An obscure entrance to the Appalachian Trail offers quick access to the trail where it crosses Jacobs Brook, and climbs Eastman Ledges on its way up Mount Cube. It’s a short walk, perhaps a quarter mile along the brook and then a half mile up the A.T. to the ledges. I had not been along this section of trail since I backpacked this segment in 2012, and had not driven to this access point since before the turn of the century. I’d been eager to return, so today I visited at the end of fall foliage and the beginning of deer season. I got some great photos of the cascades along Jacobs Brook and had a nice view of Smarts Mountain.
Then I drove back to Lyme and hopped up to one of its favorite viewpoints to look back at the same mountain. Read on!
The view from the ledges was fine indeed, here in the low reaches of the spruce-pine forest and looking down on the bare hardwood trees of the valley. “Stick season” has arrived, as have the hunters. On my drive in I passed a small homestead surrounded by pickup trucks; in the front yard was a group of men in camo gear. They were hanging a rope from a sturdy tree in the front yard, no doubt preparing to hang and gut the first deer caught in rifle season. Deer hunting is a core part of the local culture, and a key contributor to the pantry for many families in the region.
I parked at the gate where the town road ends and a private road begins, thankful that the family allows public access to its lands – as is common in rural New Hampshire – and strolled up the private gravel road along the burbling Jacobs Brook. I reached the crossing of the Appalachian Trail, where I knew there was a pretty cascade under a bridge, to snap a few photos.
From here it was only a half mile to Eastman Ledges, through a leafless hardwood forest but with plenty to see along the way… like these ice needles pressing up through the frozen mud. Check out the gallery for a few more.
After a quick stop at the ledges to enjoy the view, I retraced my steps to the car. I made a quick lunch of a Clif Bar on the drive back to Lyme, where I stopped to hike the UVLT trail to the summit of the Lyme Pinnacle. This little knoll has captured my family’s interest since our first visit over two decades ago, after we discovered the Valley Quest hikes for kids and families. I later adopted this quest as caretaker of the quest box – a plastic box with a logbook, a rubber stamp, and a stamp pad. The Pinnacle is a short hike and always a great excuse to get outdoors, capping out on a hilltop with a 360º view of Vermont and New Hampshire, at the site of a long-lost cabin set amongst an apple orchard. From here we have a clear view back to Smarts Mountain, on the other side.
Not a bad day for a couple of short hikes.
Hike stats (Eastman ledge):
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time (including photography): 62 minutes
Gain: 750 feet
Map: below you can see today in blue (at bottom) along with prior climbs of Mount Cube (via Rivendell Trail); the summit is at the intersection of the green and red tracks.
David Kotz 