Trip report

NH GO Gathering

Weekend Trip DATE: 08/22/2014 - 08/24/2014

Trip/Event Location: Campton, NH
US

Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh

Max # People: 100

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

Difficulty Level: Easy

The largest camping gathering for GayOutdoors, GO Gathering welcomes gay outdoorzy men of all ages and abilities to New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest at Branch Brook Campground near

...
Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

We are at the River Bend Reunion group field at Branch Brook Campground, 97 Branch Brook Drive, Campton, NH 03223. [603] 726-7001

Click Here For Directions

Click Here For Campground Map

We'll have signs to help direct you. Enter the campground and drive towards the office. Right before the office, take a right turn and drive between the swimming pool on your left and baseball field on your right. At the intersection, take a left and continue to a T intersection. Take a left and drive to our site. We'll have a designated parking area. Setup your gear, say hi to everyone, check out the message board under the big party tent, and PARTY!


Trip Report/Photos
Featured Photo

More than 40 gay outdoors enthusiasts camped at Branch Brook Campground in Campton, NH for our annual NH Gay Outdoors Gathering.

Friday was off to a rocky start with raindrops during the day that turned into a steady drizzle around 10:00PM but that did not deter members from driving up and setting up their tents. We had partly sunny skies for the remainder of the weekend. The GO Gathering has been an annual event since 2003. This year's GO Gathering's biggest turnout to date.

The weekend was an opportunity to enjoy activities in the White Mountains, share a fabulous potluck dinner, watch fireworks and partake in the camaraderie that always accompanies these events.

One of the major highlights of GO Gathering is re-invigorating our thriving gay outdoors recreation community.

What fun chemistry! Take a whole bunch of GOers, spend a few months getting them all pumped up to spend a weekend doing what they love best! Enjoy the reaction and be part of it.  Just the fact that we’re still doing this and having so much fun after all these years speaks for itself.

Activities in the day included a Zipline tour, hikes to Mt. Osceola and Mt. Tecumseh, kayaking down the Pemigewasset River and swimming/sunbathing on the sandbar across from our campsite. 

A Beer Blast/Meet 'N Greet was held on Friday night to kick off the weekend. Campfires were lit each night under a moonless sky with where we could view millions of stars above and some passing shooting stars. A variety music was played on a boom-box.  

Saturday night marked the conclusion of the GO Gathering starting off with our Potluck dinner where members continue to outdo themselves each year by cooking up culinary delights on either their camp stoves or grills; or bringing a meal prepared from home. After a group picture was taken everyone huddled around the campfire for banter and laughs. Later, Mike and Jon crossed the Pemigewasset River in the dark and shot off a bunch of fireworks from a sandbar in front of our campsite. Gay outdoor recreation clubs are such a good thing because it's such a great alternative of meeting people besides bars or the Internet.

We noticed a lot of new faces and as well as a great many familiar ones. We take that as a sign of healthy and vibrant community that is developing its own tradition while evolving.  As always, we would like to profusely thank everyone who attended this year’s Gathering and helped out when something needed to get done.

Highlights for us was the Zipline Tour with Alpine Adventures, nightly campfires, sampling the great micro-brew beer that was brought in, yummy potluck, hearing all the laughter and storytelling in the air,  becoming better friends with members we know, welcoming newcomers, wading across the Pemi River Saturday afternoon for some sunbathing/swimming while watching kayaks/canoes colliding with each other, and wading across the river once more in the dark to shoot off the fireworks,  Our only regret was not able to spend more time with each and every one of you. Maybe next year!

Next year's GO Gathering will be held in the same campsite on August 21-23. Please come back and tell your friends to join us.

~ Mike and Jon

  There are 55 photos in Album (Note: Move mouse pointer over larger pic and click on NEXT for better viewing)

Members That Participated

Gandalf

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Thornton, NH


United States
JDNnh

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Thornton, NH


United States
HikerBiker

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Londonderry, NH


United States
XTERRAMAN03053

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


Londonderry, NH


United States
JR

Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous


Boston, MA


United States
vwgreg

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


Enfield, CT


United States
moosehill

Outdoor Fitness Level: Easy to Moderate


Londonderry, NH


United States
bluemanma

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


Tewksbury, MA


United States
letsgogreen

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Plymouth, MA


United States
guest member
bigmoosehill

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


londonderry, NH


United States
Tom

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Salt Lake City, UT


United States
g-man

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


durham, NH


United States
sedonahikerman

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Plainville, MA


United States
alebrewernh

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Goshen, NH


United States
markmtn

Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous


Asheville, NC


United States
pwrspplyy

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Takoma Park, MD


United States
Outsider87

Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous


Campton, NH


United States
DaveSchumaker

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Manchester, NH


United States
outsider

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


hanover, MA


United States
kayakhike

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


Chichester, NH


United States
paw

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


burlington, VT


United States
mvpete

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


SEBASTOPOL, CA


United States
alex4mts

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Lexington, MA


United States
Tri-coastal

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate


Lee, NH


United States
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Hiking, backpacking, camping or vacation adventures, GayOutdoors [GO] has been the LGBTQ outdoorzy community leader for the last 22 years. We are an informal group of diverse hiking enthusiasts in the United States with a shared love of the mountains who prefer hiking with friends. We invite you to join us on our hikes, to post hikes for other members to join you and to share your hiking photos, stories and advice.

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If you find it invigorating to hike along a mountain trail with friends not knowing what’s just around the corner, to get some fresh air, to stop and soak in the views on a summit, and to soak your feet in a mountain brook after a hike, give us a try!

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