Date: 2022-07-20
From: Lyme-Dorchester Rd Stealth Site Mile 1771.6

To: NH Rt 25A Stealth Site Mile 1785.7
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: few clouds

We have two very big climbs today, a 2000 foot and a 1700 foot climb. It looks like today is the hottest day of the week, so we made another push to get out early. We were only somewhat successful, as Orchid and Pilgrim made it out by 645. Right as I was I starting I needed to go dig a hole in the woods. Also since I forgotten to do the 900 mile mark, I did a 907.4 mile mark at the parking lot before we left.Orchid and I are faster than Pilgrim on the steeper accents and descents. Orchid and I have been hiking together recently and Pilgrim has been catching up at the top and bottom. It seems to be working fairly well, although sometimes it means less rest for Pilgrim.The first climb up Smart¢s mountain was definitely tough. Fortunately it wasn¢t too hot out, but I was still sweating profusely and my heart rate was well over 100. I had to stop twice on the way up to catch my breath. One of those times was at a nice overlook to Mt Cube, which was creating its own weather. As the humid air was blowing up over the mountain, it was forming a cloud at the top. It was definitely pretty cool to watch the motion of the clouds going up and over the mountain.About 2/3 of the way up, we found the Dartmouth Outdoor Club doing trail repair and building. There were about a half dozen people working on a rock staircase going up a steep section of trail. It looks like they are camping at the campsite towards the top of the mountain and then hiking down to the job site every day. I thanked them for their service, but really wanted to get the climb over with so pressed on. Smarts Mountain has a fire tower at the top, and I climbed up the fire tower after I caught my breath at the summit. Fortunately the clouds in the morning had dissipated, so we have a bit of a view. However it¢s still very hazy out and we probably can see Vermont but it¢s definitely very faint.With the humidity, nothing is drying overnight and we¢re just sweating profusely during the day. At the top I used the privy and found I only had two small dry spots on the outside part of the thighs of my drawers. Everything else is simply drenched. I just wish I was able to put on dry clothes in the morning and not stinky disgusting sweaty clothes. Unfortunately I¢ll have to wait till the next hostel stay to get things dry.At the bottom of the descent there was a nice brook and we had an extended foot soak. It was nice and cool by the brook but we can tell the heat is building higher up the mountain. I was eating lunch in the book, and I¢m trying not to lose any of my food down stream. Fortunately I was successful in that endeavor.We met a southbound hiker who told us that Smarts Mountain was nice, but that Mt Cube looks more like true New Hampshire hiking. If we struggled so much going up Smarts Mountain, we are wondering what Mt Cube brings. The start of the climb was steep but the trail was good. We then went down for a little while before starting the climb of the second half of the mountain. That¢s when we started meeting the rock boulders and ledges New Hampshire is known for. Nothing too difficult, but definitely was feeling the injured quad on all the ups and downs. Much of the last part of the mountain was sunny and definitely was feeling super hot with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s along with high humidity. However there were really nice views from the top, including looking back on Smart Mountain. We got a little bit of a cooling breeze at the top but could not stay long in the sun.Pilgrim caught up to Orchid and I on the summit. He stayed to recover longer and the two of us started the climb down. We knew there was another brook at the bottom where we would be soaking our feet, which made the descent a little bit easier. Again there were some rocks and boulders, but this trail down is definitely easier than the trail up. It seems like that is the case for many mountains, where one side is easier than the other. We got to the bottom and immediately stuck our feet in the water. Apparently this is the place to be, as at one point there were eight hikers congregated at the brook including Vincent and his dog Juniper. She¢s remarkably well behaved and trained, and basically stays about 10 m ahead of Vincent as she goes down the trail.There were some tent spots by the brook, but we were debating pushing on another mile and a half to some tent spots by the next road crossing. They were comments warning hikers that the area by the road was a party spot for the counselors from Camp Moosilauke. However with the threat of rain and thunderstorms Thursday morning we decided to risk it and press on. Foreshadowing - poor choice. Talus and Waffle decided to take advantage of the spots by the brook but we pressed on.We found a beautiful camp spot just off the trail, with a nice soft bed of pine needles and was perfectly flat. Timex and Paws are here as well. Shortly before dark a guy walked past and said that the counselors from the camp would be coming by later that night to party. At this point it was too late to press on, as it was about 2 miles and 900 feet of climbing to get to the next campsite. This one might not have any water either to complicate things. At about 10:20 the first of probably two dozen counselors started walking past and they were at a spot about 150 m from where we were camped. The actual party was not too bad, but it was everybody walking past the tents with headlights and talking that was the most annoying part. Slept through a bunch of it but definitely knew when they arrived and departed. It sounded like they had coolers and ice but we went back to get water in the morning we didn¢t see any signs of a party, so at least they are cleaning up after themselves.In general, my quad is only slightly sore when I¢m climbing up. Unfortunately it¢s definitely sore when I¢m climbing down. I got a feeling that it felt like it was slightly asleep, but it was doing everything I asked of it although sometimes it felt like it might take a little bit longer to react. There definitely were a couple of places that shouldn¢t have been a problem that seemed trickier than they should¢ve been. I  have a good size bruise on the top of my foot from the slip in the stream as well. Of course all of this is on the same left leg. I¢m also in wet sweaty clothes, except while sleeping, and I just want something dry to wear hiking right now. Note: I use the term ¢stealth¢ site rather loosely in the journal to describe any non official camping spot. In reality, almost every site we picked labeled stealth has been an unofficial established camp site where people have clearly camped before. A true stealth site would be one that no one has used before and when you depart won¢t be noticed as being used so it doesn¢t become an established site. I¢ll admit I am being lazy in using stealth instead of unofficial established camp site which does help propagate a diluted definition of stealth site.Steps 26400Weather Forecast: 92/69