What's a Cyclist to Do These Days??

Sunday was an amazing day for a hike in Franconia Notch! Temps at the summit of Mt. Lafayette rose above freezing with the sun out until clouds finally rolled in mid-afternoon. Bill, Charlie, Gene, Loraine, Ward, and I met at Einstein's bagels up in Concord and carpooled up to the notch, where we parked at the Canon Mtn tram lot and found the Greenleaf trailhead for the Lafaytette ascent. We wisely brought crampons. The snow was hardpack after the warm weather and there was a good amount of ice above treeline. The trail was steep and somewhat challenging (for a cyclist) and well worth every step!

So after 10 months of doing pretty much nothing but cycling, I decided to join some friends in ascending a 5,200 ft peak. I'm young and fit, no problem, right? Ha! Lesson in sport-specificity. It's now Wednesday, and I can still barely walk. I cannot begin to describe the muscle pain in my legs. I can't even cross my legs while sitting because the weight of one leg atop the other hurts too badly. I am young and reasonably fit, right?? Yeah, fit for cycling, not for hiking. Well, I'll have to do several more big hikes and some weightlifting to get my tendons and muscles stronger. It can't be good to go without good weight-bearing exercise for so long.

Ward and I will be up north again this weekend, probably skiing or snowboarding, but maybe a hike if I can lift my legs one in front of the other.

Thanks to Loraine for that great shot of such a rare clear day on Mt. Washington (the first pic in the post).















The ridgeline from Lincoln to Lafayette as seen from below.
















I-93 cuts south through the wilderness.





























Canon Mtn had to blow snow after the recent sad streak of warm weather.





















In the final half mile above the treeline.




































Sunlight through the trees.. follow the light.
















There is a radio tower on a hill outside of Littleton. It's visible in this pic if you enlarge it. At the base of that tower lies Ward's 6 acres, and hopefully, the future site of a house!