Woolwich, ME
Dehydration or Heat Exhaustion or… ?
What? Really? Nah!
Bike with front wheel detached on Amtrak’s Downeaster to Brunswick, ME.
The day started so well. A splinter of Spinners got back to ride together again.
Brunswick, ME
Scott and I met in Brunswick after my train ride in. The idea was that I would bike to Waldoboro — where I had a reservation at Moody’s Cabins, and Scott would bike with me to Bath or Wiscasset. Great company is always welcome!
Brunswick, ME
The problem is hubris, counting chickens early, booking every lodging in advance in an elaborate itinerary — it leaves no margin for error, dehydration, or heat exhaustion.
Woolwich, ME
I’m suffering from something completely debilitating after a hit and humid 23 miles. As an illustration: since February 27, 2025 and this year — up rollers coasters, P.U.D.S. (Pointless Ups and Downs) and 13% quad burners hadn’t dismounted my bike and walked up a single hill and today I walked up a few 4-5% short grades.
My body was (is!) completely depleted, enervated, useless at the slightest exertion. I was dizzy often, cold-sweated a few times, nearly threw up, and nearly passed out on a couple of occasions.
The temperature was warm: 84 degrees. The humidity was a manageable 55%. And the dew point was 60 — enough to feel a bit sticky; but none of those numbers are aberrant, or unusually high, and yet I felt like I would keel over various times!
Wiscasset, ME
After a mere 23.51 miles my body would render no more. I took shade in a gazebo on the grounds of the Wiscasset Lincoln County Museum — the Historical Old County Jail — around 3pm and didn’t move again until nearly 6:30 pm. All this after being dropped by Uber and Lyft from ride requests three times; calling every shuttle and taxi company from Portland to Nobleboro, ME; and trying to maybe get a shuttle from Moody’s to their property in Waldoboro, ME. Even standing up was thoroughly challenging and enervating.
I was gassed. I was cooked. I was clearly done biking for the day — maybe for the week. I’m beyond exhausted and spent.
I found the good folks at Sea Salt Cottages willing to help out an ailing cyclist, and luckily it was a downhill coast to their property — which I was oblivious to for 3.5 hours!
The plan is Pattie will pick me up tomorrow and I’m going to try and see my M.D. I’ll let you know what all this inauspicious physical short-circuit is about as soon as I know.
Oy!
Woolwich, ME
Day 41:
Start: Brunswick, ME
Finish: Wiscasset, ME
Miles: 23.5
I’ve been hospitalized with acute renal failure before, and had two other emergency room visits that required multiple liters of saline IV’s before during long distance thru hikes.
Unfortunately, this feels a lot like those situations. Now I’ve got to find out what it is.
May 2, 2025, Charlotte, ME.
What I’m Reading:
Heat lingers where nature is absent—cooling the city begins not with technology, but with restoring the living systems that once regulated its climate.
— IMM Design Lab / Facebook post
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