Took a day off from working and did the Hancocks on Friday. We were the only folks who hiked it that day, to my knowledge.
Trail going in is in good condition, with scattered spots of snow, but nothing bothersome, water crossings weren't high, and trails free from blowdowns.
Did the loop clockwise, and trail up were free of snow. We were greeted by snow on the ridge immediately upon popping up onto it. The ledges are clear, but we had about a foot of snow still on the trail (and off) for most of the ridge between the two peaks. We brought snow shoes but found microspikes the way to go. At spots, there was no snow at all, but I would say that 85% of the ridge is still snow covered.
Now here is the interesting part. The entire .5 trail down off the ridge is still covered in snow. From top to bottom. I never slid, but I wouldn't have wanted to bring someone new down that, nor to have gone down without traction. We both agreed that had we known then what we know now, we would have done the trip in reverse, as going down was a bit hairy.
All the best,
Brian
Trail going in is in good condition, with scattered spots of snow, but nothing bothersome, water crossings weren't high, and trails free from blowdowns.
Did the loop clockwise, and trail up were free of snow. We were greeted by snow on the ridge immediately upon popping up onto it. The ledges are clear, but we had about a foot of snow still on the trail (and off) for most of the ridge between the two peaks. We brought snow shoes but found microspikes the way to go. At spots, there was no snow at all, but I would say that 85% of the ridge is still snow covered.
Now here is the interesting part. The entire .5 trail down off the ridge is still covered in snow. From top to bottom. I never slid, but I wouldn't have wanted to bring someone new down that, nor to have gone down without traction. We both agreed that had we known then what we know now, we would have done the trip in reverse, as going down was a bit hairy.
All the best,
Brian
