up we hiked, the deeper the snow we encountered. Piece of cake for light-weight Phoebe. Not so much for me. I lost my balance a couple times. 

I love hiking down the south side of the trail; that is where the exposed rock face opens up to the ocean. What a view to hike towards. 

Sand Beach

The trail was fairly dry on this end, and wouldn't you know, it was the one place where I took a digger. The driest patch... I fall. I'm going to be sore for a few days. It's a good thing that the sound of the leash bouncing along the rocks scares Phoebe to a halt every time without fail. I was able to collect myself (and my pride!) and take a breather before grabbing her; she would eventually take off otherwise. Phoebe likes to get a little ahead of herself (and me!) on the downhill climb. I was getting ready to (gracefully) jump off a five foot boulder when she decided to jolt ahead... and down I went. Luckily, perhaps, I landed squarely on my behind, and only suffered a few scrapes to my right hand. Unfortunately for me, I was using a new pack, which I hadn't put any bandaids in yet. Oops.

I strapped the crampons back on my boots, brushed the dirt off, and onward we went. 

Okay, so here comes one of my not-so-bright ideas (although, when all is said and done, it WAS worth it). The south side of the trail splits into two; you can continue along the Gorham Mountain trail, or you can venture onto the Cadillac Cliffs trail. I thoroughly enjoy the Cadillac Cliffs trail. Any trail, for that matter, with the word "cliff" attached calls my name. It's an adventurous route! Along the various rocks and ledges you scramble away. Was it smart to take a "cliff" trail with snow and ice in abundance? Probably not. Did I listen to my conscience telling me, "no, don't do it!" Absolutely not. Down the Cadillac Cliffs trail we went. 

It was a bit dicey at first. Phoebe does not have the words "wait" and "stop" in her vocabulary. Must work on that. We had a nice crawling-on-all-fours moment together. 

One of my favorite sights is what I call the "tower" of Gorham Mountain; a natural stack of rock slabs, towering high over the trail. I will admit, the first time I hiked down this trail and saw the blue blaze painted on one of the slabs... I thought for sure we had to climb up! That moment was my first lesson on trail markings; the blazes not only let you know that you are still on the trail, they also point in the direction you are supposed to take. To make this long story even longer, the blaze in this spot is parallel to the ground, NOT perpendicular, therefore, you do not climb up, but around. 

Taking a turn around the corner, you'll see a little cave off to the right. Normally it is just a little wet and slimy, but today it was ALL ice. 

Doesn't that look like a little Alien colony? 

The Cadillac Cliffs trail goes up, down and around some more. There's a short natural tunnel to walk through, its floor was an entire sheet of ice. Poor Phoebe, she went slipping and sliding. We carefully walked around the corner and I just saw ice... Ice covering the ground and boulders, ice "streaming" down the ledges onto the trail. Ice, ice, ice. I guess it's not quite spring yet!

Phoebe and I finished the descent with no more mishaps. Phoebe was happy to reach dry pavement and civilization. She tried to knock down a couple fellow hikers. I was glad to take the crampons off. 

We turned onto Ocean Drive and started walking back to the car. There were a LOT of people out and about. I asked the first couple I saw with a pack if they had any bandaids; I was still slightly gushing blood from my right hand. No luck. But, they asked me an important question that not many people actually know the answer to: "We noticed cars driving down the road here, how do they do that? Isn't the park closed this time of year?" Well, the park IS partially closed for the winter, but rangers keep Ocean Drive (up to Otter Creek) open to the public. All other entrances to the park are gated off. In fact, the park services keep Ocean Drive paved for walkers, bikers (daring!) and runners (right lane) and groomed for snowmobiles and skiers (left lane). 

So, there you have it, you don't even need a pass to get in!

It was lovely and freeing to be out in light-weight gear, to smell the ocean air, hear birds chirping and woodpeckers hammering away. Spring is finally on its way. Let the hiking season begin!