There are few places on Earth as beautiful as Acadia National Park. I have been hiking with my friend Michelle, much of the past year. The past couple months we have been working our way through Acadia. Today's hike was up the Beehive. The peak is only 520' so it is not a huge climb. So what makes this climb so important? Michelle is afraid of heights.
We have been working our way up to this hike and today we did it. I have to say, I am impressed. I know how difficult it is to face a fear, especially the fear of heights. Michelle was a trooper and the hike was AMAZING!!.
We started out parking at Sand Beach. The parking lot was pretty empty when we started out about 8 am. With our packs loaded we hiked out of the parking lot and down the road to the trail head. The Bowl Trail starts off and meets the Beehive trail at the first markers about .2 of a mile in. From the junction point you can see the other climbers. There was a couple with two children just a head of us. The boy looked to be about 5 or 6 and the girl a little older. The young boy was wearing a red shirt which was easy to see as h
e climbed up the Hive. It was while watching him that Michelle said, "lets go!" I have to say I was a bit concerned, knowing that there was going to be some spots that were significantly scary for someone with a fear of heights.We started off an quickly saw why this hike is so popular. The views along the short (.5 mile) hike are amazing!! The first real obstacle on the hike is the small metal grate that bridges a gap in the ledge. The grate is small, maybe 3 feet in length and 2 feet wide. Once past that grate, the trail winds along the outer edge overlooking Sand Beach. There are several spots that have metal rungs for hands and feet. They are short in length, most less than 4 feet. Some of the climbs are pretty sheer, but again, this only enhanced the spectacular view, ov
er looking Sand Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.We were able to complete the climb to the peak in 40 mins!..The average climb is about 30 mins. I figure we did pretty well!! I have to say it was a pretty emotional moment standing with Michelle at the peak looking out of the water. A year ago I NEVER would have imagined being able to do this climb with Michelle. I know how hard she has worked to overcome the fear of heights and push herself. It was such an honor to be standing there with h
er!!We settled down for a few minutes, as we do at every peak. Once we had taken all the photos we wanted, watched the others at the peak and reviewed the map for the remainder of the hike, we got up and started down to the Bowl. The trail down to the Bowl is a relatively moderate hike. There is one rung, but it is not mandatory to use. There is an easy path to the side of the rung. The hike to the Bowl was short but enjoyable. Of course there were several small critters running around, as well as some of my flighted friends. We followed the Beehive trail to the Bowl, one of two lakes in the park that can only be reached by foot. Sargent Pond is the other. (More to come on that later!!)
Michelle and I spent some time at the Bowl admiring the view of Champlain Mountain. The Bowl is quiet and a wonderful place to sit and reflect. The Bowl is a 9.5 acre pond. The guidebook says it is a good example of a glacial tarn.
The remainder of the hike is a little over .5 miles back to the Loop Road. This is a wonderful, albeit a bit strenuous hike. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a relatively quick hike that has amazing ocean and inland views!!
