Early spring on Beech Hill

Regular readers of my blog know I hike up Beech Hill in Rockport, ME, every morning at dawn, in all seasons and all kinds of weather. Some days it’s an ordeal of aching joints and blowing snow; other days it’s a panoply of beautiful color and silvery breezes. On those days, I feel almost as nimble as a bird—until some youngster jogs past me on the uphill slope.

The sod-roofed stone hut at the top was built in 1913-15 by Hans Heisted, a Norwegian immigrant. It was an American-style folly, designed for summer picnics for a wealthy local family. (When the trees are bare, you can just make out a stone well house in the same style on the south slope.) Its verandah faces the sea. In early morning, in early spring, all creation is laid out below you. But my favorite view of it is as you come around the bend and see it peeking over the blueberry barrens, just as I painted it on an early spring morning.

Today, Beech Hill Preserve is managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust, making it accessible to all.