Acadia, The Beehive

Wednesday, May 5, 2010  (Cinco de Mayo)

PB&J on top of The Beehive tastes pretty good. Austin had suggested The Beehive as a possible climb while the cert folks were doing their work. Sarah had done it before and knew about a ladder on the rock. Sounds good so Katy O, Sarah L, and I hit the trail.

The Beehive is 520'--vertical but great rock to climb. The Beehive looks out over Sand Beach where we were yesterday. Gorgeous. Light house to the east sounds a horn in 30 second intervals and then 2 second intervals. Outside of the height factor, The Hive, as I imagine the shorthand, is a relatively easy climb. I say easy and yet see it listed as strenuous. Sure it was but I so enjoyed it. Maybe because I get to use my whole body to sometimes scramble, rather than just walk. I like rocks more than trails. We found iron rungs in places where there was no good footing or handholds; sometimes the rungs were a ladder effect to get us up to the next point. At one spot there was a grating to fill in where one had to cross. At times, when I knew if I looked down or thought too much, I shook off what was creeping in my brain and kept going. We were rock climbing but having much more fun than sweating a cert exam!

Bar Harbor is the town where we get coffee, have a meal, or some of us watch the Bruins' play-offs. Before our hike we stopped at a Native American jewelry store in Bar Harbor (can't find them on line) after getting coffee and hot chocolate. The owner's grandmother was a silversmith before she died, not long ago. Other family members have similar or other artisan skills but, like most artists, have more secure occupations. His grandmother created 90 pieces shortly before she died, all of which they have pulled from sale which makes them now collectibles in storage. In our conversation, we mentioned to him that we had opted out of rock climbing with our group but were going to the Beehive. The owner looked confused and indicated that we might want to reconsider the Beehive. I want to go back and let him know we did it and that we had only opted out of the cert.

From the summit, I count seven people at Sand Beach beyond. The sea is green at the shore and progressively darker out. Clouds provide shade at the beach as the sun ducks in and out. Eastward the water is green with marked dark areas that I assume are deep channels but then realize are cloud shadows. Multiple shades of green way below and between me and the ocean--dark conifers and baby spring deciduous. Browns that have yet to wake up. Areas of rock and scrub conifers, short, squat and spreading.

Wonder if Katy and Sarah are wanting to leave. They went to the north harbor side but I prefer the open ocean. Wish I could be here all day.

Hungry, we head back to Bar Harbor and land at a lobster restaurant at the end of Main street and at the harbor. They've "been crackin' 'em" since the 1800s. Sarah was hot to get lobster claws, I got a lobster roll (can't get any lazier or non bug-like) and clam chowder, and Katy got clam chowder in a boule. All yummy.

Walked around, then headed back to the Park Loop to find Thunder Hole and Black Stone Beach, both memories from Sarah's past. We found Thunder Hole but were a little too early for the thunder and splash show. Moved on to the hunt for the beach but, while we found it, the name was a mystery since there were no black stones. Among the typical were what appeared to be rounded peachy granite stones. There was, however, a sign telling visitors not to remove any stones. We went back later to Thunder Hole but we had missed the mid-tide again when the show is supposed to air; the sea takes advantage of trapped air in the rock as the tide slams in, creating the thunder as it sprays high.