Today, we had to make our first big climb: Kancamagus Pass. Apparently because this name is so long and hairy and generally hard to pronounce, it gets shortened to just "The Kanc" (pronounced 'kank').
Before we even got to the base of the climb, though, we had to pedal forty miles. It was another day of New England's steep rolling hills, though thankfully still cloudy. We crossed the state line into New Hampshire today, definitely a cause for celebration. One state down.
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| Stacey and her good friend Laurel Smith |
We made it to Conway for lunch where we met with Stacey's friends from Bogus nordic, Kevin Donohoe and Laurel Smith. They pointed us to a nice little cafe for lunch in preparation for the climb, and even biked with us for about ten miles. It was nice to have them along for the 40 to 50 mile marks. We've noticed that those miles can be the worst, as the realization that there's still a lot of pedaling left to be done and legs are fatiguing. Chatting with them and having them be our tour guides for a few miles was a great change of pace. They took us across this lovely little covered bridge, the icon of the great state of New Hampshire.
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| Still smiling at the summit with all our clothes |
Then came the Kanc. It really wasn't a bad climb at all for the first few miles out of Conway, but the last five miles were very much uphill. The rain that we have thus far eluded caught up to us today, of course, as we "cranked the Kanc". The summit was at about 2800ft. Today in total we climbed 5500 feet. Ouch.
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| We conquered The Kanc! |
Rain made for a chilly descent. Everybody's feet and hands were frozen by the time we reached the other side into Lincoln, NH. We were all cold and wet and tired, so Shannon caved and got us a motel room. That poll is now closed.
We rode 77 miles today, way more than we needed to, but we didn't have many good options for camping in between. A successful day, but everybody is exhausted.
Roadkill Report: Squirrel, Turtle, Snake
bummer! I was wrong on my poll selection of no hotel until the second week! Glad for you, though, I can relate to how miserable a cold descent in the rain can be. I bet those hotel beds and showers seemed like HEAVEN!
ReplyDeleteYou guys have been smashing >5k elevation per day. I bet those cornfields aren't sounding to bad about now.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing no one cried when you sprang for a motel, Shannon! So proud of you all. Keep on "kranking" (kanking sounds bad for some reason). Tell Megan we got a fancy brochure in our mailbox addressed to her to sign up for senior pictures "that start at $424 with most Seniors spending between $950 and $2500." I think it is safe to throw it away? - Karen
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