Free Spirit’s ( Al's )

Appalachian Trail Journal

NH,VT & MASS- Part 4

Dates ........ Saturday Sept 16, 2000
Miles ........ 14.7 miles
From ........ Glencliff NH hostel
To ............. Hexacuba Shelter (MT Cube NH)
Weather ... Mostly cloudy, 50 degF

Saturday Sept 16, 2000

Wachipauka Pond, Mt. Mist (2220'), Mt Cube (2911')

It was cool, at times chilly hiking today, never getting above 50 degrees, and it was windy - but nothing like yesterday. I had my hiking rhythm going strong and was feeling good - all dried out and rested. My pack was heavier with the resupply of food but still very comfortable. Even though the major mountains of the NH Whites were now behind me, I still had some good climbs ahead - 1200' coming out of the Glencliff NH valley, then dropping back down 1200'with a couple of 500'ascents, then climbing nearly 2000'to Mt. Cube, ascending 3300' in all.

Wachipauka Pond was beautiful - a little gem of sparkling water nestled in a valley, surrounded by lush green hillsides and completely undeveloped - no roads or houses. Mount Mist proved to be not nearly as challenging as the elevation profile on the map showed. It was a pleasant, gradual climb rather than the steep vertical shown. At the summit was a sign " Mt. Mist Summit - No Summit Sex" with the "No" crossed out. From there it was a fast glide to the brand new Ore Hill Shelter where I stopped for a break.

I hiked down into the Rt 25A valley, where I met several nice day hikers, one of them offering me fresh green beans, and up again to Mt. Cube. Mt Cube was mostly a bald rock top, not because it was above treeline but because of the masses of solid impenetrable and super hard granite on its top. My hiking stick's carbide tip just slid along, failing completely to get a bite on the smooth rock.

View from top of Mount Cube, NH

Its about 1.25 miles from the summit to the hexagonally shaped shelter, nestled on a hillside. There I saw Sharkbait - he had passed me on the way up - and two other hikers sitting around a roaring blaze of a campfire. I was greeted by a barking dog that looked strangely familiar. I joined the others by the fire, which was fueled by fresh chopped 4-inch maple logs. It felt good. Introductions were made - Bellows and Panama and the dog Elvis - as soon as I heard Panama and Elvis it Clicked - Panama and Elvis were none other than the Panama Red and Elvis I had met exactly one year ago near the Tom Leonard Shelter in Mass. I was hiking up to Mt Bushnell with Quick Beam and they warned us of a big storm coming our way. Panama Red and Elvis waded and swam out to an Irish pub where they were stranded for 3 or 4 days and I continued to the Glen Brook Shelter where I was stranded for 2 days by Hurricane Floyd's remnants. WHAT A COINCIDENCE meeting them again HERE, a year later!

We sat around the fire, talked, ate supper and went to bed. No hurricanes or big storms tonight.

 

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Spring/Fall hikes - 15 miles/day - Contact Al. aljohn@jmclum.com.
Last Updated 11/22/2000