August 26, 2020
It was a cool morning as we headed to Sport Thoma to catch the shuttle to Canon Moutain for our ride on Franconia Notch Trail. Arriving at Canon Moutain we were met with a cold wind and sunny skies. Our gators (Covid wear) provided much appreciated additional warmth. We rode this trail last August with Landen in tow.
The tramway at Canon Mountain was closed due to pandemic. Sport Thoma would normally have bike rentals available here but now only shuttles from their shop in Lincoln.
The notch is a mountain pass between the Kinsman and Franconia Ranges. The trail runs thru the Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains.
Before heading south we rode north to above Echo Lake. There is a small RV camping area above the lake. No crowds to contend with around here.
The trail drops 750 feet from foot of Canon Mountain to end of trail at Flume Gorge. Don’t be fooled there are some good climbs along the way. My max heart rate was 162. Gasp!!
We took a ride thru Lafayette Place Campground. We both enjoyed the smell of campfires wafting thru the campground. Much busier in this area as well as further south at a trailhead parking lot. Still no traffic on bike trail.
We stopped at the Basin and took a short hike along the Pemigewasset River to the Basin, a huge granite pothole.
Once again no pictures of The Basin as there were too many people gathered around.
Back on the trail we left the crowds behind and headed for Flume Gorge where the parking lot was filling up. We had a little more than 2 miles to get to our car – on road and down hill. It was a scream. Imagine going 31 mph on a bike. Exciting, exhilarating and a bit scary. When I slowed to 26 mph I started pedaling – outrageous!! 🤪
