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Geocaching around Squam Lake

May 8th, 2010 by billwebb

This past week I attended a Board retreat for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. I’ve been on the Board for about three years. The retreat was held at the Minary Center just down the street right here in Holderness, NH on Squam Lake. At one point in our meeting someone mentioned geocaching, and I must admit that while I had heard the term I really didn’t know much about it. When I got home I did a little reading about it. It’s a pretty amazing new (relatively speaking) sport which gets people of all ages outdoors on what one could describe as an electronic scavenger hunt.

Simply put you use a handheld GPS unit to find hidden caches (items.)  Cache locations are listed on geocaching.com. Once you get the coordinates for cache sites from the website you enter them into your GPS unit and off you go. It’s a great way to get outdoors and enjoy an afternoon of walking or hiking. According to the website there are about 1,000 hidden cache locations within 25 miles of our Squam Lake bed and breakfast!

Of course, like all web based and electronic things this phenomenon is BIG. There are over 1 million geocaches around the world with who knows how many geocachers looking for them. Many states have geocaching organizations. Since we like to hike maybe we’ll use this game as a different twist to get out and enjoy New Hampshire’s lakes region and the White Mountains. My guess is that with Plymouth State University next door to us there are probably geocaches in downtown Plymouth, NH since locations are often in urban settings as well as rural areas.

Maybe we’ll set up a cache site here at the Inn. In addition to folks who are looking for quality lodging in Holderness and the Squam Lake area we’ll get visits from all sorts of geocachers out on an afternoon search! Here’s a little intro to geocaching if you’re new to this world.

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First loons of the season on Squam Lake

April 29th, 2010 by billwebb

Well you know that summer can’t be far away when you see your first loons of the season. The ice on Squam Lake disappeared early this year and as usual loons found the open water almost immediately. These wonderful birds live in open water year round and it seems like those that spend the winter off the coast of New England must make daily scouting trips during the Spring to Holderness and the NH Lakes Region (see our day trip map) until they spot enough open water to allow them to return to their summer home. There’s a special feeling we have about loons. While they’re not an endangered species they’re not plentiful. On Squam Lake there are only about 50 loons altogether and their population has been declining over the past several years. The Loon Preservation Society and others are working hard to understand this trend.

Many of us were first introduced to the Loon through the classic film On Golden Pond which, of course, was filmed here on Squam Lake. It’s hard to believe the movie was made over 25 years ago! It’s no surprise that when we arrived in Holderness and decided to purchase this property that we named our New Hampshire bed and breakfast after the movie. We have always felt that the peace and serenity that prevailed in the movie was the tone we wanted in our NH inn. The popularity of the movie continues to this day and every year we have hundreds of visitors who take one of the tours on Squam Lake not only to see places where On Golden Pond was filmed, but to get closeup views of our loon population. It’s certainly likely that New Hampshire travel and tourism has benefited from our loon population.  If you haven’t seen a loon closeup (or even if you have) enjoy the attached video of a mother loon and her chicks.

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Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Opening May 1

April 15th, 2010 by billwebb

The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center right here in Holderness NH will be opening its trails on May 1. This is one of the most interesting attractions around Squam Lake filled with exhibits on native NH wildlife and plant life.

During the summer season guests often ask us what they can do in the NH Lakes Region that combines a little exercise with a learning experience. The Science Center is definitely the spot. The exhibit trail is about a half mile long with natural enclosures featuring live deer, bear, otters, mountain lions and more. There are side trails which offer longer walks or hikes including one up Mt. Fayal which is on the Center’s property. The Center’s staff conducts excellent programs several times a day throughout the season.

So if you’re planning a visit with us here On Golden Pond be sure to carve out enough time to visit the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.

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