Been wanting to do this picnic after bikepacking through Windblown last year, but it rained every time I was planning it. Finally decided I was just destined to do it in the rain!
Locked my gravel bike at the northern terminus with shoes/helmet, drove to the southern terminus, and started up Watatic right after noon. I’d been up before for backcountry skiing, so it was nice to see it in greenery. The weather was pleasant for late June: overcast, in the 60s, and breezy ahead of the incoming rain.
I carried all my food and refilled water at Windblown’s public campsite tap. Grass was waist high heading toward Binney Hill Rd but miraculously did not find any ticks. After a chat with the lovely Miller State Park rangers and $4 cash, legs were feeling heavy up the scramble to Pack Monadnock. From there it was steady going to the end, though the wet rock was slippy to descend. 5h 53m for the run.
Took about 10 min to chug some water I’d left on my bike, change shoes, snack, etc. The ride was slower than I expected (1h 31m) partially because I had planned my loop direction like a moron and was biking directly into a constant southerly headwind – just a lesson not to plan an attempt on the morning of at a Dunkin! Pretty scenery and quiet roads otherwise.
FKT by merit of first female but if anyone doing the TARC race decided to bike back it’d be easily beat! Saw squirrels, toads, deer, and a peregrine falcon. A peaceful afternoon on Abenaki land.