| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cube, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Quinttown Road, Kodak Trail, logging road, Hexacuba Shelter Spur, North Peak Side Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 9, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked outside the closed gate on Quinttown Road in Orford. Room for a few sensible parked vehicles. Quinttown Road is well graded most of the way. Past the Mouseley Brook Rd. junction, a small hump develops in the middle, not a problem for most cars. The last 0.1 mi. is rougher, and there is a culvert that has been washed out, making a hump in the road. Regular cars can make it over, but only very slowly. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only significant crossing is North Jacobs Brook. Some of the steeping stones were just under the water, but otherwise it's easily crossed. Water levels were slightly higher on the return trip. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several scattered minor blowdowns. Parts of the KT are very eroded. The NPST is marked with faded yellow and orange blazes and arrows. The route takes a bit of care to follow once out on the open ledges of North Peak. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure. |
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 | Bugs: |
Nope. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
A third visit to Cube, this time via the Kodak Trail, which I'd never been on. What a great route! Lots of varied terrain: forest, ledge, boulders, water features (cascades, beaver pond). This is a longer, mellow approach to Cube. Grades are easy for the most part with no steep sections.
Eastman Ledges were interesting, but I guess I expected them to be more open. The one viewpoint is great though, with Smarts front and center. At the crossing with North Jacobs Brook, I took the short 0.1 mi. side trip down an old, overgrown and obscure logging road to a neat beaver pond.
Back on the KT, I climbed up to the Hexacuba Shelter, pretty cool! The door to the Pentaprivy is unattached and next to it. Don't expect privacy.
From there, the trail alternates between woods and stretches of ledge with views, very scenic. It finally tops out at the summit of South Peak. I hung out there for a while but eventually made my way over to North Peak, which I prefer. Stunning views over to snow-capped Moosilauke and the valley below. I lounged on the sunny ledges for a while and had lunch. While here, I did some bushwhacking around the summit area to see if I could find the old AT corridor. No such luck this time.
Trail conditions were mostly frozen in the morning. There are a couple areas of thick ice on the upper sections of the KT. Nothing requiring traction, but rather some careful foot placement to hop around and beside. Lots of little patches of black ice on the ledges in the woods. Open ledges are dry. A lot of the ice had melted out on the return trip, making the route more muddy. |
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 | Name: |
KenM |
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 | E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-09 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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