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Out and About
Winding up Route 52 through Camden and into Lincolnville last week the weather had certainly dampened my spirits. I was getting frustrated. I couldn’t see anything ahead of me — I wasn’t seeing beautiful views of Megunticook Lake and sparkling blue water. All I could make out was gray water with small islands poking out. It wasn’t raining, but I had to keep putting on my wipers to get rid of the mist that kept accumulating on my windshield. But then I rounded a curve in the road and my jaw slightly dropped. I looked up.
Before me was Mt. Megunticook. I had seen it before on a gorgeous spring day, but now it looked different. The front of Maiden’s Cliff in the fog and mist looked like something out of a story book. I pulled to the lookout area on the side of the road and got out of my car. The top was hidden from view, shrouded in dense fog. For anyone new to the area, the cliff could have extended upwards for thousands of feet. It reminded me of the massive mountain sides that one finds in the Rocky Mountains — but this was Camden, Maine, and I knew that had it been a sunny day, I would have been able to see the top.
I grabbed my camera and took some shots, walking forward and backward trying to grasp the enormity of it with a small lens. But photographs could not do it justice. Beside me, a small waterfall trickled down the rocky slope and had it not been for cars passing by, the moment would have been completely peaceful.
On sunnier days when the top of the cliff is visible against a blue sky, take the time to hike the trail. There is a parking lot conveniently located at the foot of Mt. Megunticook, and it is an easy climb to Maiden’s Cliff to see the view of Megunticook Lake. At the top stands a cross which ties into the cliff’s name.
As reported in The Camden Herald in 1915, the cross is in memory of Elenora French, an 11-year-old girl who lost her life after falling from the cliff.
The tragedy happened on May 6, 1862 or 1864.
“I shall always think that a puff of wind took her hat, and she fell over going after it” Elenora’s sister, who had been with her that day, told The Herald years later.
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Continuing down Route 52 in better spirits, I kept seeing sprawling patches of lupine — purple, pink and cream. The word lupine stems from lupus-wolf, meaning destroying soil as does the wolf. I can’t tell you for certain if these flowers destroy the soil, but I can tell you they enhance the look of the area. These perennials bloom early in the summer and are hallmarks of our coast, decorating landscapes of houses or speckling the side of the road in fields. The varying intensity of their colors and sweet smell make it worth stopping to snag a few — and I couldn’t resist; just make sure you’re not taking them from someone else’s property.
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While the weather may make it hard to spend your day sunbathing or daysailing, it won’t last forever. But while the fog continues to drape over the landscape, take a second look at the different type of beauty it sheds light on.
Send us your favorites. E-mail “Steppin’ Out” at kelly@steppinoutmaine.com or call 207-594-4401 ext. 281.
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There are treasures such as these all along the coast. Share them with me and other readers. Let us know what makes Midcoast Maine so unique and fascinating.
Send us your favorites. E-mail “Steppin’ Out” at kelly@steppinoutmaine.com or call 207-594-4401 ext. 281.
Until next week, have fun in whatever you do while you’re steppin’ out in Midcoast Maine.
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