Six sides, one shelter, and 25.7 miles to go. On the last day of a week-long section hike, a thru-hiker blogging for The Trek woke up to 40-degree temps in western New Hampshire, packed camp in about ten minutes, and set out from Mount Cube to close the loop back to his van at Trescott Road. The trail between those two points is where the quirky names come from: the Hexacuba shelter, a six-sided log structure sitting near Hexacuba Lake on the slopes of Mount Cube, and its equally unusual companion, the Pentacuba privy, a five-sided outhouse that seems to lean into the mountain-themed naming game.
The day was less about scenery and more about grind. With roughly 5,900 feet of climbing and nearly 7,900 feet of descent spread across the miles, the hiker faced tired legs after four intense days on trail. The route took him down Mount Cube, back up the 1,800-foot, three-mile climb to Smarts Mountain — where a fire tower rewards the effort — then over Holt's Ledge, a steeper test of the quads, before the long drag toward the finish. He crested Smarts by 9:00 AM and rolled into Trescott Road just after 5:00 PM, having covered the whole distance on half a liter of water and no snack stops.
There were gear lessons worth stealing, too. Cold-weather long johns earned their pack space when the night dipped to 40 degrees, though a lost set of quilt-to-pad straps let drafts sneak in. And even a well-regarded Durston tent showed wear: a stitched magnet pocket on the rain fly came undone, saved only by the magnets clinging to each other. Small failures like these are exactly the kind of thing overnight hikers want to know about before they head out.
Why does a single tough day on the Appalachian Trail matter to you? Because this stretch of trail in the Dartmouth area is a genuinely appealing target for a section hike or a weekend overnight. You get distinctive shelters with real character, a fire tower with big views on Smarts Mountain, and a manageable set of climbs that still add up to serious elevation. The account is also a useful reality check: a 25-mile day late in a trip, on fatigued legs, in cold mornings, is a mental game as much as a physical one. Planning shorter days, carrying enough water (half a liter is not the move), and knowing your bail-out road crossings — Trescott Road in this case — are the difference between an epic and an ordeal.
If you're dreaming of the AT without committing to a six-month thru-hike, New Hampshire's rolling section around Mount Cube and Smarts Mountain offers a concentrated taste: quirky shelters, tower views, ledge walks, and the quiet satisfaction of watching your step count climb past 55,000.
Original trail diary via The Trek.
