Over the Kan

Sue at the summit of the feared Kancamagus Pass.

August 14, 2009: Woodstock, NH to South Waterford, ME

Thursday night we slept in the shadow of what we thought might be our biggest obstacle of this ride – Kancamagus Pass, or the “Kan,” as the locals call it. Mount Kancamagus is the tallest peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and we learned of its legend as we approached its location. One lady in Vermont told us that she had a hard time driving over the Kan. A man in Woodstock told us that the Kan would make Breadloaf seem like unleavened bread.

New Hampshire's White Mountains

The climb to the top of the Kan is six miles and it commences as soon as you exit the town of Lincoln, New Hampshire. As we climbed, we expected the mountain to rear her ugly head and throw up grades of 12 to 14%, similar to those that we experienced on the “Loaf.” Alas, with the exception of  some 8 to 9% grades two miles from the summit, the real steep stuff never materialized. As an added bonus, the descent down the east side of the hill was spectacular, offering  some great views of the White Mountains.

Sue, climbing the Kan.

As the route continued, we descended into the town of Conway, NH. Shortly after leaving Conway, we crossed our final state line and entered the state of Maine.

Having left the Kan in our rear-view mirrors, we naively thought that we were out of the woods with climbing. How wrong we were. Just past the town of Sweden, ME, we faced some punishing rollers – one of which boasted an estimated incline of 20%. We still have about 200 miles left until we arrive in Bar Harbor. Tomorrow we will bicycle towards the coast of Maine and the town of Damariscotta, a distance of some 90 miles.

Today’s bicycling distance: 65 miles.

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New State, Same Hills

Tomorrow's gonna hurt

August 13, 2009: Gaysville, VT to Woodstock, NH

Fearing hot weather and humidity, we departed from our camp at Gaysville, VT a little early, as we made our way to today’s destination, Woodstock, New Hampshire, a distance of some 80+ miles.

Since there was no sign at the border, this was our welcome to New Hampshire.

The Green Mountains promised more climbs today and did not disappoint. Some of the initial climbs were short, but steep. Later in the day, we encountered a few longer climbs that were not quite as steep, more reminiscent of the climbs of the Northern Cascades.

None of today’s climbs rivaled yesterday’s ascent of Breadloaf. A picture of a crude topographical map accompanies this post:  note the relationship between Breadloaf and tomorrow’s challenge, Kancamagus summit. Given that Breadloaf, at 14% grade, was steep enough to loosen the spokes of certain of our rear wheels, the climb tomorrow could be a real adventure.  Regardless, the route will take us into Maine and the last legs of this trip.

Today’s bicycling distance: 83 miles.

…….Due to fatigue and old age, we failed to recognize Chicken Headley’s birthday on yesterday’s post. A belated Happy Birthday Chicken!!

One of New England's covered bridges.

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