Pete Hogan
New member
TRIP OVERVIEW
Waterville Valley is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream! The recreational opportunities in this mountain paradise run the gamut from hiking to biking to kayaking and everything imaginable in between. Any season (especially winter) in this spectacular region has endless possibilities for all sorts of adventure pursuits.
When I was walking on the Livermore Road to the start of the North Slide to Tripyramid, I was so impressed with the beauty of the route that I could only imagine how magnificent this trip would be on cross-country skis. Even the drive to and from the center of the valley on Route 49 was distractingly scenic with the Mad River tumbling down the valley on one side of the road and the rugged Sandwich Range Wilderness framing the scene on the other.
I took a little time after I finished hiking Tecumseh for a brief walking tour of the village and lodging amenities and was very impressed with how everything was so clean and maintained. I even called my wife that evening to tell her about the beauty of Waterville Valley and suggested we visit for a vacation sometime.
The people I met were wonderful, friendly, helpful and accommodating. You can tell a lot about an area from the people who live and work there and I had nothing but good feelings from the local folks. From Gary and Julie (the Gilcrest Cottages and Motel owners) who went out of their way to make me feel welcome to the cheerful waitress at Annie’s Overflow and every one of the hospital staff at Speare Memorial in Plymouth who took great professional and personal care of me on my ER visit, I was impressed with the kind and thoughtful attitude each person brought to everyday life. Though the mountains and recreational opportunities may beckon me back to Waterville Valley sometime in the future, it will be the people of this great area who have convinced me to return.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Gilcrest Cottages and Motel in Thornton and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for lodging in the Waterville Valley region. It is right off exit 29 of I-93 only 1 mile from exit 28, Waterville Valley. The rooms were clean, cozy, comfortable and cost-effective. The owners Gary and Julie were very helpful and made me feel like one of the family.
There are some good places to eat locally. With the close proximity of I-93, I could travel within thirty minutes to the Lincoln/Woodstock area (north) as well as (south) to Plymouth. Breakfast at Annie’s Overflow on Bridge Street in Plymouth was excellent and they open very early. I also had good dinners at The Mad River Tavern (just off exit 28, I-93) and the Sunset Grill (Campton) that was very close to Gilcrest. After a delicious early dinner one day, I feasted on some of the best homemade ice cream from the Sandwich Creamery at Clay’s Chocolates (Campton) generously packed into a homemade waffle cone complete with chocolate sprinkles on top…mmmmmmmmm…so good!
I guess you would call seven for seven successful in terms of completing the trip plan and reaching all the 4000’ summits of Waterville Valley. Indeed, I am satisfied and feel more than accomplished for achieving all the hiking goals. The weather could have been better, but mountain weather is always unpredictable and so you learn to live with what the mountains give. Even in the fog and mist there is a magnificence to mountains that makes the experience rewarding and memorable.
Due to the delay in my arrival (my 93-year old mother died on July 2, 2009), the hike sequence was not what I had first envisioned, but actually, the way it played out was better suited for me. I started with a comparatively “easy” solo hike on Tuesday to Tecumseh in poor, but tolerable weather.
Wednesday, the inclement weather persisted and although initially reluctant to do a 12-mile hike in marginal conditions, I joined Clay and Jim for the Whiteface/Passaconaway loop. As it unfortunately turned out, Wednesday was the only day we hiked together. On that day, Bruce wanted a rest day so I never hiked with him the entire week. I would have preferred a better weather day for Whiteface/Passaconaway as the views are purported to be spectacular, but it was wiser for me to team with Jim and Clay. We had no views due to fog, mist and intermittent rain the entire nine hours and thirty minutes we hiked, but it was still a great walk.
Thursday, I took a zero day and spent some time in a local ER evaluating a wrist injury (that turned out to be only a sprain) that I sustained on the Whiteface/Passaconaway hike. That R&R day proved vital in providing enough healing time and rest to re-energize me for the most riveting and spectacular hike of the week.
That was on Friday when I solo climbed the Tripyramid loop via the infamous North Slide and returning to Livermore Road on the South Slide. It was a stunning day of unbelievable great weather and one of the best slide climbs I had ever done.
Saturday, I returned the final time to Tripoli Road in Waterville Valley for another solo hike to Osceola and East Osceola to complete the sweep! I am glad the Osceolas hike was last because the weather cooperated with good views and I was finished early enough to be home for dinner.
One caveat to this experience is that I am disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy the camaraderie of the group. From the day I hiked with Clay and Jim, I knew more hikes would have just enhanced the emerging friendship. I also enjoyed the conversations, strategy and debriefing sessions I had with Bruce and would have enjoyed his hiking company. It just wasn’t to be this time around. I am pleased that everyone achieved some (if not all) of the hiking goals and I look forward to sharing some future trails with these good guys.
Waterville Valley is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream! The recreational opportunities in this mountain paradise run the gamut from hiking to biking to kayaking and everything imaginable in between. Any season (especially winter) in this spectacular region has endless possibilities for all sorts of adventure pursuits.
When I was walking on the Livermore Road to the start of the North Slide to Tripyramid, I was so impressed with the beauty of the route that I could only imagine how magnificent this trip would be on cross-country skis. Even the drive to and from the center of the valley on Route 49 was distractingly scenic with the Mad River tumbling down the valley on one side of the road and the rugged Sandwich Range Wilderness framing the scene on the other.
I took a little time after I finished hiking Tecumseh for a brief walking tour of the village and lodging amenities and was very impressed with how everything was so clean and maintained. I even called my wife that evening to tell her about the beauty of Waterville Valley and suggested we visit for a vacation sometime.
The people I met were wonderful, friendly, helpful and accommodating. You can tell a lot about an area from the people who live and work there and I had nothing but good feelings from the local folks. From Gary and Julie (the Gilcrest Cottages and Motel owners) who went out of their way to make me feel welcome to the cheerful waitress at Annie’s Overflow and every one of the hospital staff at Speare Memorial in Plymouth who took great professional and personal care of me on my ER visit, I was impressed with the kind and thoughtful attitude each person brought to everyday life. Though the mountains and recreational opportunities may beckon me back to Waterville Valley sometime in the future, it will be the people of this great area who have convinced me to return.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Gilcrest Cottages and Motel in Thornton and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for lodging in the Waterville Valley region. It is right off exit 29 of I-93 only 1 mile from exit 28, Waterville Valley. The rooms were clean, cozy, comfortable and cost-effective. The owners Gary and Julie were very helpful and made me feel like one of the family.
There are some good places to eat locally. With the close proximity of I-93, I could travel within thirty minutes to the Lincoln/Woodstock area (north) as well as (south) to Plymouth. Breakfast at Annie’s Overflow on Bridge Street in Plymouth was excellent and they open very early. I also had good dinners at The Mad River Tavern (just off exit 28, I-93) and the Sunset Grill (Campton) that was very close to Gilcrest. After a delicious early dinner one day, I feasted on some of the best homemade ice cream from the Sandwich Creamery at Clay’s Chocolates (Campton) generously packed into a homemade waffle cone complete with chocolate sprinkles on top…mmmmmmmmm…so good!
I guess you would call seven for seven successful in terms of completing the trip plan and reaching all the 4000’ summits of Waterville Valley. Indeed, I am satisfied and feel more than accomplished for achieving all the hiking goals. The weather could have been better, but mountain weather is always unpredictable and so you learn to live with what the mountains give. Even in the fog and mist there is a magnificence to mountains that makes the experience rewarding and memorable.
Due to the delay in my arrival (my 93-year old mother died on July 2, 2009), the hike sequence was not what I had first envisioned, but actually, the way it played out was better suited for me. I started with a comparatively “easy” solo hike on Tuesday to Tecumseh in poor, but tolerable weather.
Wednesday, the inclement weather persisted and although initially reluctant to do a 12-mile hike in marginal conditions, I joined Clay and Jim for the Whiteface/Passaconaway loop. As it unfortunately turned out, Wednesday was the only day we hiked together. On that day, Bruce wanted a rest day so I never hiked with him the entire week. I would have preferred a better weather day for Whiteface/Passaconaway as the views are purported to be spectacular, but it was wiser for me to team with Jim and Clay. We had no views due to fog, mist and intermittent rain the entire nine hours and thirty minutes we hiked, but it was still a great walk.
Thursday, I took a zero day and spent some time in a local ER evaluating a wrist injury (that turned out to be only a sprain) that I sustained on the Whiteface/Passaconaway hike. That R&R day proved vital in providing enough healing time and rest to re-energize me for the most riveting and spectacular hike of the week.
That was on Friday when I solo climbed the Tripyramid loop via the infamous North Slide and returning to Livermore Road on the South Slide. It was a stunning day of unbelievable great weather and one of the best slide climbs I had ever done.
Saturday, I returned the final time to Tripoli Road in Waterville Valley for another solo hike to Osceola and East Osceola to complete the sweep! I am glad the Osceolas hike was last because the weather cooperated with good views and I was finished early enough to be home for dinner.
One caveat to this experience is that I am disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy the camaraderie of the group. From the day I hiked with Clay and Jim, I knew more hikes would have just enhanced the emerging friendship. I also enjoyed the conversations, strategy and debriefing sessions I had with Bruce and would have enjoyed his hiking company. It just wasn’t to be this time around. I am pleased that everyone achieved some (if not all) of the hiking goals and I look forward to sharing some future trails with these good guys.
