Trip report
Mt. Cube Hike
Hiking/Walk DATE: 04/02/2016 - 04/02/2016
Trip/Event Location: Orford, NH
US
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate
We will hike the Mt. Cube Trail [Appalachian Trail] to the summit of Mt. Cube, elevation 2,909 feet. Great directional views from two open ledges, north and south peaks!
Mount Cube, with open
...I-93 Exit 26
NH-25 west [for 15.7 miles]
NH-25A west [for 4.6 miles]
Parking at trailhead along left side of road, just after small bridge over Pond Brook. Trailhead on same side as parking, marked by Dartmouth Outing Club sign. Note that there's a hiker sign on right before the bridge and old logging road on left after the bridge that looks like the trail, but it's not. Trailhead is a little farther down the road, at end of parking area if coming from I-93 direction. We will be driving a blue Toyota FJ Cruiser.
Trip Report/Photos
Mount Cube is a peak on the 52-With-a-View list, a list I'm not actively trying to complete but one I definitely would like to eventually, and it definitely earns its place on the list. It actually has two summits, which both have nice views in different directions. The interesting thing about this mountain though was that the summit is covered in large quartz ledges, a fairly unusual thing in the Northeast.
We headed up the Mount Cube Trail from Route 25A, as that is the AT in this area just South of Mount Moosilauke. We started out on an old woods road under overcast skies and passed a cellar hole. The air temperature was around 50 degrees and perfect for helping us to keep cool. About the halfway point to the ridge we crossed Brackett Brook that was a bit tricky but we all managed. With the leaves still off the trees we were then able to see the summit ledges. We ran into two couples descending who warned us about upcoming ice. We climbed easily through open hardwoods and ascending by long switchbacks. We began to encounter snow and ice. At first we bushwhacked in the woods around certain sections but once the ice flows became consistent we put on our MicroSpikes.
We took the short spur to North Cube and walked on quartz rock – gorgeous – very different from the usual granite. By the time we reached the north summit for lunch the sun came out! As we gazed down NH 25A Upper Baker Pond was right above it. We spent a long while on the North summit sitting, eating lunch and enjoying the beauty. Looking up, Mount Moosilauke dominated the view…however the top of the peak was hidden by clouds.
We then headed up to South Cube. A wonderful view of Smarts Mountain, the Dartmouth Skiway, Mount Ascutney in Vermont. We tried to make out other Vermont mountains and saw Killington Peak and the distinctive Camel’s Hump. Scott could even make out the field where his house was nearby!
We put on MicroSpikes and Dave put on his crampons for the descent. We enjoyed sunny skies at the start of the descent but then encountered periodic showers with hail further down the mountain. We took off our traction devices when we felt the worst of the ice was over but then a bit later Tim took a hard fall where he felt he injured his ankle and knee…he said he heard a pop. He took some Ibuprofen and took his time for the remainder of the descent. Hugs back at the cars and we told everyone we would wait for Bob to make sure he returned safely. He reached his car around 6:15pm.
Back at the house, it’s an incredible moment to look back on the day and realize how lucky we are to love this so much and to be able to do it as often as we can! Thanks everyone who attended for a great day and helped celebrate our 15 years together! Hope to see you all again soon.
~ Trip Report by Mike
~ Pictures Taken by Jon
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