Doublehead and Squam Mountain hike

Thanks to Randy for joining us on a hike to Doublehead Mountain on the Squam Range.  We were trying to get the hike in before thunderstorms coming in this afternoon, so we figured we'd turn around at Doublehead (or earlier) if necessary and avoid the next part to Squam Mountain.    The portion on the Crawford Ridgepole trail over to Squam Mountain has some fairly difficult rock scrambles which would decidely not be fun if it was raining or it was wet.     We parked at the Doublehead Preserve and took the Doublehead Trail up to the top (actually the view is before the true summit) with a great view out onto Squam Lake, probably one of the best views in the Squam Range.  By the time we got there the clouds were dark and we heard some thunder, so we decided to just head back down and skip Squam Mountain.   Also we figured we'd wait on lunch.  We fortunately never got much rain on the way down, it was an amount that made it refreshing, not annoying.    When we got down, it wasn't raining anymore and the sun was out again, so we sat at a picnic bench at the Doublehead Preserve and ate our lunches and enjoyed the continued good conversation.  It ended up being a great day to be outside.   After we left to drive home, it starting pouring, so it was good to get home and be inside the house with the cats, and we even enjoyed real thunderstorms later in the eveining.     

We will take the Doublehead Trail 1.4 miles to the top of Doublehead Mountain, where one of the finest views in the Squam Range is about 0.1 miles from the junction of the Crawford Ridgepole Trail.   At the base of the trailhead, in the Doublehead Preserve, we can see some ruins of old cellar holes and settlements.    After the viewpoint on Doublehead Mountain, we will take the Crawford Ridgepole Trail for 1.1 miles to Squam Mountain.   Crawford Ridgepole undulates a lot (up and down), and there are a couple good viewpoints north and south before and at Squam Mountain.   The hike is about 5 miles total with about 1600 feet of elevation.   There is one fairly difficult ledge scramble,  

We are keeping the hike at 7 people to make it easier to practice the recommended social distancing of keeping at least 6 feet of distance between everyone.  Also, with the recommended guidance of hiking local during the pandemic, please only sign up if you're currently living in New Hampshire or live within about 60 miles of the hike.