Black Mountain

Lately we’ve developed a nice routine of hiking on Sunday. Last Sunday it was Black Mountain.

Here’s the map at the trailhead. It’s hard to decipher. I think we started at the “P” under the terribly named “Big Chief Trail.” I don’t know who’s in charge of naming trails but that one should be changed.

The color palette of this hike was really extraordinary. Dark forest green, glowing cranberry red, the light gray of granite, and blond autumn grasses. Oh, and a blue sky, slightly hazy.

We got used to navigating by cairns when the blue blazes disappeared. I like this cairn very much because the upright rock looks like a figure to me. Maybe a statue of the virgin in a cape or a Kuan Yin.

It was reassuring to see directional signs like this. I could navigate with the All Trails app on my phone, usually, unless I was in a dip with no service. At this point, we were coming from Black Mountain Road and heading for Black Mountain Cliffs.

View of Mount Desert Island, where Acadia National Park is located, from our vantage point atop the cliffs.

One of my favorite spots in the world – Wizard Pond. It appears to be inaccessible, at the bottom of a ravine with sheer cliff walls descending on both sides. I’m sure some young and determined hikers have made their way down there, but I’ve never done so. I’ve only caught glimpses of it from above. I love to think of wizards practicing their spells down there where mere mortals are not capable of going.

A final view of red leaves illuminated by the declining sun. It was getting close to 4 pm and we were hiking down. It was a strenuous hike for us, with some rock scrambling, lots of roots on steep inclines and declines, and challenging navigation. I feel so grateful to be able to do hikes like this and soak in so much natural beauty in our corner of the world.