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Our Cabin

The HOC trustees own a cabin near Pinkham Notch, NH, a location with easy access to downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, many trails and mountains, as well as good rock and ice climbing. It is leased to the AMC in exchange for maintenance, but 6 slots are always reserved throughout the school year for members of the Outing Club on at least one week's notice.  (NB:  If an official HOC trip already has the cabin reserved, the 6 spots will NOT be available for other Harvard affiliates.)

If you want to use the cabin (and you can, anytime), you MUST come to HOC office hours at least a week beforehand. The HOC officer will contact the cabin registrar, and will give you the key to the cabin. For more information, go to the AMC's info page.
If you have a group with more than 6 people, and you haven't booked extra slots long in advance, you might consider looking at a variety of other cabins maintained by the AMC. Check out the AMC web page for options.

The cabin now has an online calendar!  Check out the availability of your preferred dates here:

Harvard Cabin Calendar

Amenities:

The cabin has electricity and heat; see below for directions on how to get it turned on. The heat is nice, but you'll still need a sleeping bag (and pad if you so desire) to put upstairs in the sleeping loft -- no beds here! The kitchen is fairly well equiped with refridgerator (NB: the refridgerator is currently broken; we're working on a replacement), two stoves, microwave, & psuedo-running water. Psuedo as in there is a tank above the sink thats filled by an electic pump. The outhouse is 75 feet down a little trail out the back door. If you're big on showers, you'll have to go down the road to Pinkam Notch.

Moolah:

Fee for the cabin is $6.50/person/night. As we lease out the cabin to the AMC in exchange for upkeep, cabin fees go to them.  Make a check out to "AMC HARVARD CABIN," with "CABIN FEE" in the memo, and give it to us along with a Cabin User Report Form. We'll send it to the AMC cabin registrar.

Directions (from Cambridge):

*You can find the Harvard Cabin on Google Maps!  Just search for: "AMC Harvard Cabin"

  1. You need to get on 93 north. It's best to cross the JFK bridge and head down Storrow drive towards downtown; follow the signs to 93N and you'll be set.
  2. Take 93N about 10 miles to exit 37 to I95 North. Pay attention - it comes up quick.
  3. Stay on 95N for 48 miles to just before Portsmouth, NH, then take the exit for Route 16 North (it splits, you want to be on the left)
  4. Stay on 16 for a long time. You will come to Conway. Keep with 16; it turns left.
  5. You'll go through the mecca of North Conway. Stick to your guns, 16 North; you'll pass Glen and Jackson and you'll be near.
  6. The cabin is 6.1 miles north from the route 302 /16 intersection at Glen N.H. Head north from the junction until you pass Washburn Way on your right. About 200 ft after you pass it, you'll come to a wide shoulder on the right side of the road with a slightly smaller shoulder on the left. You will see a driveway with a chain across it heading into the woods on the right side of the road. The cabin is 150 feet from the road. It has dark brown wood plank siding, a green door, green trim, and a very large green gas tank in the front yard. If you hit the Dana Place Inn, you've gone too far; turn around and head south 1 and a quarter miles from the inn.

Detailed cabin instructions:

KEYS: Pick up the key at a scheduled Outing Club meeting. At the cabin, unlock the door, go into the room on the right directly inside, unlock the electricity box, and flip the master switch to "On".

STOVE/OVEN: The two stoves have electronic ignitions; there are no pilots to light. If you have any trouble lighting the burners check
the two l.p. gas tanks to the right of the porch and make sure they are on: valve turns counter clockwise for the on position. Also check to see that the ball valve to the right of the lp gas tanks is on -- handle in line with the pipe. Leave all the valves on, even when closing up the cabin. In the event of a power failure the gas locks off, and you won't be able to use the stove or heaters. The oven should never be used to heat the cabin. DO NOT TURN OFF ANY GAS VALVES OUTSIDE THE CABIN WHEN YOU LEAVE; when you turn the electricity off, all the gas will lock off automatically.

KITCHEN: The kitchen is well stocked with plenty of plates, cups, knives, forks, spoons, pots, pans, etc (for 15); no need to bring any of these items with you. Do bring dish soap, brillo, paper towels, and your own cloth dish towels if you so desire.

WATER: Water is supplied by an electric deep well pump to the kitchen sink. There is a switch on the wall to the left of the sink. Fill the wall-mounted tank about one half full (there's a marked fill line), then shut the pump switch off. Water will then flow by gravity to the sink faucets. Refill the tank as needed during your stay. This water is safe for drinking despite the slight sulphur odor. AT THE END OF YOUR STAY EMPTY THE HOLDING TANK AND LEAVE THE FAUCET OPEN SO THE PIPES WON'T FREEZE AND BURST.

OUTHOUSE: The outhouse is out the back door, 50 yards to your right. Don't throw any garbage in the outhouse, and don't sprinkle it with lime, as lime halts decomposition.

HEAT: Suppled by a vented LP gas space heater located in the living room. The pilot must be lit. To use the heater, follow the lighting instructions posted on the living room wall, and on the inside of the pilot access door on the right side of the heater. Gas for this heater is supplied by the large tank in the front yard. There is a shut off for the gas behind the heater, a lever type ball valve; the gas is on when the handle is in line with pipe. Is is not necessary to turn this valve off at any time. In the event of a power failure, thisheater will not operate. Do not set the heater control anyhigher than #3 on the temperature selector.

SECONDARY HEATER: An LP gas log heating stove is front of the fireplace as an additional heat source. Follow the pilot lighting instructions and operating instruction on the unit. This heater can be used as the sole heat source during the fall and spring but during the winter months both heaters will probably be needed.

TRASH: Bring plast

ic trash bags. Carry out all trash with you when you leave. The local dump is only open limited hours, and a resident sticker may be required to use the dump so take your trash home.

SLEEPING SPACE: Loft on the second floor, bring your own pad; there are no mattresses. Fire code capacity for the cabin is 22 people.

FIRE ESCAPE: There is a fire escape stairway leading from the second floor window at the south end of the sleeping loft. Please be sure to shovel snow off the stairs and keep them clear during your stay.

That's it.
Have a great time!