Summary: bike 31 mi on Golden Rd, fix the flat, avoid sudden burst of heavy rain and get safely back to the car.
04:12 wake up in a dry comfortable cocoon of a hammock. Everything is wet and absorbed a lot of moisture from the air.
05:46 all things are gathered into the backpack. All I need to do is to strap everything to the bike and jump out of the forest through the wet branches and tall grass.
06:05 – a true beginning of the ride. Let’s test this horse after 4 days in a stable.
At about 7AM I am passing the bridge over Ragged Stream and the side road where I camped on one of the previous trips when also returning to the car.
 |
 |
| A lucky spot in the brush where the hammock was just hanging – it was a jam in the rainy forest | This iron horse needs to carry me through over 30 miles to bring back to the car |
07:23 OMO 8.71 mi – I’ve to a flat back tire on the bike. I am just at the point where Greenville Rd. branches off Golden Rd. – a good convenient place with a wide area for my repair. The replacement tube for the bike tire I bought in November 2021 and was carrying one with me in the bike bag. Now it is a very appreciated and needed think to have. I am drinking coconut water. The dun is bright, but not suffocating. The road is perfectly damp so that there is no dust in the air from passing cars. While I was changing the tube 3 cars passed and total for the day so far 5.
08:03 continue the route. Making a couple tiny adjustments like reconnecting the back breaks after the repair. Important and easy to overlook. The going is great. The bike needs speed switching adjustment, but still bike works well after several day in a wild.
09:28 – 09:40 ODO 18.85 mi -I am at Big Eddy Campground a little over the Telos Rd. that was a planned stop. This was such luck. A sudden very heavy rainstorm pounded the area for 15 minutes, but I was just passing a campground with the official office and a covered veranda. What a perfect hideout under the roof from a sudden spout of rain!
11:05 In a great anticipation I first see the roadside parking for AT. In a few yards it is a huge parking lot announcing Ice caves and access to Hurd Pond. And a little further, there is an entrance kiosk for Debsconeag lands. Here I am dropping the backpack into the bushes and continue riding the bike for that last 3 miles to the car.
The last leg of ride from Abol bridge to Ice Caves parking was 3.64 mi. It was light and not torturous, the hills were rolling, and they were not steep. Total bike ride was 31.35 mi in 5H 34 min with average speed 7.9 mph.
 |
 |
| At 11AM I am at Abod Bridge. Bike just 3.4 miles ahead. An important step is to unload the backpack. There is no reason to carry it forward. | I am at At Abol bridge again. Swimming in Penobscot River is refreshing, and only 333 miles separating me from home. |
11:39 – ODO 332.2 – I can see my car standing and waiting for me on the auxiliary parking lot at Ice Caves.
12:16 – 12:38 – ODO 335.9 – I picked up the hidden backup, took a swim in the river and I am ready for a long drive home.
12:43 I am on the still unpaved Golden Rd. and there are 333 miles remains till home.
Many hours on the road, another stop at a gas station and final at
17:56 I am at home. ODO shows 678.1 mi, and the traffic was very mild because of the holiday.
Navigate through the List
- 01 2025-07 AT trip preparation (2025/06/30)
- 02 2025-07-01 TU from Boston to ME Northern Woods (2025/07/01)
- 03 2025-07-02 WE - Green snowmobile trails from Debsconeag to Nahmakanta (2025/07/02)
- 04 2025-07-03 TH from Nahmakanta to Black Pond motorized trail (2025/07/03)
- 05 2025-07-04 FR - down the Sias Hill Rd. on Golden Rd. to Abol Bridge (2025/07/04)
- 06 2025-07 Lessons and fixes (2025/07/05)
Be the first to comment