Hiking

For our final fall hike this year, we decided to visit Sanders Hill which is located in Rome, Maine. We have hiked other trails in the area before and decided to give this one a try. The Sanders Hill Trail along with the Kennebec Highlands Trail form a 2.9-mile loop that can be hiked in either direction; counterclockwise. Sanders Hill is a somewhat easy, gradual climb, and interesting loop, but personally, I think a lot of the other trails in the area have better hiking opportunities. On the way up to the 854-foot summit, there were several points of interest but the top had limited views of the surrounding area.

Our discovery of Beaver Brook turned out to be quite a surprise. The trail loosely follows parts of this brook and was quite pretty during this time of year. We lucked out because the night before our visit, we received a great deal of heavy rain, resulting in a satisfactory amount of flowing water. This gave us the opportunity for taking long exposure shots of the brook along with the surrounding colorful foliage.

Also, a word of warning for fellow hikers, there are a lot of rocks on this trail and I would recommend a decent pair of hiking boots. There are quite a few areas with tricky footing.

A short video from Beaver Brook.

As I mentioned above, the views from the summit were a bit underwhelming. Nonetheless, it was wonderful to get outdoors and go for a nice hike.

We ended our hike with this lovely view of Watson Pond from the top of this large boulder.

Directions to Sander Hill Trail

The trailhead is located off of Watson Pond Road which leaves from the west side of ME Route 27 about a mile north of the intersection of ME Routes 27 and 225 in Rome. A small parking area is located on the right side of Watson Pond Road, 1.3 miles south of Watson Pond Road’s junction with ME Route 27.

As with so many aspects of life, you never know what awaits you. On the way home, we were met with the most beautiful fall lighting of the setting sun in this field located on a back road. I must say this is quite the quintessential Maine scene.

This location with apple trees has come to be one of our favorite places to take photographs. This west-facing direction is perfect for capturing sunbursts and is quite photogenic during every season.

Well, it is time to bid farewell to the fall and that wraps up our hiking photographs for the season. It is now time to look forward to the winter months ahead. We have had a couple of snowfalls so far this month and I would say winter is here upon us in Maine. I can’t wait to have more time hand-feeding my avian visitors and spending time enjoying the great outdoors. Here are a few photographs of our new snow and black-capped chickadees here on the property.

May the joys and miracles of Winter Solstice inspire you for the coming year!

When the leaves begin to change, that can only mean one thing here in Maine. It is time to get into the car and go for a nice fall drive. Now that there are fewer annoying bugs and humid days, we are free to enjoy the great outdoors once again. We decided to take a drive to the Belgrade Lakes Region, the as one of last fall’s adventures in the area. It isn’t too far of a drive but brought a whole new feeling to the state. This was partly due to there being fewer changed and fallen leaves in this part of the state. At home, many of the leaves were gone already. This year in particular was a pretty quick season due to a few factors. First, there were two touches of frost early in September and this kicked off the changing of the leaves fairly early on. The second, after a very dry August, we finally received a much-needed rainstorm, but with the storm, came a lot of gusty winds, and there went a lot of the leaves that fell off of the trees. We also lost power for 24 hours…once again.

The first of the trees to change and lose their foliage were the aspens Populus and maples Acer. The majority of the remaining foliage is that of the beech trees Fagus and a few other species of trees still holding on. In some cases, many of the leaves didn’t change at all, they just fell off. In this area, other than the eastern white pines Pinus strobus, the maples and aspens make up the majority of the trees. With them gone, so went our beautiful and vibrant fall foliage. This has been one of the fastest foliage seasons we have experienced in our almost being here for seven years. Every year we experience something a little odd, so why would this year be different? At least we can always count on there being various rates of change throughout the state and the season isn’t over just quite yet.

We decide on taking a hike on the Mount Phillip Trail in Rome, Maine. This would be a new adventure for us as we have never taken this trail before. Last year at this time, we hiked French’s Mountain Trail Loop and over the winter, we hiked the Mountain Trail. We had a great time exploring the other two trails and the day was perfect to get outside. We had sunshine with a few clouds and in the low fifties.

The Mount Phillip Trail trail is a 1.3-mile loop with moderate difficulty with a few opportunities to view the area from different vantage points from the top. If you are interested in doing this hike yourself, I would recommend a decent pair of hiking boots, because it was quite a rocky trail and slippery in some spots. It could be pretty rough on your ankles without the proper footwear. As far as wildlife goes, we heard and saw several black-capped chickadees Poecile atricapillus, white-breasted nuthatches Sitta carolinensis, eastern chipmunks Tamias striatus, and American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus.

The trail is pretty rocky at the beginning and then leads up a steady incline covered in a mix of hardwoods and evergreens.

When we finally arrived at the 755-foot summit, we enjoyed vibrant fall views of Great Pond and the Kennebec Highlands from the rocky ledges. The views were incredible for photography and I would have to say this area had many more leaves on the trees. This is probably due to a large number of oak trees Quercus in the area. Oaks tend to keep their leaves longer than other species of deciduous trees. This would also explain the abundance of eastern chipmunks and American red squirrels in the area. They sure enjoy the beneficial nutrients of the acorns that the oaks provide. I even gathered a few acorns for the red squirrels back home, because we have so few oaks on the property. I figure this will be a treat for them over the winter and this will perhaps make up for the fact they don’t have access to my bird feeders anymore. I did the same thing last fall and I think they appreciated these treats.

Here we were back to the very start of our hike. On the way back there were fewer rocks and here you can see just how rocky the beginning and finishing point of the loop was.

We then decided to run down to be closer to the lake in the town of Belgrade. Our first stop was grabbing a cup of coffee from the Day’s Store and then paying a quick visit to Peninsula Park with wonderful views of Long Pond. We have been to this park several times before and it is always a beautiful place to visit during every season.

With a quick walk across the street, we found these mallards Anas platyrhynchos enjoying an afternoon swim. Did you know that a group of ducks can be called a “raft” of ducks, a “team” of ducks, or a “paddling” of ducks?

During our visit to the park, I was hoping to see common loons Gavia immer, but there were none to be found. Maybe, I will have better luck next time. At the end of the day, I got to think back about the day’s events while I enjoy my seasonal pumpkin spice coffee on the car ride home. I hope you enjoyed the views and thank you for reading. Enjoy your fall as well.

Before our last big snowstorm, we had a chance to get out for a nice hike before the sun had gone down for the day. As we drove farther south, we couldn’t help taking notice of how little snow there was on the ground. What a big difference in traveling a few miles can make in the same state. Our town had several inches on the ground and the area we were driving to, still looked like autumn.

We made our way down to a trail called the Mountain Trail in Rome, Maine off of Route 27. We have never gone to this particular trail before and decided to give it a try. During the fall last year, we had gone on a scenic hike on the French’s Mountain Trail Loop on the other side of Route 27. The trail consists of the main trail as well as the Great Pond and Long Pond Loop. Although it wasn’t a very long hike, it was nice to get outdoors and soak up the sunshine.

The Mountain Trail sign from the parking lot.

The main trail is 0.8 long and ends with a sign marked as private property.

The main trail is an old logging road that leads north.

Leaving the main trail.

The sun shining through the pines (Pinus).

Hiking a trail covered in fallen pine needles.

Hiking downhill through the pines.

A Trail Alliance trail marker.

Trail signs for the Outer Loop and Great Pond Loop trails.

The sun shining over the trail.

Catching a sunburst over the trail.

After hiking on the trail, we drove down to the Town of Belgrade. The town was pretty quiet at this time of year. It is crazy to think, in just a few more months, the town will be filled with seasonal tourists. After driving a bit, we parked the car and decided to take a few photographs of the lake from Castle Island Road.

A winter view of the lake.

A view of the waterfront cabins available on the lake.

A pair of swimming hooded mersangers (Lophodytes cucullatus).

Walking on Castle Island Road.

Another view of the cozy cabin rentals.

A final view of the lake.

We will have to get back down this way during the spring. I’m sure this area will have more energy during the warmer months. I also still have my mindset on observing and photographing loons (Gavia) in this area and this is the perfect place to do so.

While visiting Acadia National Park, we decided on taking a hike through the Ship Harbor Nature Trail. The trail is located along Route 102A, southeast of Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island. The Ship Harbor Trail is a short and fairly easy 1.3-mile hike that forms a figure-8 loop. Taking a right at each intersection will lead back to the parking lot. Along the well-groomed trail, we enjoyed the diverse terrain, the rocky coast and picturesque views of the cove.

It was a good thing that this was a short hike, because the sun was setting quickly. We wanted a chance to see and experience as much as possible of this beautiful area that hugs Ship Harbor. It was well worth the stop and I think the light from the setting sun allowed for that extra something in order for me to create mood in my photographs.

An Acadia National Park road sign.

Information about the Ship Harbor Trail.

The bright red berries of mountain ash growing along the trail. (Rosaceae)

A wooden Ship Harbor Trail sign.

A few different views of the diverse terrain on the trail.

A sign displaying information about a few species that can be found in the area.

A boardwalk section of the trail.

Species of animals and birds that can be found in the diverse woods along the harbor.

During low tide, the rocky headland has numerous tidepools with a variety of tenants. The park asks visitors to mind where they walk on the rocks in order to protect these tenants and minimize their impact on the area. We took a few photographs in this area on the rocks and then we were back on our way along the trail.

An empty rock crab shell among the rocks. (Cancer productus)

A boardwalk leading us through the pines.

Rocky terrain through the pines.

The sun setting over the cove.

We had a wonderful time on our day trip to Acadia National Park and we can not wait to come back this coming spring.

It was another beautiful autumn day here in Maine and before these days become fewer and fewer, we decided to get outside and go for a nice hike. We decided on exploring the central region of Maine for a change of scenery. After a short car ride, we found ourselves at the French Mountain Trail located in Rome. The trailhead was located off Watson Pond Road off Route 27. We continued on Watson Pond Road for 0.7 miles and the parking lot was conventionally located on the left side of the road.

At this point in the season, a few of the trees in our area of the state have already fully changed or fallen off altogether. We have a lot of sugar and red maple trees Acers and they are usually the first leaves to disappear for the season. In this central area of the state, we were welcomed by an abundance of oaks Fagales. If you know your trees, you know these trees keep their leaves longer than the maples. This made for a fuller, more vibrant, and more colorful day for photography.

This was a relatively easy loop trail ascending to the top of French Mountain with several scenic lookouts and views along the ridgeline. Along the way, we were greeted by beautiful views of Long Pond, Great Pond, Belgrade Lakes Village, and the surrounding mountains of the area. If you recall, Belgrade Lakes is the area that inspired the screenwriter Ernest Thompson to write the 1979 screenplay On Golden Pond. Thompson spent his summers along the scenic shores of Great Pond. The film with the same name from 1981, starred Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman, and William Lanteau. The film wasn’t filmed in this area though, it was made in Squam Lake in Holderness, New Hampshire. If you haven’t seen the film already and if you are interested, I believe it is worth a watch.

The French Mountain Trailhead from Watson Pond Road.

The trailhead map and information board.

Fellow hikers at the beginning of the trail.

Nature made stairs leading uphill on the trail.

A close-up of the natural steps with scattered fall leaves.

The hike continued uphill.

Wooden stairs on the trail.

The trail was covered in fall leaves.

I also took a few short clips of video on the way up the trail. The idea was to help you feel like you were there as well.

A first glimpse of the lake.

Views of a few of the steep locations on the trail.

A beautiful fall view along the way.

An abundance of pine cones.

A trail marker along the way.

A view of the lake near the summit.

Beautiful views of the lake.

After we enjoyed the views from the summit overlook, we made our way down into the woods. This area of the trail descends with several switchbacks and back to the trail junction and parking lot. We were greeted by an area heavily populated with pines and scattered deciduous trees.

A trail marker on a pine tree.

A young red maple tree.

Making our way down the trail.

Fallen colorful autumn leaves.

A close-up of fallen oak leaves and acorns.

The end of our lovely hike.

We had a great time and we will have to make our way back to the Belgrade Lakes Region very soon. The area offers an abundance of other marked trails that we hope to explore in the near future.

Here is our situation. The property next to ours is almost fifty acres and is very beautiful. We have often fantasized about what it would be like to own that amount of property, or at least own some of it. We have discovered along the way that the owners of the property live out west. There have been many discussions as to how to contact them. A phone call or perhaps a letter of inquiry. Often, individuals in Maine will sit on a piece of property for a number of years and then sell it to logging companies for profit. Sometimes, it’s possible to get in touch with property owners and make a purchase before the logging companies ever get involved. Logging would be an awful outcome in this situation, because this particular piece covers a good amount of area alongside our road. For it to be cut would indeed ruin the local wooded beauty and would leave the birds and wildlife without homes. If you have ever seen a logged piece of land, you know it looks like there was an apocalypse. We have a pretty substantial amount of property ourselves, but can you ever have too much land? Especially in a beautiful state like Maine.

We got to talking about this piece of property with friends of ours and our conversations sparked their interest in it as well. Among the group, there have been all sorts of wishful methods for acquiring this piece of property. First, we would have to find out what the owner’s intentions are regarding its sale and how much this whole thing would cost. Before all of that, we would have to take a look at what we were dealing with. This is where our exploration of the property comes into play.

It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon when our friends came over for a day of exploration of the property in the snow. As we broke trail, I got to thinking about how I was the only female in the group. I also thought about how being the only female during these types of events has been a common occurrence throughout my life. I’ll tell you a bit about that now.

When I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time with my best pal, Lauriana from grade school. In school and during recess, we spent most of our time with the boys. The girls would jump rope and play with each other’s hair. My friend and I enjoyed G.I. Joe and the A-Team, which were favorites of the boys. To this day, I have yet to learn how to french braid hair. Perhaps, I would have picked up such skills if I had spent recess with the other girls every once in a while. During the summer, when my mother was working, Lauriana’s older sisters would watch my siblings and me. This made the summers quite enjoyable. Not only did we see each other at school, but we also got to spend our break together too. This all ended when she moved away to Florida. We kept in touch and we are still in touch to this day, but her move sure changed things. There were no worries though, because I still had my brother and little sister. Before my sister was born, it was just my brother and me. My brother and I always got along and spent a lot of time together. We are only fourteen months apart and we would wrestle and horse around quite frequently. There was one time during one of our wrestling sessions that my brother’s two front deciduous teeth somehow ended up stuck in my head. Now, there is something you don’t see every day or in fact, experience at all – ever. He was too young and it was much too early for him to lose these teeth. With my mother’s quick thinking, she was able to get his teeth back into his mouth with ice. With some pressure, the teeth stayed where they were supposed to. You would think that we would have learned our lesson from this experience, but alas, our horse playing continued into our adult years.

Back in the day, before play dates, social media and the cell phones of today, people’s parents made plans to get together in person or on the phone. Sometimes people simply decided to spend time with each other. A lot of my parents’ friends had sons. When all of us got together, I would often be the only girl in the group of children. I didn’t mind it though, because we lived in an apartment and didn’t have our own property. Playing with the boys, I got to spend time hanging around in tree houses, riding bikes, running around in the woods, swimming and passing through other people’s yards.

When I was older and we moved to the suburbs, there was only one other girl for me to spend time with on our road. We sometimes played basketball and often saw each other at school. We both have last names that start with a “G” so we saw each other in homeroom for six years. Other than that, the neighborhood consisted of only boys. I didn’t mind this at all though because we “ran” the neighborhood and got into all kinds of innocent trouble. I recently got back in touch with one of my old neighbors, Mike, on Facebook. To make sure it was really me and before we became “friends,” he wanted to know if I was Laura, A.J.’s sister. This used to happen quite often as I was growing up. I was always referred to as A.J.’s sister and the amusing part is, I’m the older one! I have always been treated like the younger sibling. I suppose I will never rid myself of this title.

Anyway, back to the hike of today. As the guys walked ahead of me doing their thing, I was able to take many photographs during our time exploring the property next door. The land doesn’t have any posted signs, so according to the law in Maine, we weren’t trespassing and were able to proceed as far as we wanted to. We made quite a few discoveries along the way and we finally got to see how beautiful this piece of land truly is.

The beginning of our walk.

Snow-filled trees.

The sun coming through the trees.

A snow-covered landscape.

Before we moved on to the property next door, I had the boys pose for a group photograph.

Breaking the trail.

A bright winter afternoon.

A thick snow trail.

Here is the brook that runs parallel with our road. We often spend a lot of time on the brook on our own property.

A snowy brook.

Moving right along through the woods.

Looking to the west.

Taking a break to play.

Playing on a snow-covered downed tree.

Another group shot in the snow.

A frozen section of the brook.

The ice melting on the brook.

The shore of the brook.

Walking on the frozen section of the brook.

The end of our hike and back home.

After our great hike through the snow, we got back to the house and enjoyed some hot tea to warm up. During one of our trips to Reny’s after Christmas, I had picked up a box of Stash’s Christmas in Paris herbal tea. It was on clearance and I thought it was worth a try. The tea is a blend of chocolate, lavender and peppermint. I am not a big fan of chocolate and minty combinations of anything, but this tea was actually quite nice. Maybe it had something to do with the introduction of lavender. The tea was a big hit all around. I think the lavender balanced things out and the tea was a nice substitute for the more traditional hot chocolate that usually comes after a big hike in the snow.

At the end of the day, I think we had quite an enjoyable time. There were a couple of tumbles in the terrain and one mishap with a foot getting wet in the brook, but all in all, it was yet another good day with the boys. Inquiring about the property would have to wait for another day, but you never know what will happen in the future!