June 13-18, 2024
Hastings Campground is located on Route 113 in heavily forested land about three miles north of Route 2 near Gilead, Maine. It is a small National Forest Service campground of around 25 sites. The sites are large and well-spaced with plenty of trees between each site. It has bathrooms, but no running water, no electricity, and no cell service. It is a wonderful spot about a quarter mile away from the Wild River. The river is relatively mild right now, but there is evidence that it lives up to its namesake all along its boundaries, as there are large logs and tree limbs in unexpected places, much higher than the riverbanks.
Route 113 is mostly a gradual climb from the north in White Mountains National Forest, though near the end of the eight mile climb it does about a mile at 8% gradient before topping out at Evans Notch around 1,400 feet. The slope going down the south side is shorter and much steeper!
I did a 65-mile ride on Saturday beginning with five miles uphill to Evans Notch, then down the south side to the town of Fryeburg. I then went east to pick up Route 5 near Lovell, continuing north from there to Bethel, before heading back to the campground. On Monday, I did a 51-mile loop ride along the banks of the Androscoggin River. North Road runs along the north side of the river, while Route 2 runs along the south side.
East along Route 2 is Bethel, Maine. There is a building there called The Gem, painted in bright colors of geometric patterns. It is a collaboration of local Middle School art students with the local community and an artist from Portland, Maine, Ryan Adams.
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