On yet another sunny day that ended up with 100-mile visibility, I climbed Mount Cube (2909 ft.), one of the best "52 With a View" peaks, via its northern approach, the Mount Cube Trail off NH Rt. 25A. In addition to the mountain's stellar views, I wanted to check out the major trail reconstruction completed by the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) trail crew over the last few years.
The Mount Cube Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail route over the mountain. It was built by DOC in the late 1980s to replace a route that traversed private land. In its first section it crosses a stone wall and passes two cellar holes.
There's a nice mix of forest along this trail, including some large hemlocks.
Brackett Brook, looking upstream from where the trail crosses it.
The middle section of the trail passes through some fine mature hardwood forest.
In one stretch the trail crosses a plateau forested mostly with beech.
A large old leaning yellow birch.
The upper mile of the trail follows switchbacks through steeper and more rugged terrain. Here is where I started to encounter the amazing DOC trail reconstruction.
There are a number of staircases masterfully constructed with flat quartzite rocks.
I paused often to marvel at this work.
The upper part of the trail is still rugged, but vastly improved over these formerly eroded pitches.
The stairs keep coming!
Close-up.
Wooden steps near the top of the ridge.
X-marks for traction.
New signs at the south summit.
Marker from the 1870s U.S. Coastal Survey.
Closer look.
Looking southwest. Killington and Pico in the distance on the far right. The sun was balmy here and I had the summit to myself for an hour.
Long view out to the Green Mountains beyond nearby Sunday Mountain. Mts. Abraham and Ellen are left of center and Camel's Hump is right of center.
Heading over to the North Peak for a completely different view.
Quartzite ledges along the way.
The best view ledges are found beyond this huge outcrop.
Gorgeous view of Mt. Moosilauke rising beyond Upper Baker Pond.
A great angle on the Moose, with the Kinsmans peering over in back.
Carr Mountain dominates the horizon to the east.
A solitary white pine has taken hold on the ledges.
Looking SE to the Cube satellite peak known as Black Hill. Shadows getting long, time to head down. The hike to both Mount Cube summits via the Mount Cube Trail is 7.4 miles round trip with 2300 ft. of elevation gain,
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