The 0.3 mile walk to the top of obscure Chase Hill in Canaan isn't much.

Ten minutes at best. A little more if you stop to poke around the old firewarden's cabin on the way.

But scramble up the fire tower on the 780-foot peak and hold onto your hat for one of the finest and most extensive for views for so little work that I know of anywhere in Maine.

I didn't know it was coming and neither did my hiking partner.

But scanning the horizon I picked out the distinctive summit of Whitecap Mountain up on the Appalachian Trail near Katahdin Iron Works.

Wow.

View to far off Whitecap Mountain on the A.T. from Chase Hill, Canaan.
All photos courtesy Carey Kish

From there we traced the skyline southwest and began to tick off the peaks: Barren-Chairback, Moxie Bald, Pleasant Pond Mtn., Bates Ridge, The Bigelow Range... all the way to the Mahoosucs, where we were pretty certain we could ID Goose Eye.

That meant we were looking at something like 200 miles of the Appalachian Trail, remarked my friend.

Indeed.

Incredible!

So much so that we spent a good long while hanging out up there in awe, just looking.

Too bad it wasn't possible to capture the extraordinary view with a camera. The mind's eye would have to do.

If you're ever up that way cruising the rural roads east of the Kennebec River, check out Chase Hill. Bring a lunch and a cold one. Stay awhile and enjoy.

The two other peaks in our Saturday fun-in-the-spring-sun hiking trifecta included Mount Pisgah in Winthrop and Monument Hill in Leeds.

It's a little less than a mile to Pisgah's summit and another high fire tower, complete with broad views of the snow-capped Presidential Range.

Fire tower atop Mount Pisgah, Winthrop.

Atop Mount Pisgah, looking across Androscoggin Lake to the distant snow-capped Presidential Range.

Not too far away in Leeds is Monument Hill, another easy but rewarding hike. An obelisk dedicated to war veterans adorns the top. And just beyond is an open ledge with a comfy sitting rock and a beautiful mountain vista.

Snow on the trail to Monument Hill, Leeds.

Obelisk on top of Monument Hill.

Sun and blue skies and temps in the 70s... Three wonderful hikes. Two sunburned hikers. One fine day.

All good.

Mount Pisgah, Monument Hill and Chase Hill are all well described in the AMC Maine Mountain Guide. The DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer is helpful, as always, for navigation.

And your weekend? Good?