Hiking the Bubbles
Maine Week Travelog #6
Acadia National Park - Tuesday, 15 Jun 2021, 7pm.
Whoever named things in Acadia National Park had a weak way with words. They used up all the obvious name words like "Sand Beach" for a beach with, well, sand. When it came time to name a pair of knobby hills in the middle of the park all they could think of was Bubbles. So this afternoon we hiked first to South Bubble then North Bubble.
Atop South Bubble is this interesting balanced rock. It is named- wait for it- Bubble Rock. While Hawk and I were content to admire it from various angles, every kid under the age of 20 who was up there with us- and not a few of their parents- immediately took it upon themselves to try to push Bubble Rock off the cliff. It'll be a shame when one of those knuckle-draggers succeeds.
Also at the top of South Bubble is an awesome view south across Jordan Lake and to the Atlantic Ocean beyond. It's hard to see much of the ocean, though, because of the fog layer remaining this afternoon.
Most hiking guides suggest following a loop trail down to the edge of Jordan Lake from this summit and then coming back around toward the parking lot. South Bubble's taller sibling, North Bubble, is given no love. We decided we'd rather visit both bubbles than see a lake up close in the gloom.
The trail to North Bubble is steep. The South Bubble trail was by no means flat, but getting up to North Bubble requires ascending several staircases of natural stone and following blazes across slickrock. That's familiar terrain for us, though. Bare granite trails are all over the pace in the Sierra Nevada range, and we love them.
Views from the top of North Bubble are occluded by trees- perhaps that's why hiking guides give it short shrift- so I've included this photo of Jordan Lake and South Bubble (left edge) from near the top of North Bubble. If it were at the top, South Bubble would seem shorter.
After climbing both bubbles we returned down the trail to our car. Sunset isn't technically for another hour or so, but with the fog layer in the sky it's twilight already. We'll head back into town after this for supper.
[This entry was cross-posted from https://canyonwalker.dreamwidth.org/73677.html. Please comment there using OpenID. That's where most of the action is!]
Acadia National Park - Tuesday, 15 Jun 2021, 7pm.
Whoever named things in Acadia National Park had a weak way with words. They used up all the obvious name words like "Sand Beach" for a beach with, well, sand. When it came time to name a pair of knobby hills in the middle of the park all they could think of was Bubbles. So this afternoon we hiked first to South Bubble then North Bubble.
Atop South Bubble is this interesting balanced rock. It is named- wait for it- Bubble Rock. While Hawk and I were content to admire it from various angles, every kid under the age of 20 who was up there with us- and not a few of their parents- immediately took it upon themselves to try to push Bubble Rock off the cliff. It'll be a shame when one of those knuckle-draggers succeeds.
Also at the top of South Bubble is an awesome view south across Jordan Lake and to the Atlantic Ocean beyond. It's hard to see much of the ocean, though, because of the fog layer remaining this afternoon.
Most hiking guides suggest following a loop trail down to the edge of Jordan Lake from this summit and then coming back around toward the parking lot. South Bubble's taller sibling, North Bubble, is given no love. We decided we'd rather visit both bubbles than see a lake up close in the gloom.
The trail to North Bubble is steep. The South Bubble trail was by no means flat, but getting up to North Bubble requires ascending several staircases of natural stone and following blazes across slickrock. That's familiar terrain for us, though. Bare granite trails are all over the pace in the Sierra Nevada range, and we love them.
Views from the top of North Bubble are occluded by trees- perhaps that's why hiking guides give it short shrift- so I've included this photo of Jordan Lake and South Bubble (left edge) from near the top of North Bubble. If it were at the top, South Bubble would seem shorter.
After climbing both bubbles we returned down the trail to our car. Sunset isn't technically for another hour or so, but with the fog layer in the sky it's twilight already. We'll head back into town after this for supper.
[This entry was cross-posted from https://canyonwalker.dreamwidth.org/73677.html. Please comment there using OpenID. That's where most of the action is!]