Albany, NY to Whitesboro, NY
On May 19th 2025, I took the train from Burlington, VT to Albany, NY, with the intention of riding the entire Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo. In contrast to how I usually do these rides, I had decided that I would ride from Albany to Amsterdam in the afternoon, shortly after arriving in Albany. I was feeling more overwhelmed and stressed than usual before these rides, partially because I was feeling a bit ill, but mostly because I was dealing with some unresolved political issues between the City of Burlington and our beloved Food Not Bombs chapter. I decided that I would put that all behind me and ride anyway, feeling that I would almost certainly feel better as the ride got going. After disembarking in Albany, I started right away on the beautiful Erie Canal Path. I thought, as I was pedaling, that my plan might actually work and that I would race past my problems through sheer will. However, somewhere just outside Rotterdam Junction, NY, I noticed that my back tire had gone hopelessly flat.
Far away from almost any reasonable stopping place, I hiked my bike back to the nearest previous rest station, and I assessed the situation. Unfortunately for me, I recognized quickly that I would need to get an entirely new tire. I looked on my phone for nearby bike shops, but could not find any that were open as late as it was in the afternoon, and the nearest one in Amsterdam opened at 10am. I called a large Uber, hoping that it could at least take me the rest of the short distance to Amsterdam, and then I would take my bike to the bike shop in the morning.
The Uber driver was understanding and helpful, and luckily, the place I was staying in Amsterdam was beautiful, charming, and unique. I got to stay in the Amsterdam Castle, which was a very strange and enchanting place. The next morning, I got to sleep in far later than I usually would on a bike trip, since I had to visit the bike shop past 10am anyway. I called another Uber to take me to the bike shop, which was unfortunately far away from the Castle and on a busy highway road. When I got to the bike shop, I paid for the new back tire and got it installed, and I called the Uber back to take me to the trailhead. By this point, it was already noon. I had planned to bike to Whitesboro, NY, just outside of Utica, NY, to stay with a Warmshowers host there that night. Starting a ride at noon was not ideal by any means, but I resolved to make it before 9pm and by the next day my ride would return to normal.
The Erie Canal path from Amsterdam to Whitesboro was lovely, despite my persisting stress and illness. At one notable point, a local church right next to the bike trail kept its doors open for all bikers to come and visit. They had a table filled with snacks and water, and offered their restroom for free. It was a wonderful gesture and a much-needed place of respite along the trail. I also got the pleasure of riding through tunnels, past golden green trees, and all the wonder that often accompanies these bike rides. I was grateful for it, even as I was unable to get my mind away from the issues I left behind in Burlington. I started to notice an unusual pressure on the left side of my body, centered right around my heart. I brushed it off as simple exhaustion and kept riding, determined to make it to my Whitesboro hosts before too late.
I eventually made it to Whitesboro around 9pm, walking the final stretch up a steep hill to the house of my host. My host family was very kind, but I was still feeling the pressure in my chest, and I resolved to quickly lay down and see if a bit of sleep wouldn't cure what ailed me. After a short fit of attempting to sleep, I noticed that the pressure was not going away, and I looked up my symptoms to see if pressure on the left side of my body was something to worry about, knowing in the anxious part of my mind that it could be something indicating a heart attack. Every link that came up from my search told me to go to the Emergency Room as soon as possible to prevent a heart attack. I swallowed my shame and wandered upstairs in my Warmshowers home, resolving to wake up my host and ask to be driven to the ER. I sheepishly knocked on the bedroom door of my host and told them that I was feeling some pain and pressure over my left chest, and my host immediately sprung into action, showing no hesitation in getting me to the Emergency Room. I felt so grateful for his willingness to help me. After arriving in the Emergency Room, my host told me to call him later and we could ensure I get my bike back, I am returned to the trail, or whatever needed to happen would happen. He then left me in the capable hands of the nurses and doctors.
The nurses did an EKG test and ran some blood work over the course of several hours, in the meantime I drifted in and out of sleep. Eventually the doctor came in and told me that I was not having a heart attack, but instead was feeling the symptoms of Pericarditis, which is a viral infection of the pericardium around the heart. He told me that it would be very unwise to continue biking, and instead, I should rest for at least three months and take antiviral medication. He told me that pericarditis was likely caused by a viral infection exacerbated by stress, and my best course of action was to take it easy. I texted my friends from the hospital bed, letting them know that the bike trip could no longer continue, and that I would need to return to Burlington. I called my Warmshowers host and asked if my bike could be delivered to a local La Quinta hotel, where I would stay the night, and also if they could come and get me from the ER and take me to the La Quinta. In the meantime, I had notified Mae that I was in need of rescuing, and Mae and Kiana both drove down to Utica, NY in Kiana's SUV to collect me and my bike. The trip was cut painfully short.
A Year Away From the Trail
So I did what the doctor ordered and rested for a while. I also lived a year of life. I went to London! I went to Scotland! I met incredible new friends, started new projects, made new art, wrote new poems, and loved so very much. In autumn, I took a bike ride along the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail in Vermont to determine if I was healthy enough to bike long distances again, and I biked about fifty miles with no symptoms. I resolved to return to the trail and finish what I started as soon as it made sense to do so.
Utica, NY to Syracuse, NY
After a year away, all healed up and much less stressed, I returned to the Erie Canal trail on May 30th to finish the adventure! I took the train from Burlington to Utica to start off as close as I could to where I left off. I stayed the first night in the Red Roof Inn in Utica, which was right next to the bike trail. I woke up bright and early at 6am, ate a bagel for breakfast, and started on my way. Things were already off to a much better start! The ride to Syracuse was lovely. I saw multiple beaver, deer, and geese along the trail. Geese, in particular, were quite abundant along the Erie Canal and I continued to see them for essentially the entire ride. I don't think they appreciated me very much, but I certainly appreciated them and their goslings! Upon approaching Syracuse, the trail wound its way through a suburban strip mall, and I was nervous that I was going to have to bike on the shoulder of a busy road. However, in a clever twist, they actually stuck the trail in the middle of the median - so I didn't have to contend with cars at all! I felt so lucky! Syracuse itself has some stunning Art Deco architecture, and it felt so great riding into the city. I stayed the night with a Warmshowers host who had an entire upstairs apartment to host me in. As soon as I met her, we talked for a brief moment, but then I went to sleep.
Syracuse, NY to Lyons, NY
Upon waking up in Syracuse, NY, I let my host that I had to leave early so that she could get my bike out of her garage. After letting her know that I was leaving at about 6:30am, she took some time attempting to convert me to her particular brand of evangelical Christianity. I let her know that I sing in a Church choir, hoping that this would be enough to persuade her that my soul was in good hands, but she still pressed on with her sermon to ensure I find God. It was early in the morning for the conversation, but as I rode, I ended up feeling somewhat honored that she tried to share her religious thoughts with me.
The bike ride to Lyons included a stunning view of Onandaga Lake, a unique ride through an amphitheater, and the sight of more golden trees, deer, and geese. At one point, a little fawn seemed to play with me as I rode. Whenever I rode forward, the fawn would run ahead of me, but then it would turn around and wait for me to chase it before it would run again. It was one of the cutest things I think I've ever seen! Lyons itself was a charming town, and my Warmshowers host this time was an incredible homesteading gardening woman who made me a delicious tofu, asparagus, and macaroni dinner. I got to Lyons at around 4pm, so me and my host chatted for about 3 hours about the Erie Canal, biking, and our lives before I eventually showered and retired to her spare bedroom, ready to sleep and take on the next day into Rochester.