FLYING MOUNTAIN!
Hiking Flying Mountain with a very large dog and a three-year-old should count as cross-training.
The dog—a Pyr and Komondor mix by the name of Bethie—insisted on leading until a squirrel appeared, at which point leadership was a forgotten goal.
The little cutie, meanwhile, staged several dramatic rest breaks, sometimes two minutes apart. All included eating Goldfish crackers and sipping water.
Halfway up, I realized I wasn’t really hiking; I was negotiating a three-party treaty involving Goldfish snacks, sticks, and who got to hold the leash, but when we reached the top and Somes Sound spread out below, the little cutie threw both hands in the air and yelled, “We did it!”
We did.
Bethie wagged her tail like she had personally guided us up Everest or just through a field full of squirrel landmines. This tiny (284 feet above sea level) mountain felt huge.
Hiking with other people (or dogs or cats) is often a bit of a wild adventure. I am a slow hiker since I have no depth perception and the stairs and granite steps of Acadia often make me even slower as I try to figure out if the drop is six inches or sixteen. People hiking with me can’t bag peaks. I am slow-slow-slow.
And that’s OK. Each hike you take—be it the same mountain, with kids, without—is definitely and beautiful as the world changes around us.
Flying Mountain is an adorable and pretty easy mountain. There are just a few boulders near the summit that have a bit of a trickier edge.
How to get there: Flying Mountain is on Mount Desert Island’s quiet side. When you come onto the island stay right. Go on Route 102. Stay on Route 102. Right before you get into Southwest Harbor proper, you’ll turn left onto Fernald Point Road. There will be an Acadia National Park parking area on the left a bit of the way down.
Extra info: It’s small, but fun! The out-and-back hike is just .6 miles. There’s a slightly longer loop (1.4) and an even bigger one of 4.6 if you hike the connector to St. Sauveur Mountain (679 feet in elevation) and Acadia Mountain (681 feet in elevation).
The trail itself is a lot of gravel. There are a couple of boulders and exposed ledges. Follow the blue blazes.
You can see Somes Sound, Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor and the islands: the Cranberries, Baker, Bear, Greening and Sutton.
A tiny history bit: Fernald Point is where some Jesuits from France tried to settle the island. Father Pierre Baird tried to settle them in the 1600s. But, a warship from England foiled that hope and attack. The colonists did not stay. Some were captured.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
For information about park pass fees, visit www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/entrancefees.htm
The park has a great little description on hiking the Flying Mountain loop.
All photos: Emily Ciciotte.