This was intended to be the start of the first/best documented cross country skate. After finishing hiking the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail, I jumped on a bus to Calais, Maine and met up with great folks who bought me a hotel room before I left.

I kissed the northern terminus of the East Coast Greenway, a mostly unfinished cycling way intended to go along the coast from Canada to Key West. For the most part my path followed that route, but I deviated in only a few sections that were unpaved. Leaving Calais was interesting - it was cold, Halloween decorations were up, and there was a frost on the grass. I knew I needed to get south as fast as possible.

The first day I found myself really in the middle of nowhere after an absolute tear of a ride. The next day I went to a hostel and recouped with a tight 28 mile day. I hated myself for not keeping up with my goal average, but the break was needed. As I pushed through Maine I was bewildered by the other side of the state I hadn't been experiencing. Amazing, almost pristine roads and very little traffic waited for me at ever corner until I made it to Portland, where city life smacked me in the face. After a delicious bowl of Ramen I bought a new pair of boots to push on, but they were a size too small. This practically ended me.

After Portland it was miles of highway skating, but luckily the roads had wide shoulders. I enjoyed it the most, actually, because the people had a wide berth to avoid me and for the most part I didn't feel so isolated. This was all good and plenty until about Old Orchard Beach, which was coming to the end of its tourist season and absolutely packed with people and traffic. I missed the more desolate north.

The end of the route had me pushing for my life to save every last second. The 15 mile stretch of New Hampshire goes along the seawall with glass-like pavement that practically waves goodbye to you as you enter the much more challenging Massachusetts area.