1SlowHiker
New member
Date of hike: 12-24-12 (mostly , 0.5 hours on 12/23/12 I bivouacked off trail)
Trails: Hancock notch, Cedart brook, Hancock loop
Trail conditions: The wet stuff reported by Tramper 3 days earlier had frozen and made a good base for several inches of light new snow to cover. Trail is visible most of the way down low with evidence of snowshoes and some boot travel. A few frozen post holes along the way. Up higher the trail was less defined and drifting in the col between peaks. At several points there was no evidence of a trail until two groups of two hikers (spikes) had passed me and another two going south to north (bare boot) crossed me. Rivers/ streams below 2800 feet are still all flowing without usable snow-bridges but are low and easy to rock hop (with traction and daylight - neither of which I had on the walk in) . Part of a lower trail is still a stream but there is room to walk on the side of it. The loop trail down from S. Hancock is in perfect shape for long butt sliding runs (glissading?) . No mentionable blow-downs remaining. Saw many of the “snow-downed branches” (and trees) mentioned by Trapper , but at this point they are frozen in place even if you knock the snow off. One is actually a crawl under if have a high pack.
Special Equipment: I bare-booted to my bivouac area just before the loop junction but should have used microspikes to make rock hoping of the rivers easier, then used microspikes the rest of the hike except for the section between the two peaks whereI I wore snowshoes, mainly for the practice and to do my bit for packing the trail. Met four others with micro spikes and two others with bareboots and one bare-pawing shepherd
. Personally I would have liked to have crampons on for the steeper part of the hike up Hancock, but had left mine in the truck. A luge would have been nice to have going down S. Hancock , but good waterproof pants will do.
Comments: This turned out to be a great weather day, though a bit cold on top of S. Hancock. The butt slide down south, made the hike up worthwhile. My first winter bivouac on the trail, not sure if I’ll do another but it was a good experience. I also found out that gator-aid has a lower freezing point than water
Trails: Hancock notch, Cedart brook, Hancock loop
Trail conditions: The wet stuff reported by Tramper 3 days earlier had frozen and made a good base for several inches of light new snow to cover. Trail is visible most of the way down low with evidence of snowshoes and some boot travel. A few frozen post holes along the way. Up higher the trail was less defined and drifting in the col between peaks. At several points there was no evidence of a trail until two groups of two hikers (spikes) had passed me and another two going south to north (bare boot) crossed me. Rivers/ streams below 2800 feet are still all flowing without usable snow-bridges but are low and easy to rock hop (with traction and daylight - neither of which I had on the walk in) . Part of a lower trail is still a stream but there is room to walk on the side of it. The loop trail down from S. Hancock is in perfect shape for long butt sliding runs (glissading?) . No mentionable blow-downs remaining. Saw many of the “snow-downed branches” (and trees) mentioned by Trapper , but at this point they are frozen in place even if you knock the snow off. One is actually a crawl under if have a high pack.
Special Equipment: I bare-booted to my bivouac area just before the loop junction but should have used microspikes to make rock hoping of the rivers easier, then used microspikes the rest of the hike except for the section between the two peaks whereI I wore snowshoes, mainly for the practice and to do my bit for packing the trail. Met four others with micro spikes and two others with bareboots and one bare-pawing shepherd
. Personally I would have liked to have crampons on for the steeper part of the hike up Hancock, but had left mine in the truck. A luge would have been nice to have going down S. Hancock , but good waterproof pants will do.Comments: This turned out to be a great weather day, though a bit cold on top of S. Hancock. The butt slide down south, made the hike up worthwhile. My first winter bivouac on the trail, not sure if I’ll do another but it was a good experience. I also found out that gator-aid has a lower freezing point than water
