| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cube, Smarts Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Cube Trail, Kodak Trail, J Trail, Lambert Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, May 9, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ample space roadside on Route 25A- I was the first vehicle there near sunrise, and there was only one other upon my late afternoon return. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All unbridged crossings were fairly easy rock hops- including both Brackett Brook and Jacobs Brook. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails well-blazed and generally in excellent shape. There were a couple of blowdowns on the J Trail, which likely sees less traffic compared to the others on this route. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
If comfortable with a few scrambles, both of these peaks would be fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
Black flies were beginning to make an appearance, though they didn't really come out until late morning. I applied repellent at that time, and never had a problem even when stopped. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Great outlooks, despite the slightly hazy day, from numerous points on the upper sections of both Mt. Cube and Smarts Mtn. The North Peak of Mt. Cube definitely shouldn't be missed; panoramic views from the Smarts Mtn. fire tower are also worth the effort. Trail conditions were better than expected, with areas of mainly avoidable mud on the lower half of the Mt. Cube Trail, a few wet ledges descending the top of the Lambert Ridge Trail, but plenty of dry trail in between. Both sides of Mt. Cube were completely free of snow. There were a few patches of snow and decaying monorail on the upper reaches of the J Trail- primarily in the last 1/4 mile to the summit. The Lambert Ridge Trail descending from Smarts Mtn. had no snow whatsoever. Bringing microspikes or other winter traction devices is definitely not needed, unless you enjoy hauling extra pack weight for training purposes. Save them for the peaks to the north. This out-and-back was plenty challenging, totaling 28.8 miles and 8,650' gain.
Check out Unnecessary Climb for full details of the route, and an ever-expanding collection of other hiking adventures! |
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 | Name: |
Jason |
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 | E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-05-13 |
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 | Link: |
 https://unnecessaryclimb.wordpress.com/cube-smarts-double/ |
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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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