Date: 2014-07-10
From: Hexacuba shelter

To: Lyme Dorchester Rd
Miles today: 9.0

Hexacuba Shelter to Lyme-Dorchester Road¢9 milesWhat a gorgeous, amazing day we had today! Blue skies, white clouds, cool temperatures, few bugs¢it doesn¢t get any better than that. But today was not an easy day. A long climb up and a steep drop down. Rocks, roots and mud. But the three of us were in high spirits and had a blast. We arose at 5:30 after a great night¢s sleep. Well, I had a great night¢s sleep. Becky had a hard time sleeping. It was her first shelter experience, so it was an adjustment for her.I had a nice cup of coffee and a meal bar, packed up and was ready to go within an hour. We were all ready at the same time and took off down the trail. The sun was just peeking through the trees and we could tell that we would have a beautiful day. We reached a footbridge and a rushing stream and took a break. Even though the meal bar I¢d eaten was a considerable chunk of nuts and berries, I was already hungry again. We ate some more then took off for the four mile climb up Smart¢s Mountain. The climb was gradual and seemed fine once I adjusted to going up. The terrain changed quickly from birch trees and poplars to fir trees and pine needle covered walkways. At one point we heard thunder in the distance, and I feared that we would be caught in a storm. However, the storm never arrived.We could see the blue sky, and the birds sang loudly The Hermit Thrush was very active and serenaded us for most of the climb. I remember doing this section many years ago, and I did not enjoy it as much as I did today. At that time, the weather was humid and very hot. I remember lying on the floor of the fire warden¢s cabin at the top of the mountain and shivering from heat exhaustion. But that was not the case today. We arrived at the cabin and summit around 10:30 and peeked inside the cabin. It was pretty dark and dismal inside the cabin so we moved on to the fire tower.The views from the fire tower were amazing. How do I describe a 360 degree view for at least 100 miles? We tried to identify mountains and other location but, unfortunately, I am distance impaired and could not tell what we were looking at. But it was spectacular. Lakes, mountains and treetops. Then came the hike down the mountain. I remembered it as tough with lots of ledges. Long slabs of wet and slippery granite challenged our footing, and I clung to trees as I tried to slide down the precipice. It was tough. However, the views from the ledges was spectacular, and we lingered over a long lunch on the rocks.After lunch, we felt lazy, making the ledge walking and steep stepping tough. I always managed to find unique ways to drop down¢backwards, sideways, and always clinging to something. But we made it safely down. The car never looked so good!Because the weather is supposed to be good for the next three days, Rammy and I decided to take advantage of the weather and to hike the Kinsmans. We will backtrack to do Mooselauke and the remaining 10 miles to Rt. 25 A (where we began Cube Mountain) for another day this month. We are really confusing the thru hikers who see us on the trail. Best to keep them wondering. It¢s late and I cannot wait to fall into my bed. The full moon is inviting but I really must get to bed. Life is good!