You knew it would happen this way.

A week ago cool, cloudy and rainy. This past weekend hot, humid and buggy. No time to ease into it.

Summer's here allright. And so are the bugs. As with the hot weather, though, you knew they were coming along with the deal too.

Saturday, up on Black and Bear Mountains in the Oxford Hills, the black flies and mosquitoes were there, hungry for flesh and blood.

They got plenty.

But despite the near-continuous swatting and occasional cursing, and temps into the 90s, it was still good to be out on the trail.

Both mountains were new additions to my hiking list, and they combined for a fun day with a just-right amount of early season exercise. And the road trip up Route 26, across Route 219 (where both trailheads are located) and back south on Route 4 was a very scenic and enjoyable drive.

Bear Pond from the outlook on Bear Mountain, Hartford.

Dalydog cools himself off in a puddle on the Bear Mountain Trail.

You never know what you'll find when you go exploring in the Maine woods: An old Socony gas station on Black Mountain Rd. in Hartford.

We were a little disappointed to discover that the new Gritty's in downtown Auburn wasn't yet open for post-hike refreshments, but we made do at Pat's Pizza and then went overboard with a frozen custard at Hodgman's in New Gloucester.

Life is sooooo hard.