June 11

June 11

Day 6: We’re posting this a day late because Newcomb has nothing. Seriously.. no grocery store, no general store, no gas station, no cell service, and absolutely no where to eat. Needless to say I am not a big fan of Newcomb, NY. – Zach

Anyways..

Today was brutal. Thinking that the worst of the mountains were behind us for a while, we left Ticonderoga this morning on route 74. Immediately we were proved wrong. We began to climb a steep road bustling with logging trucks. This hill was far worse than those we faced in Vermont the past two days. We were all happy that we did not continue this far last night looking for a place to camp. Finally we arrived at the Paradox General Store for lunch (our only chance for food all day). After a great lunch, we continued on. Zach appeared to be in another world today. He didn’t talk; he just continued to ride. It seemed like he was past the point of fatigue and his willpower had taken over. Needless to say, he led the way a lot today. In fact, at one point he cruised so far ahead that he missed our next turn. We stopped and sent an oncoming utility truck to send him back. They offered him a ride back to us, and he did not pass it up. After waiting a little while, the truck pulled up along side us and the driver yelled, “I think we have something that belongs to you.” Zach jumped out of the back with a smile on his face. At this point we were faced with a dilemma. We could disregard the looming thunderclouds and continue the 20 miles to our destination or camp where we were (the middle of nowhere with no place to eat) after just a short day of riding. We decided to get the next climb out of the way and head to Newcomb. We had no idea what was in store for us. The next 10 miles were all uphill and further and further into the boonies. At the top of a particularly tough climb we stopped to rest at a Buffalo Farm, where we stocked up on snacks. Just when it looked like we were beginning to decent, we turned the corner and began to climb once more. This pattern lasted the whole 20 miles and took every last bit of energy…and then some. Finally we arrived at the Lake Harris Campground (also the middle of nowhere), but were without a place for dinner. We decided to set up camp and finally test out our freeze-dried backpacking food. The mashed cheddar potatoes, sweet and sour chicken, and teriyaki chicken were good for a few laughs. We were physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day. To say the least, we rode through many deserted towns today, with very few places to stop. The rain held off until after dinner and we headed to our tents. We are hoping to find a hotel tomorrow so we can enjoy game seven.

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