What's in a Name: "Hexacube" and "Hexacuba"?

[Waumbek]

On the AT near Mt. Cube last week, I wondered about the alternate names (spellings) for the DOC shelter off the Kodak Trail. The trail sign as you turn off the Kodak Trail (AT) for the shelter south of Mt. Cube says "Hexacube Shelter." The trail sign further south on the Kodak Trail at the junction with the Quinttown Road reads "Hexacuba." The AT Guide and WMG use "Hexacuba," but I've seen the conflicting names used in DOC publications, sometimes in the same article.

My geometry is ancient history, but I seem to recall that a hexacube is a six-side polycube, which more or less describes the shape of the shelter. So what is a "hexacuba"? A six-sided island south of Key West?

These are most likely questions for Dave Metsky (one of Hexa's builders) but in case others have also wondered, I am posting them here: any significance to the two different spellings or does "cuba" just go nicely with "hexa"? Was the idea of building a polycube shelter inspired by Mt. Cube?

As for the five-sided Penta Privy at Hexacube/cuba Shelter, the pentagram inscribed on the door would never fit in the privy, which is an irregular rather than a regular pentagon (or pentacube). It has two right angles.

In any event, the shelter was in great shape (no pun intended). I was also interested in the quartz extrusions in the Mt. Cube area. I first noticed them because they were slippery and then started looking for them and saw more and more in the Eastman ledges area. They're streaked with orange. I don't recall seeing them further north on the AT or NH so I'm also curious about geology as well as geometry here. Does the quartz have to do with proximity to Conn. River?

 

[David Metsky]

The original name for Mt Cube was Cuba, so that's where the original and variation come from. I always called it Hexacube, but clearly the folks who made the recent signs disagree. I can ask Rich what he called it while designing and building it.

The folks in charge of the shelter were engineers and looking for a fun project. They wanted to build something different, and once they settled on the 6 sided design the name became obvious. The privy was part of a period of unique privy construction. During that time we had the 6 sided privy at Cloudlands, the stairs inside the privy at Jeffers Brook, the car privy on top of Smarts, the safety bar at Stoddard cabin, the two story privy (!) at Armington Cabin, and the church pew privy at John Rand cabin. Oh, and the folddown chessboard between the two opposing seats at Great Bear Cabin.

Julie, you out there? What's the official DOC name for the shelter?

-dave-

 

[Kevin Rooney]

What's in a Name: "Hexacube" and "Hexacuba"?

My now deceased Mother, a Bostonian, would have pronounced it "Hexacuber", no matter how it was written!

 

[Waumbek]

Thanks, Dave, very helpful. It looks like sometime between 1916 and 1917, the name "Mt. Cuba" morphed to "Mt. Cube." Reflecting that, the name of the DOC cabin, "Cuba Cabin," that used to be on a road to the west of the mountain, mutated to "Cube Cabin," and the old Cuba Mountain House on the Orford-Wentworth Road (now NH 25A), which may have had the original trail up the mountain, changed to "Cube Mountain House."

The original name probably reflects the intense American interest in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. I recall a VFTT post about a "lost" trail in the Sandwich Range that was called "Cuba," or perhaps it was a ridge or some other feature near that trail. I have not been able to search up that post.

DOC definitely takes the prize for ingenuity in shelter privies. To your list, add the sign at Jeffers Brook shelter pointing to "Averill Cabin," which turns out to be the privy.

 

[David Metsky]

As you may know (since you seem to know most everything happening in the north country) that is named after a fellow alum Bob Averill, who build the 6-sided privy at Cloudlands (with hardwood inlays and screen windows) as well as at least one other, though I can't remember where right now. He's the guy behind the "Sit Free or Die" posters that you can get at Mountain Wanderer and a few other places and he runs Moose Country Press where you can find some interesting books, maps, and historical documents.

There was even a privy named after me, but it doesn't exist anymore. Except on the Sit Free or Die poster.

-dave-

 

[Waumbek]

As you may know (since you seem to know most everything happening in the north country) that is named after a fellow alum Bob Averill, who build the 6-sided privy at Cloudlands (with hardwood inlays and screen windows) as well as at least one other, though I can't remember where right now. He's the guy behind the "Sit Free or Die" posters that you can get at Mountain Wanderer and a few other places and he runs Moose Country Press where you can find some interesting books, maps, and historical documents.
There was even a privy named after me, but it doesn't exist anymore. Except on the Sit Free or Die poster.
-dave-

News to me. I never put the two Bob Averills together.

I think the "Sit Free or Die" posters just became VFTT collectibles. I predict runs on the Mountain Wanderer. (Pardon the pun.) Which one is it?

 

[David Metsky]

Which one is it?

Ah, that would be cheating, now wouldn't it?

-dave-

 

[Waumbek]

Ah, that would be cheating, now wouldn't it?
-dave-

Someone--somewhere, some day--will know. And tell.

I like this version too: "box clamantis in deserto."

 

[David Metsky]

Someone--somewhere, some day--will know. And tell.

Actually, I told you once. Apparently, you forgot.

-dave-

 

[Waumbek]

Oh, yeah, I remember which one it is now. Does anyone else?

 

[spencer]

ayup.

spencer