Trek Across Maine: 180 Miles, 3 days, 5 friends

Just got back from the 2008 Trek Across Maine… a GREAT bike trip that raises money for the American Lung Association of Maine.  The trip starts in the mountains of western Maine and travels east from Sunday River Ski Resort to the ocean in Belfast.  180 miles, 3 days, 5 friends.  (Photos by Ben… or someone else).

Looking For Rain

It’s a great experience, and one that I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy for 7 years… but I’ve NEVER done it with my crazy friends Ben, Leslie, Amanda, and of course the amazing and talented Christine.  To say it was “different” trip this year than in past seasons was an understatement.

Feeling good (because we haven’t yet started day 2)

I was a bicycling medic again which is why I get to wear the snazzy oversized red shirt.  My jersey paled in comparison to Ben’s undersized circa 1992 bike shirt complete with multi colored cactus and geometric spines.  Ben was the darling of the Trek… and his years of smoking (irony?), overeating and utter refusal to train actually paid off in spades.  He was incredible on the bike, and even more so in the rest stops, doing deals on his cell phone until the market closed on Friday.  Frightening… and amazing.

 

Helmet Stripes

Speaking of frightening… guess who forgot to put sunscreen on their bald head?  The brilliant medic.

Hypothermia sets in: Is it over?

The trip was fantastic, and I highly recommend it: http://www.mainelung.org/Events/Trek/

Leslie, Ben and Amanda have been our friends for years, and it was wonderful to spend time with them becoming hypothermic in the rain, laughing, and gorging on more food than we will ever “burn off” while riding.  We survived, and so did all my patients!!!!

Back to normal.. or as close as we get to normal.