Meeting Time: 2:00 PM

Max # People: 40

Trip Guiding / Event Fee: Yes, but only to cover shared expenses, and I too am paying

Difficulty Level: Easy

Don’t get left out, join our annual Men’s NH GO Gathering weekend! You are encouraged to reserve as soon as possible since the weekend is limited to 40 people.

We have again coordinated with MountainSide campground in Hinsdale, NH; a private natural setting nestled in the hills of Southern New Hampshire, for our mid-summer GO Gathering. The campground is a small horse farm with rolling hay fields, a large wooded area, a house, a barn and several buildings, including a guest house and bunkhouse.  A large grassy tent area overlooks the southern mountains of Vermont and offers colorful sunsets.  The owners, Dave and Mike, have been longtime GO members and are excited about having our camping weekend at their campground. ONLY SUSTAINING MEMBERS WHO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE CLUB CAN JOIN US.

MountainSide is a men's only campground in beautiful Hinsdale, NH, just across the river from Brattleboro, VT. The campground will be closed for the weekend for our exclusive use! Please note that the campground will NOT be clothing-optional this weekend.

The campground has private restrooms with hot showers. Everyone is responsible for their own trash so don’t forget to bring your trash bags. The campground will take your recyclables, glass and cans only.

MountainSide is very “dog friendly” so bring your pet! Please let the owner know when you register that you are bringing your dog.

This is an opportunity for newbies to learn more about the club and for loyal members to have a fun together camping for the weekend! There’s swimming hole excursions, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking and more!

The popular gay nude swimming areas Rock River and Ledges/Harriman Reservoir is a short half hour ride which is perfect on a warm summer day!

Many trails are located on the property, as well as adjoining State Forest preserves. You can hike many locations from MountainSide. Activities in the area includes hiking/swimming at nearby Kilburn Pond and Pisgah State Park, a climb up to Wantastiquet or hike up to Daniels Mountain from the campground; a 2.5 hour hike. Madame Sherri Forest is nearby with a variety of hiking trails to explore. You can hang out at the campground playing bocce ball with other campers, throwing a Frisbee, or relax in the sun. Mountain bikes are welcome – they have many mountain biking trails.

There will be several outdoor activities posted for the weekend – and they will be posted as separate events on the website. Jon and I plan on running an easy hike from the campground to Daniels Mountain in the morning followed by a swim excursion to pristine Kilburn Pond at Pisgah State Park on Saturday. We are looking for someone to post an excursion to the men’s clothing optional swimming hole at Rock River. We have some trip ideas. You may have an activity that you would love to share with other members such as hiking & swimming excursions, biking, paddling, bocce ball tournament, morning yoga sessions, etc. We can help you organize it or pair you off with an experienced trip leader to co-lead the trip if you are a little nervous about doing it yourself. Please post your event at the website and make note that it is part of the NH GO Gathering.

MEALS: You are on your own with regard to meals including breakfast.

The Canteen is the ideal location for meals and our Saturday night potluck. It’s a covered area with 6 or 7 picnic tables, gas grill, gas stove/oven, wood pellet smoker, sink, and small refrigerator. Coffee [with cream/sugar] will be provided Saturday and Sunday morning at 7AM but you’ll need your own coffee mug.

There are many reasonably-priced restaurants in the Hinsdale/Brattleboro area should you wish to dine out.  

SOCIAL EVENTS:

Evening activities is where members can relax and socialize with everyone else.

Friday Night Beer/Wine Blast at the Canteen 7PM: We’ll start off the weekend on Friday night with our traditional Beer/Wine Blast beside a communal bonfire. Bring a six pack of your favorite local craft beer to share in our communal cooler and sample what everyone else brought! Or bring a bottle of wine to our Wine Table and sample what everyone else brought! We’ll have name badges and it’s a great way to meet the gang.

Saturday Night Potluck at the Canteen 6:30PM: Calling all camp cooks! Let's have a pot luck supper.  Please focus on main dishes since we usually have so many appetizers and dessert that it gets thrown away; packaged food usually does not eaten. If you prefer not to cook and still care to contribute to the feast, we will also need heavy duty paper plates such as Chinet, plastic utensils, napkins and firewood. Please indicate in the comments section on this page what dish you will be bringing. Please bring only 1 dish per person otherwise we end up with a lot of food going to waste. Please be sure to bring the serving utensil for your dish. That said, the Canteen had a gas grill, gas stove/oven, and a wood pellet smoker for you to use.

We'll end the potluck by sharing a GO 20th Anniversary cake with everyone.  

Saturday Night Fireworks: After the potluck, it's relax time watching the sunset into the breathtaking hills of Vermont, party with a bonfire and later on, FIREWORKS!!!

RATE AND RESERVATIONS
MountainSide is perfect to spend a leisurely weekend without having to break the bank! We have special pricing for this weekend. Tenting is $20 per night for singles and $35 for couples; plus a $10 event fee to pay for the social events held during the weekend. How’s that for a deal!  MountainSide can only accommodate up to 40 campers.

MountainSide offers a variety of lodging options, from campsites and campers, to a bunk house and cabins. RV’s are also welcome, without hook ups. For tenting, we’ll be given a choice of tent sites to share with other members: Indian Pipe, Site #12, Site #11 Tres Bon, Orchard, Hillside and Back 40. Additional charges will apply if you choose another option besides tenting.

You must be a SUSTAINING MEMBER and first RSVP on this page. You will have to pay a $10 event fee separately. Make your check payable to GO and mail it to 676 Upper Mad River Road, Thornton, NH.  This fee is for the ice in the Beer Blast coolers, firewood, potluck accessories and fireworks; any unspent money will be donated to GayOutdoors.

In order to reserve your camping site, book directly with Dave the owner, by calling 603-398-7871 or through their website. Be sure to mention GO Gathering. Before accepting your RSVP, he will first verify that you have signed up on this page and that you are a SUSTAINING MEMBER. You can let Dave know your preference for a tenting site or he can choose one for you. If you prefer to upgrade to one of the campers/cabins or in the bunk house; or you have an RV, discuss this with Dave when you register. A deposit is not required but you will be asked to pay onsite when registering with either cash, check or PayPal; credit cards not accepted.

Check in on Friday is between 2-10PM. You must check in at the campground no later than 10:00PM Friday night. Dave and Mike will make sure you get checked-in at registration and find the perfect site for your camping needs. These guys do a fantastic job and deserve a nice pat on the butt!

You are encouraged to reserve as soon as possible since the weekend is limited to 40 people.

Never been camping? Never been to a GO Gathering? Have any questions? Post a comment and a fellow member will be happy to reply!

This is such a great event and we look forward to being with our GO sustaining members this August! Especially since int's our 20th Anniversary Party!!!  PLEASE JOIN US!

Your hosts,
Mike and Jon

MountainSide
87 McDonald Drive
Hinsdale, NH 03451

Use Google to map out driving directions. Enter your starting address and the campground address.