McAfee Hikes

Date Written: 9/04/2024 | AT Mile 422.8 | Day Total: 15.6 miles | Gain: 4365 ft

Sleep very well last night in the vrbo. My parents leave today and I will continue hiking as usual. I packed my bag nearly all the way last night so I had less to do this morning.

I took another shower this morning for no other reason than why not. We loaded up the car and pulled into the diner across the street just a two minutes before they opened at 7. I got the “mechanics feast” which included two eggs, two pieces of french toast, two sausages, a ton of potatoes, and fresh maple syrup. We all also got a cup of coffee. The food came out fast and I was stuffed by the time my plates were clean.

We drive back to Cape Moonshine road where I had left off yesterday. My parents will hike again with me this morning to the next road about 1.8 miles away. There is a slight downhill but it’s not steep like yesterday’s. My mom managed to get her shoes a little muddy!

Saying goodbye after spending the past few days with them was difficult. We took a selfie and exchanged hugs in went our opposite ways. My throat hurt as I walked away and my eyes watered a bit. Seeing them was the best gift I could have ever received.

We passed a few rock walls this morning. I also passed many throughout the day, usually towards the bottom of the mountains. They were likely property lines from a long time ago.

On my way up to Mt Cube there was a massive tree that was growing on a rock. The trees trunk covered the whole top of the rock.

Mt Cube had some nice views at the top. The climb wasn’t terrible either. There were a few ledges after the top that offered good views of Smarts Mountain (my next climb).

I ate lunch at the first stream coming down from Mt Cube. I filtered water and had a feast comprised of Nutella/peanut butter wraps, homemade chex mix, homemade dehydrated apples, snickerdoodle cookies and a little single serving tub of honey from breakfast this morning.

Next up was Smarts Mountain which has a climbable fire tower on the top. I was able to see the fire tower from mt cube but it’s hard to see in the pictures. The climb up was long but no where near as technical and steep as what I have previously done. I’m not a big fan of heights but it’s worth it for the view. I enjoyed a snickers bar with this view.

When I was at the top a group of three college students climbed up the tower. They are from Dartmouth which is a college in Hanover. They were nearly at a jog when they arrived covered in sweat. One of the students was from London.

The hike down was not too bad. It flattened out for but while as the trail went over Lambert Ridge. It had lots of small views and this part of the trail had large rock slabs to walk on.

I ended up stopping at a stealth site at Lyme-Dorchester Road. It’s conveniently near a stream. It’s getting pretty dark already in the valley and it’s just before 6. I was hoping to get to the next shelter in 3 miles but I would have been cooking in the dark.

I set my tent up and made some dinner. Again, I had a few snickerdoodle cookies for dessert. My main course was pearl couscous with pesto and olive oil.

The days are getting shorter and shorter. I’m not looking forward to when it gets dark at 5pm… Lots of mosquitoes today and at camp so I put on my rain pants on for a little protection. I got a really itchy one on my quad that I put hydrocortisone cream on. Goodnight.