Rediscovering Squam Lake, New Hampshire: Lovelorn Loons, Strenuous Hikes and Lunchtime Bike Loops

I awoke last night to the haunting wail of a Northern Loon. As I lay in my comfy single bed, listening and looking out my window and seeing only darkness, it dawned on me that I was back at Squam Lake.

Looking out over this pristine body of water, a person can find themselves surrounded by peaceful quiet and abundant natural beauty. The loon’s plaintive song reminds me that like him, I am here only for a short summer visit. And like his night call reconnecting with a mate, I want to reconnect to this area and with the outdoors. 

A few years ago, we had stayed at Squam’s Manor on Golden Pond for one night -- it was a treat for our 20^th wedding anniversary. It was in August and the weather was sublime. We swam, paddled and cycled, but then skedaddled to North Conway for more outdoor frolicking.

This year, we decided to spend Labor Day weekend on Squam Lake at the Rockywold-Deephaven Camp (RDC) in Holderness. RDC is a camp, or outdoors-oriented rustic retreat, targeted at families who don’t mind shared bathrooms, low-tech activities and hearty buffet meals.

Squam Lake lies just south of the White Mountains and is the second largest lake in New Hampshire. Bordered by several small towns, the lake is clean and clear with a sandy bottom and little boat traffic. The movie “On Golden Pond” was filmed on Squam and captures its serene beauty. We swam its chilly, crystal waters in the morning, or after a day of activities that included two bike rides and a 4,000-foot hike up Mount Whiteface in nearby Wonalancet.

There are many choices for hiking in this area. One Christmas break, in two feet of snow, we hiked West Rattlesnake, which offers an amazing view of the lake, and also tramped up the Mount Percival Trail. These are relatively easy hikes.

Whiteface was strenuous and promised views of Mt. Washington. Unfortunately, 200 yards from the top, it was completely fogged in. It didn’t matter because the best part of this hike was the climb down Wiggins Trail through a tight, overgrown path littered with downed trees and loose rock.

The only sounds to be heard were the occasional whistle bursts from Tom alerting any wild animals to our presence!

We called back and forth to each other during the downward trek, warning of tricky spots and wondering out loud if a hiker and his dog Buddy that we passed would be able to make it down this treacherous section.

Descending Whiteface, it occurred to me that I miss being in the woods. I miss the absolute quiet; I miss getting dirty. Hiking takes your mind off of everything. It is basic — you, a backpack and a whole lot of nature. The next time I need a break from a hectic schedule, I’ll go hiking. If I am sore, it is because of the three-and-a-half hour hike, not the 45 miles of biking on this area’s great rolling backroads. 

During our last visit we cycled around the lake, a 30-mile ride. The problem is that you can’t really see the lake for most of the ride — very dense woods surround it.  So we asked our lodgemates what other roads we might try and headed north toward Center Sandwich, North Sandwich and Tamworth, where we were able to ride over one of the area’s covered bridges and loop back in time for lunch.

At RDC, your stay includes three meals daily, so we would plan our schedule around the sounding of the dinner bell - yes, an actual bell they toll announcing chow time! I laughed out loud the first time I heard it, but by the end of our stay we were both listening intently for that damn bell to ring!

In between the abundant meals and physical activities, we found the Sandwich Creamery and bought some delicious cheddar cheese and sampled their yummy homemade maple walnut ice cream.

Adorable Center Sandwich had a farmer’s market where we met several vendors selling fresh vegetables and organic dog biscuits. They kindly steered us away from a few washed out roads.

At a tiny general store, we bought some local micro-brewed beer and chatted with locals playing cards and checkers. We even found a payphone.

Our Greenlodge mates included the tall and handsome Teagan who had been summering there with his family for the past 20 years. He now lives in San Diego and talked to me longingly of finding his way back to this area. He joked about a group of older noisy campers who had thankfully gone to bed at 10 p.m., enabling him to enjoy the quiet nights from the back deck overlooking the lake.

The archers, Melissa and Stan, are also long time RDC members who use this time to take a break from active vacations. And Bambi kindly lent me her flashlight so I could find my way to the square dance — she and Melissa later found me wandering the camp in the dark and nicely escorted me to the dance.

I was only disappointed that I didn’t have a dance partner at that point. Tom was still on the highway en route, and the dark-haired, ponytailed Teagan was nowhere to be found.

It was a memorable weekend and honestly, I’m exhausted. I love active vacations, but as I limp around the house and walk sideways down stairs, I realize wistfully that I’m not 30 anymore. And although I’m active, in the month of August, I logged many more work hours than hours of exercise.

As I get older, this takes its toll when weekend warrior time draws near. In the future, I will have to physically prepare for this much activity -- rigorous longer rides and challenging hikes.

But I wouldn’t change one moment, morsel of food, chance encounter or ache or pain of this weekend. I did find some quiet time to sit on the back porch of our lodge in a wicker rocking chair overlooking the lake and contemplated the absolute wonder of nature and my place in it. I vowed to find my way back to this peaceful place ... and soon.