Jordan Pond and Bubble Rock: The most beautiful mistake

My husband made a mistake. We are going to start there because it is one of the most important factors to our crazy journey up the South side of Bubble Mountain. He had read that it was a moderate hike to the top of Bubble Rock and promised us views we would never forget. The entire hike was definitely unforgettable, but we were supposed to go up the North side of the mountain. I also think a description of “Easy to Moderate” might be accurate for people who self-identify as hikers, but not so accurate for the casual hiker toting two children and a puppy.

I’ll rewind a bit so you can approach the mountain as we did. On our first trip to Jordan Pond, it took us a REALLY long time to hike along the trail and we made it almost halfway around the pond. Honestly, the best view of Jordan Pond is where the trails meet at the beginning of the path. It’s easy to get a feel for the clarity of the water with large rocks that you can see above and below the water line. The rocks here have a pinkish hue which makes the whole scene that much more idyllic. Having now been to lakes in other states, I appreciate the pristine quality of the lakes of Maine so much more. Jordan Pond is the shining gem of them all.

Jordan Pond is a oligotrophic tarn. It took us a little google sleuthing to understand that. Basically, it was formed by a glacier (tarn) and doesn’t have any plants or algae growing in the bottom of the pond which is why you can see to the bottom. The visibility is between 44 to 62 feet deep with the pond being 150 ft at its deepest point. There were hikers enjoying lunch on the rocks near the trailhead on our first hike, and I imagine if I lived closer to this beauty, I would enjoy a meal with a view like this often.

The path itself was wide enough for an adult and puppy or maybe an adult and child at places, but was not wide enough for groups to hike side by side. The trail around Jordan Pond is mostly flat and easy from this side. The other side of the trail is purported to be more rocky and hilly. There are many little offshoots from the pond crossing the path, depending on the width, an occasional rock or wooden stair was placed to cross. The kids loved jumping over the spaces in the path, leaping victoriously to the other side.

Riley found some blueberries along this path. The trail is well trodden, so we spent a lot of time exiting the path so that we could distance from other humans. It was a fun and easy, but hot hike. There were many moments when we wished we could jump into the 187 acres of cool, shining water.

There is a small parking lot that accommodates a handful of vehicles with a trail leading directly down to the trailhead where we parked for our first hike. It’s also possible to park in a slightly larger lot near the entrance to the Bubble Mountain North trail. As this is most convenient to climbing the mountain, we had our eyes set on parking here for our climb. Unfortunately, we waited for forty five minutes to access this parking lot. When someone finally departed, we found Dennis was too large to park in the space. The third access to the Pond is the main parking lot near the restaurant. There are actually two adjacent larger parking lots here, one that houses the restaurant and gift shop, and an ”overflow” parking lot that is actually much closer to the trails and boat access. We finally found a free spot nearly fifteen minutes later in the overflow parking lot where a kind motorist moved his vehicle forward to accommodate Dennis’ overbearing presence.

From this parking lot, we first hiked a small path to the Jordan Pond Trailhead, then continued along the path around the pond that we had previously hiked. For this hike, we were no nonsense hikers, not allowing the kids to explore as we went. It was 1.1 miles from the beginning of the trail up to the mountain trail.

Right before we reached the trail up the mountain, Ginny was clobbered by a dog whose owners weren’t paying attention. She was all right, but a little bit shook up. We decided we would stop soon, a little way up the mountain for our lunch. As soon as we began up the mountain, I had doubts. I wasn’t sure that I could make it up the steep steps. Guys, we were at a part of the trail that still had steps, and I was about give up. I caught my breath while everyone ate lunch, then we started up again. I had to keep stopping and starting. As much as we have been hiking this summer, my lungs still haven’t gotten used to going uphill. So it was start, wheeze, gasp, stop, and start again.

After only a few minutes, the trail turned to rocks and the kids happily leaped from stone to stone, clammering up the mountain with a speed that can only be fueled by youth. I exchanged a look with John who assured me it must get easier because the guidebook had listed this as an “Easy to moderate” climb. We continued up the mountain, inch by precious inch. John reminded me that this mountain was a lower elevation than Shelving Rock. However hard I had thought Shelving Rock was to climb, this made that experience look like a walk in the park. We decided (accurately) that this climb was steeper, but even as we kept going up the mountain slowly, it didn’t feel like we were making much progress towards the summit. We didn’t see very many other hikers ascending or descending the mountain which we thought was odd. It probably should have been a good clue that we were not on the correct path.

The rocks became more treacherous and even steeper. We pulled off for a breathing break and watched as a couple hiked down the mountain past us, carrying their dog in their backpack. Ginny was a trooper and continued to make the climb with us. She’s quite agile and appears to enjoy our hikes, even when we take her crazy places like the top of a mountain.

We finally reached a point where the rocks were just straight up. I stopped to rest with Ginny while John took the girls up to explore. They first explored on a plateau not too far above my head, then attempted to make the last push to the top. They reported back that the views were amazing, but the summit was not reachable. Both girls had panicked and Riley had started crying trying to make it to the top. At this point, I was bone tired and my clothes were limp, infused with layer upon layer of sweat. I couldn’t imagine that we had come so far to only come this far. John was worried that we would go up and not be able to safely come back down without falling off the side of the mountain. Two hikers descended and we asked them if there were any other paths back down. They let us know that there is a much easier path on the other side of the mountain that we could take. John had taken us up the HARD side of the mountain, disoriented from our parking mishap.

After a few minutes, we decided that John would attempt to get me to the top. If I could make it up, then he could lift the kids and dog up to me. I wish the pictures really did this path justice.

There is a crevice in the rock that you are somehow supposed to fit through, then hoist yourself up - and up and up. If you look to your side, there is no mountain, just the forest below. You realize in that split second that this is do or die - you could literally fall off the side of the mountain with one misstep. But still I climbed. John made his hands into a stair for me and I pulled myself up onto a shelf where I sat, back firmly against the mountain, waiting for him to go retrieve the girls.

Riley was next. She started to get nervous, but I called out to her at the point where you look down to nothingness. As she focused on my voice, she kept climbing and made it. Wow — at 6 years old!!

We sat, waiting on the side of a cliff while John retrieved Ginny. She only needed little boosts when her legs weren’t long enough, but did most of the leaping and climbing on her own. Luckily, she had the self-preserving sense to lean into me and the mountain once she joined Riley and I, sitting very still until we moved.

John went down yet again and helped Kaeli navigate to the top. Both our girls are pretty natural climbers, and Kaeli’s climbing prowess shined here. Finally, John somehow hoisted himself up higher than any human’s legs should be able to climb on their own and landed on the perch with us. The last little bit to the top was a piece of cake after this. We reveled in our accomplishment.

The feeling of victory and the view were out of this world.

The kids enjoyed standing on a stone that made them look like they were in the air.

I enjoyed lying back on the cool stone.

After we had absorbed the view to our heart’s content, we started walking across the top of the mountain and discovered Bubble Rock.

Bubble Rock, weighing in at approximately 100 tons, sits atop the east side of the mountain.

Visitors to Bubble Rock have a vantage point of Eagle Lake to the North.

Those who look out from the South Side of the mountain (which is the summit) will enjoy rich views of Jordan Pond with the ocean in the far background. Bubble Rock is believed to have originally been located 40 miles to the north, setttling atop the mountain via glacier. At its peak, the mountain is 766 feet above sea level.

The views from Bubble Rock were also enchanting, but not nearly as spectacular as those from the South side, so we headed down the other trail. The top half of the trail is quiet easy, and if one came straight from the parking lot, they would avoid the rocks at the bottom of the trail, so I can see how this would be called an easy to moderate trail.

The bottom of the trail was very rocky although much easier than the South side of the mountain.

Unfortuantely, my muscles were done and started to spasm each time I stepped on my right leg. I had to stop several times to let some cramps pass, but we made steady progress to the bottom. When we finally got to the bottom, we still had to hike back to our car. The North side trail is slightly further, so we had to pass the entrance to the mountain that we took by mistake. The path back around was slightly longer coming back on the same side, but with my muscles cramping, I was afraid that hilly terrain would make it next to impossible to make it back to the car. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see Dennis, his cool air, extra water bottles, and a comfy seat.

My husband made a mistake. It’s a path I never would have chosen. It cost us dearly in resources (energy, water, etc.), and quite frankly, it was miserable. But it was also beautiful and amazing. If he hadn’t made this mistake, we would never have attempted to climb this side of the mountain and would never have known that I had the capacity to do something this physically challenging. There is a pride in the accomplishment and a feeling when we savored the view from the summit that would not have occurred without that mistake. As cliched as it sounds, life is a journey. We have to be open to accept the blessings in our greatest struggles and our mistakes or we will miss out on the most amazing moments. Keep looking for the beauty, my friends. And know that you are stronger than you think.