peakn
New member
Hancocks July 8
I’ve been wanting to get to the Hancocks for some time now but the opportunity never seemed to present. This weekend the usual crew wasn’t available. The weather was good and it hadn’t rained for quite a few days. I was anxious to get out on a trail and so Saturday morning off I went to the Hancock Notch trailhead on the Kanc.
Arrived at about 8:45 and was on the trail by 9:00. Very few cars in the parking lot, and in fact saw fewer than a dozen other hikers all day.
The first 1.8 miles on Hancock Notch Trail were easy walking, not much of a grade and passed quickly. This was a beautiful section of the hike though. The trail was wide but the edges were heavily grown in with conifers, maybe Fir or Hemlock and the surrounding woods were mixed. It was cool and quiet. Hiking it alone was a truly peaceful, soul enriching experience.
Heading up Cedar Brook Trail I was anxious to try out my new Teva’s for the water crossings. They weren’t really necessary as all the water crossings were doable by judicious rock hopping. But I wasn’t in a hurry. I had decided to take my time and enjoy the total experience so I stopped and changed into the Teva’s. They were great so I stayed in them for about a half mile through the remaining water crossings before changing back to my boots on the Hancock Loop Trail.
The 1.1 miles to the junction of the North and South links went quickly. Took a break there to fuel up with some gorp, an energy bar and water before starting the climb up the North Link. Nice view of the Arrow Slide from there. It took just under an hour to make the very steep .7 mile climb to the summit of North Peak. While steep, there was pretty solid footing all the way up. I tried to stop and catch whatever views might be available on the way but there wasn’t too much until near the top. The outlooks at both North and South were beautiful though, even though it had become hazy by mid-day. The bugs weren’t bad at North Peak so I hung out there for quite awhile and had lunch. They were really very aggressive at South Peak so I didn’t linger there for very long.
The walk from North to South was amazing.The ferns and mosses were a luxuriant green and the Fir wave gave it an almost surreal appearance. The only negative was the often described mud hole that could be avoided I guess if one went off trail. I chose to plod on through, sometimes sinking 6 inches into the mud.
Heading down the South link was much like climbing up the North. It was very, very steep with no let up until almost back to the Loop junction. But as with the North Link, the footing was good.
Heading out, it seemed as though the water levels might have been a little lower than in the morning. At this point I was pretty tired and boots were caked in mud, so I didn’t do the Teva thing. Rock hopped where necessary and walked through the shallower areas to clean the boots off.
I turned the wrong way after one of the crossings where the trail seemed to go both ways and there were no visible blazes. Fortunately I had just read the thread on map and compass and stopped within 50 feet when it didn’t feel right. Checked my map and compass and found I was headed 180 degrees off. Other than that brief moment of confusion, the trails were easy to follow.
Arrived back at the parking area at 4:30 with #33 and 34 checked off. It was a great day.
I’ve been wanting to get to the Hancocks for some time now but the opportunity never seemed to present. This weekend the usual crew wasn’t available. The weather was good and it hadn’t rained for quite a few days. I was anxious to get out on a trail and so Saturday morning off I went to the Hancock Notch trailhead on the Kanc.
Arrived at about 8:45 and was on the trail by 9:00. Very few cars in the parking lot, and in fact saw fewer than a dozen other hikers all day.
The first 1.8 miles on Hancock Notch Trail were easy walking, not much of a grade and passed quickly. This was a beautiful section of the hike though. The trail was wide but the edges were heavily grown in with conifers, maybe Fir or Hemlock and the surrounding woods were mixed. It was cool and quiet. Hiking it alone was a truly peaceful, soul enriching experience.
Heading up Cedar Brook Trail I was anxious to try out my new Teva’s for the water crossings. They weren’t really necessary as all the water crossings were doable by judicious rock hopping. But I wasn’t in a hurry. I had decided to take my time and enjoy the total experience so I stopped and changed into the Teva’s. They were great so I stayed in them for about a half mile through the remaining water crossings before changing back to my boots on the Hancock Loop Trail.
The 1.1 miles to the junction of the North and South links went quickly. Took a break there to fuel up with some gorp, an energy bar and water before starting the climb up the North Link. Nice view of the Arrow Slide from there. It took just under an hour to make the very steep .7 mile climb to the summit of North Peak. While steep, there was pretty solid footing all the way up. I tried to stop and catch whatever views might be available on the way but there wasn’t too much until near the top. The outlooks at both North and South were beautiful though, even though it had become hazy by mid-day. The bugs weren’t bad at North Peak so I hung out there for quite awhile and had lunch. They were really very aggressive at South Peak so I didn’t linger there for very long.
The walk from North to South was amazing.The ferns and mosses were a luxuriant green and the Fir wave gave it an almost surreal appearance. The only negative was the often described mud hole that could be avoided I guess if one went off trail. I chose to plod on through, sometimes sinking 6 inches into the mud.
Heading down the South link was much like climbing up the North. It was very, very steep with no let up until almost back to the Loop junction. But as with the North Link, the footing was good.
Heading out, it seemed as though the water levels might have been a little lower than in the morning. At this point I was pretty tired and boots were caked in mud, so I didn’t do the Teva thing. Rock hopped where necessary and walked through the shallower areas to clean the boots off.
I turned the wrong way after one of the crossings where the trail seemed to go both ways and there were no visible blazes. Fortunately I had just read the thread on map and compass and stopped within 50 feet when it didn’t feel right. Checked my map and compass and found I was headed 180 degrees off. Other than that brief moment of confusion, the trails were easy to follow.
Arrived back at the parking area at 4:30 with #33 and 34 checked off. It was a great day.
