Join us this weekend at Rock ‘N River [Mike and Jon’s house] in Waterville Valley, NH for a fun weekend of hiking and swimming!

Jon and I are running this hiking weekend from Rock ‘N River [Mike and Jon’s house] in the White Mountain National Forest for this getaway! This is an opportunity for Newbies to get started with hiking and for experienced hikers to help the Newbies. It’s all about all of us having fun together! Lodging is optional to participate but we think you’ll have more fun, cut down driving back & forth in one day, and get to make new gay outdoorzy buddies better if you spend the weekend.

Mounts Morgan and Percival Hike

We will be meeting at the Mount Percival trailhead for 10:45 AM and the directions are posted below. We will start walking south on NH 113 for 0.3 miles until we reach the Mount Morgan trailhead that will enable us to make this a loop hike. We start off on an overgrown logging road and after a 20 minute warm-up the trail becomes a true mountain path. At 1.7 miles we’ll join the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail.   

We’ll take the wooden ladders and climb up the cliff route to reach the summit of Mount Morgan at 2,220 feet however there is a bypass route if you don’t like ladders. We’ll have lunch on the summit with views of Squam Lake and Lake Winnipesauke! After lunch we’ll take the short bypass trail to the north lookout that provides views of wooded Sandwich Mountain.

We’ll then continue on the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail to reach the summit of Mount Percival at 2,212 feet. The view is better here with lakes and mountains all around! For the descent, you have the option of going down through the caves or another bypass route. We’ll follow the trail to the road.

Vertical Gain: 1,452 feet [Moderate]
Distance: 5.75 miles 
Approximately 4 hours outing duration

Après-Hike

After the hike we will return back to the house, put on our swim trunks and walk down to the Mad River to relax. We will have to cross the shallow river so wear sandals [not flip-flops] or old sneakers. We’ll bring down a cooler with cold beverages. Bring a small beach chair [we have extras but not enough for everyone] since we will be hanging out on rocky beach. We have a nice swimming hole to soak into! Later on we’ll relax on our deck for beer/wine/snacks to enjoy the spectacular views, have a family style BBQ and a campfire under the stars! It’s BYOB all weekend. If you will not be spending the weekend with us and would like to join us for the BBQ [$10 to reimburse our food costs], let us know so can ensure there is enough food for everyone.

Lodging Option

Rock ‘N River has 2 rooms with 4 bunks each. The bunks include linen/blankets and there are plenty of towels in both bathrooms to use for showers. We can only accommodate 8 members indoors for the weekend so RSVP quickly!  Members who reserve both nights instead of one night will be given priority…so if you only reserve one night you may ultimately not have a place to stay.  Rock ‘N River will be open take in arrivals Friday night at 7PM. Saturday & Sunday mornings we will start the day with coffee and bagels.

Rate

The rate of $25 for Friday night and $35 Saturday night [includes BBQ]; or $60 for the entire weekend. Includes a bunk bed with a breakfast each morning, BBQ Saturday night and full access to the amenities at Rock ‘N River such as the Mad River, outdoor deck and campfire.  

We will provide directions to Rock ‘N River in a separate email to anyone who reserves a bunk.

Here are the directions to the trailhead if you will only be day hiking with us [We will meet you at 10:45AM]:  

We will meet at the MOUNT PERCIVAL trailhead parking lot.  Drive to Holderness on NH 3, and turn northward onto NH 113. Drive along the winding asphalt, which follows many of the irregularities of Squam Lake’s shoreline. After 5 miles you pass road to the right marked Rockywold and Deephaven Camps as NH 113 bears uphill north of Rattlesnake Mountain. About 0.5 mile beyond the camp road along NH 113 you’ll see a sign up on the right for the Old Bridle Path up West Rattlesnake. Drive another 0.3 miles and you'll find parking for the Mount Percival trailhead on the left at the end of a short gravel road. We will be driving a blue Toyota Tacoma truck with NH plates.