Day 3: River Road/118 NH to Hudson Falls NH

Today I rode 121 miles with 4760 ft of climbing. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Today was day three. I rode 121.6 miles from River Road, somewhere New Hampshire, off of Route 118 to Glen Falls, New York. Today I climbed 4,760 feet of elevation. The morning was so enjoyable. I rode the state route into town and picked up a carriage trail which continued to descend off the mountain pass that I had climbed the night before. And just rode for 17 miles on the carriage road in this mist that kept things cool and felt really spooky. I passed these like mills and old houses and a couple lakes. It was really fun. I met these 90-year-olds, a couple named Kevin and Connie, who were out for a day ride. They told me they rode cross-country when they were 62. So 28 years ago. And they're still kicking it, which is crazy. That brought me into I can't even remember anymore, West Lebanon. And then I crossed into Vermont and Hartford. Is that right? And climbed Route 4 out of town and back up into the Green Mountains. I stopped for one of many sodas at a gas station, and there was a group of kids who had just finished riding from Albany, New York up to Montreal, and they were so funny. I went inside this gas station to use the bathroom and fill up water, and it was just like so quiet, and then suddenly they all came in and overran the place. A couple guys were badgering one of the girls for money to buy things, which I thought was an amusing dynamic. One of them started throwing up like for a long time in the bathroom. I could hear him while I was using the bathroom. I don't know, being in high school, I guess, which was kind of not really a theme of the day, but maybe comes full circle a little bit. But they were super fun to talk to. I think their names were Luke, James, and Callista. Um yeah, Luke had ridden cross-country last year, so he was really excited to check out my setup on my bike, and then I took off. Um, the riding during the morning was really nice. I just climbed up uh towards Killington, which is where the AT passes my route. I talked with Amy and Bill. I don't remember their trail names, but they were AT hikers at the overpriced gas station I remember resupplying at. Um and that was so fun. It was really fun to compare uh I don't know, bicycle touring and through hiking. And one of the things that Bill asked me was how it's different, and I I guess I thought or think maybe the mental experience is a little different because when you're riding your bike, you have to stay more engaged, um, not crashing, avoiding potholes, listening to traffic coming up behind you, navigating routes, and that consumes a lot of attention where through hiking you're just kind of rambling, and at least in my experience, that's meant for some, you know, like pretty inescapable uh time with myself. Um climbed up and went down the other side of the Green Mountains. The descent was really fun, and then it got really hot because it was uh probably 1.30 at that point, um, and there was just a lot of suffering along 4-1A, I think, because 4 had become a major highway. Um I stopped in Rutland at the beginning of 4-1A to check out the Yellow Deli Diner, and it was closed. The Yellow Deli Diner's known for being kind of a thing on the Appalachian Trail, and I didn't go. I went to that overpriced gas station instead. Um I went to a bodega two doors over and had a really fun time talking with a guy whose name I forget, but he told me to go check out William Miller's house, which, if you know anything about Seventh-day Adventism, as the tradition I was raised in, William Miller's like not an Adventist, but he's like the catalyst for the moments which spawned Seventh-day Adventism. So I rode, not really intending to get there, um, but it was right on the way. So I was like, what the that's his house. Um so this is the full circle moment for high school. I went into the parking lot and talked to this super unenthusiastic, I think, high schooler whose grandparents live there on the property, and he was the tour guide for the summer. And I was like, oh, this kid is totally Adventist. And then um, I asked if I could use the bathroom, and he was like, Yeah, sure. And the bathroom was set up, I think, to host probably church groups like from the various Adventist academies. I just I just had this feeling. I was like, when I was in high school, we did stuff like this all the time. So it had been like so hot, uh 4A1 or whatever, it was just straight west, and and it was a bigger road, so it was completely exposed to the sun. So I was just miserable. And um I showed up at William Miller's house and took a shower in this, like in this bathroom, and that was like a miracle. Um it was so nice, and it just blew my mind that that that happened. It was not what I was expecting. Um, but uh, I guess that's what trail life is all about. Um so then I left there. I was in New York now, and uh New York so far has been hot and muggy and pretty flat, and um not that great, but here's to better things tomorrow. Um I just rode along a state route which had lots of traffic and eventually got to a carriage road. I rode for 10 miles before arriving at camp tonight. It is at least 110% humidity out. You can probably hear all the cicadas that will uh serenade me. And I can see a lot of mosquitoes buzzing at the edge of my tent. That's my day. Bye. Wait, how do I stop it? There we go.