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North Percy Peak
Stratford, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up the Percy Peaks Trail near the summit of North Percy Peak
Route: Percy Peaks Trail
While I had originally intended to do a longer hike, the weather forecast and a lack of sleep intervened. As a result, I decided to try and beat the hot, humid weather and head up north. I had seen Percy Peaks from The Horn last fall and was immediately interested.
Arriving at the parking area on the side of Nash Stream Road, I wasn't overly optimistic, as there was a cloud stuck over the top of the peaks and a tremendous amount of haze everywhere. Walking up the road to the trailhead, my optimism dropped even more, as I could see the trail was wet - not great, considering it's rocky and ledgy. Nonetheless, I had driven a decent distance and wanted to achieve something!
The beginning of the trail is easy to moderate in pitch and resembles the bottom of the Mud Brook Trail at Caribou Mountain. After separating from the brook, the trail begins to climb at a steeper pitching, soon running next to a slide (a rope exists on the trail to help ascend one tricky area). Beyond this, the trail climbs along some rocky and ledgy areas, before finally arriving in the col between the two Percy Peaks.
Since I was most interested in North Percy, I decided to head up that peak. Fortunately for me, the trail was dry once I cleared the treeline - the ledgy ascent would have been very tricky had it been wet.
Though the haze limited views to only a few miles, it was still a very scenic peak. Since I couldn't see too far to the west, I decided not to stick around for too long, as I wasn't sure if any thunderstorm cells might be moving in.
While I had originally planned to check out South Percy Peak, a variety of factors, not the least of which was laziness, resulted in me skipping it and calling it a day.
Fortunately the bugs weren't too bad. I look forward to checking out these peaks in nicer weather.
| Hike Ratings |
|
Getting To Trailhead: |
Easy |
| Destination: |
North Percy Peak |
|
Length: |
Moderate |
|
Steepness: |
Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Easy |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Minimal |
|
| Hike Stats |
|
Date Hiked: |
Saturday, June 7, 2008 |
| Hike Commenced: |
11:53 AM |
| Parking Elevation: |
1,240' |
| Destination: |
North Percy Peak |
| Ascent Commenced: |
11:54 AM |
| Summit Reached: |
1:08 PM |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:14 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
1,242' |
| Summit Elevation: |
3,430' |
| Distance: |
2.2 miles |
| Vertical Gain: |
2,203' |
|
|
| Hike Ended: |
2:41 PM |
| Hike Time Elapsed: |
02:48 |
| Hike Distance: |
4.4 miles |
| Hike Vertical Gain: |
2,220' |
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The Percy Peaks Trail trailhead on Nash Stream Road
Wildflowers along the lower portion of the Percy Peaks Trail
Looking at the peaks of Long Mountain from the summit of North Percy Peak
Directions to trailhead: Take Route 110 West from Berlin. In Stark, take a right onto Northside Road, crossing a covered bridge. Take a left onto North Road, then eventually take a right onto Nash Stream Road. The small roadside parking area is eventually on the right (the stream will be alongside the road). The Percy Peaks Trail is a hundred or so feet beyond the parking area on the right.
Back to North Percy Peak Profile
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