September 8, 2013 Piermont --> Lincoln, NH - 32 miles
I waited until about 10:00 a.m. to leave Piermont in order to let the rain pass. The forecast was for continued cloudiness, but no real storms. It was discernibly cooler, in the low 40's. And quite a bit windy.
I followed the 13 mile route to Warren via Hwy 25c suggested by Karen and her sister. There were several moderate inclines along the way, but mostly rolling hills. The road was not as smooth as others, and in a state of moderate disrepair. However, traffic was light. Probably because it was Sunday morning. I immediately passed a sign proclaiming that I was entering the White Mountains Region.
At Warren, I picked up Hwy 118 toward North Woodstock and Lincoln, some 20 miles or so away. Here, the "fun" really began as I spent the next hour or so climbing. There were a series of short steep winding inclines interspersed with longer moderately steep winding inclines. The flat areas were few and far between. I found myself stopping frequently to rest my legs and snack. This 56 year old body is not proud, and on some of the steepest inclines I got off and pushed for significant stretches. At one point, the Appalachian Trail crossed this highway. Finally, I reached the summit, as evidenced by a sign that noted a 7% grade downhill for the next 3 miles. I gratefully began the descent, and quickly noticed that I was freezing. It was overcast, with intermittent "spits" of rain and sun shining through the clouds. Kinda schizophrenic. But definitely chilly. I stopped to add another layer of clothes. The steep descent was a little difficult to negotiate because I had to be vigilant of the somewhat spotty road conditions coupled with the shading that made it hard to sometimes see the bumps and places in need of repair. Because it was so steep, I was in almost constant braking mode of some sort, and consciously switching between front and rear braking to avoid overheating. I was freezing. Finally, finally, I reached the bottom and N. Woodstock, just west of Lincoln, NH.
Found a very reasonable motel and settled in for an afternoon of rest and preparation for the steepest climb to date tomorrow through Kancamagus Pass. My legs are quite sore and tired from all the climbing the past few days, so soaked in the tub and spent a good amount of time stretching and massaging the sore muscles. Had a wonderful dinner of beef stir dry with vegetables followed by apple pie a la mode. Mountain climbing definitely burns the calories and gives me a healthy appetite - as if I needed that.
By Monday evening, I will be close to entering Maine and within a few days of Bar Harbor. Although there has been a definite cooling in temperatures the past few days, I fear that the unseasonably warm fall will mean that the turning of the leaves will be a little later than usual and I may not see as much color as I had hoped. We'll see.
