Mts. Morgan and Percival Hike

After postponing the hike by a day due to rainy weather, eight of us met up at the Mt. Morgan trailhead at around 10AM.  There was Kyle, Rob, Markus, Dan, Brian, Chuck, Rick and myself.  We waited alittle bit for Markus and for one other guy to show.  Markus was a little late due to Rt. 113 being flooded to the west and noone had a great deal of confidence that the other guy would actually show up.

We headed up the trail at around 10:20AM.  It was an absolutely beautiful day...a little chilly at the start, but mostly sunny.  Markus was still getting ready, but said he would catch up.  We headed up at a moderate pace and just enjoyed socializing with each other.  The trail was pretty wet, in fact, it was like a running stream in places.  We reached the ladders at a little before noon and everyone opted to accend via this route (there is an alternate route to the summit bypassing the series of ladders, which are bolted to the rocks).  Upon accending the ladders and emerging through a rock "cave", we were rewarded with wonderful views of the Squam Lake Region.  A short scramble later we reached the summit of Mt. Morgan.  Here we enjoyed our lunches on a ledge just below the summit and out of the wind.

After lunch we continued along the ridge, which connects Mts. Morgan and Percival.  This is a relatively level route through the woods with a few views to the surrounding area.  We reached Mt. Percival's summit at around 1PM.  This peak was a little more crowded than Mt. Morgan had been.  It offered wide open views again of the Squam Lake Region and also over to Mt. Whiteface, Passaconaway and Chocorua.  We took another extended break here before starting out descent.  Initially, the descent was very steep and rocky off of the summit of Percival.  This was only for a short distance before reaching the rock "cave" on this side.  This cave has a very narrow opening to squeeze through.  Inside there was a fairly large chamber...enough for most of us to fit, before squeezing through the other opening at the exit of the "cave".  After this the trail meanders at a modest grade on its way back to the connector trail, know officially as the Morse Trail.  We reached the parking lot again at around 3PM.

Afterwards all of us, except for Brian, went over to Hart's Turkey Farm (a place famous for serving up traditional turkey dinners all year round) for an early dinner before calling it a day.  Thanks to everyone for making this a great Sunday fall hike...it was alot of fun and a wonderful group of guys!

NOTE:  This hike is now scheduled for SUNDAY.

Join me for this 5.3 mile loop over Mts. Morgan (2220') and Percival (2212').  The Morgan and Percival loop is an old favorite and it offers fantastic views of the Squam Lake area.  Along the way up there are optional ladders and caves.  There still should be some fall color to enhance the view even more from the ridge and summits.  Elevation gain is approximately 1575'.

Trailhead:  From I-93, take Exit 24 and follow Rt. 3 South to Holderness.  Get on Rt. 113 and follow it northeast for 5.5 miles.  The parking area will be on the left. There is also parking on the right side of the road at the Rattlesnake trailhead.

What to Bring:  Typical fall hiking gear should be appropriate:  shorts or convertible hiking pants, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks and a windbreaker/raingear (just in case).  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water.  Optionally, pack bug repellent and sunscreen and anything else that you may require. 

Afterwards:  We should be completed with the hike by 4-5PM.  If there is sufficient interest, we'll cap the day off with dinner/drinks Hart's Turkey Farm afterwards.