Foggy morning but supposed to clear later ( lessened some but didn't really clear). In light of all the ice we have had to deal with we went to the Sand Beach area which offers some alternatives.
And , of course, started with the beach for Kelley. The barrier is to keep people off the fragile dunes. The upper part of the Beehive is shrouded in fog.
Kelley doesn't like large waves but likes the fresh water stream that flows into the ocean here.
We crossed the road from the parking area and started up the Bowl Trail , thinking if conditions were good we might try Champlain. Turned out to be very icy in spite of the warmer temps and we had to do a lot of off trail to get around the ice. So, Champlain was out but we would go to the Bowl before turning back.
We did so much bushwhacking that we inadvertently ended up on the Gorham Mountain Trail and decided to just continue to Gorham rather than go to the Bowl.
Not much of a view from the summit but the trail had been easier than the Bowl Trail.
We continued on the Gorham Trail down to the Ocean Path. This seemed mostly ice free so we continued south to Otter Point before turning back and following the trail back to Sand Beach. There was some surf and that combined with the clouds and fog made for a scenic walk.
This is Thunder Hole, a narrow cleft that under the right conditions produces huge noisy wave action. I have never actually seen it in it's spectacular phase, though I've checked many times. There is a gate at the top ( open today) with the sign "closed- dangerous conditions" - I'm waiting for them.
In spite of the dangerous ice it was a nice hike with lots of natural beauty to observe. 3 1/4 hours
Cool ocean photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I can see why the authorities are protective of the sand dunes. The sandy beach area seems unique on that rocky shoreline.
ReplyDeleteThanks John. You are right - few sand beaches except in the southern part of the state.
ReplyDelete