4 days ago I woke up facing the hardest couple of days in my entire trip. I have been told by multiple cyclists on the road that the white mountains were the worst out of the entire Northern Tier. I knew that if I could handle the next few days I could do anything. It wasn't that the mountain was so high or that the degrees were so steep. The reason why the white mountains were so bad is because of the relentless steep hills after the Kankamagus Pass.
I knew I would be reaching the base of my 2400+ foot climb before noon so I loaded up on carbs. In the morning I had a cliff bar when I woke up, then about 30 minutes later I had a 1200 calorie sub from subway. One of the perks from this trip is that I can literally eat anything and as much of what I want, whenever I want it. People ask me every day "How can you eat that much, and then go bike? I don't think I would be able to do that. I'm pretty sure I would get sick". The answer, I have narrowed down to this. "It hurts for about 15 minutes, then you just get hungry again." Literally each time I have stopped I get asked that, and answer the same way, laughing each time. I think it still amuses me, even after all this time, because I still cant grasp how much I have to eat. It's crazy.
When I got to the base of the mountain I needed to eat again. I went to a local cafe and got a breakfast sandwich with extra everything, a v8 splash, chips, and a large chocolate milk. Roughly another 1100 calories. If you have been counting in your head that's approximately 2700 calories (don't forget the cliff bar) before noon. The only reason why I decided to count that day was to make sure I was getting enough food. I noticed I lost some weight and that is not what I wanted. I figure it is just something that is just going to happen, I just have to slow it as much as possible. I took a bit to digest, walked around the town, and get some more water and cliff bars. Time to climb.
I made it about half way up before I needed to stop. I dropped my head on my handlebars waiting for my heartbeat to slow down. I've gotten pretty good at controlling my breathing normally when doing extensive exercise, so I wasn't panting as much as I had in the bast, but my heartbeat was going a mile a minute. When my heart slowed back to normal I turned around and took this:
Coming down was fun. (PLEASE as much as I appreciate all of your concern I already get enough from my parents I do not need more. Risks are fun and I'm going to take them). The way down was only a 7 degree, so it was a smooth nice ride. Nothing too fast. When I got to the bottom, after 4 miles of no pedaling (Awesome) I saw this turnoff for a white mountain trail. I felt as though I deserved a break from the climb so I turned off and walked around. Up ahead was a sign pointing for a waterfall about .3 miles away from me. That sounded fun so of course I went, and it didn't take long for me to ignore the "Do Not Swim" sign and jump right in. At the end of the little falls was this narrow 12 foot deep crevasse carved out by glaciers and that is where I jumped in. The water was freezing, but it was completely worth it. I have a video but it's too big to be uploaded. I also have a video of a fish hanging out in the falls water. It's pretty cool.
That night I stayed in my first hostel ever. My dad had told me about it while on the phone with him, but I really didn't want to pay a lot for a dorm room so I told him I wasn't going to do it. The reason why I stayed was because when I turned on a random street a little old woman with a lisp asked me if I was looking for the hostel. I couldn't say no.
The hostel experience was weird, but I met these two brothers from England. They seemed normal so we started talking over a few beers and it turned out they were about done with their 4 month trip around the US. After a bit of talking they offered me a ride of Bar Harbor. It would save me a few days of travel and the most beautiful parts of my ride to Bar Harbor was already behind me. So I accepted.
evan, this does not look complete. try the upload again. i know you have been in Bar Harbor eating lobsta and drinking beer. great to see the resumed posting. good trip. have a good ride to portland. let us know what your decision is about what you are going to do next.
ReplyDeletedad
OK...no more about downhill bombing from me .... unless you do it again in the rain .. then the deal is off. Your dad came over to my office after court recently and we chatted about your trip. When I am sitting in my office and looking out the window, I find myself thinking about your trip and wishing I was doing the same thing. It's been almost a month on the road ... and still some travels to make. Have a lobster for me....
ReplyDeleteQ. Do you know what is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike?
ReplyDeleteA. The pavement.