Looking for 2016 intel on Hancock Notch Trail conditions

[billski]

Anyone been on the Hancock notch trail between Cedar Brook Trail and Sawyer River trail? I am considering adopting it. I have heard, from various trip reports that parts of it are more of a bushwhack than a cleared trail. I want to get a handle of exactly where the problems are since it's a 2.5 mile hike in just to start work.
Thanks!

 

[Becca M]

I have not been there in some time - I know you want a more recent report but I have not seen any recently. HOWEVER, it is an easy bike ride from the kanc to get to the eastern end of the trail - you might want to survey it yourself. HOWEVER, traditionally - the several times I have been about 1 mile west of the eastern end, there has been a VERY overgrown hobblebush-y area. And, then, further west were fir trees encroaching on the trail making for a very narrow trail corridor.

 

[alexmtn]

... about 1 mile west of the eastern end, there has been a VERY overgrown hobblebush-y area...

I've had experience with thick stretches of hobblebush on the trail - very feisty root/runner system - takes some effort. The good news: it doesn't re-encroach that quickly, so it's a reasonably satisfying investment of effort.

Anyone been on the Hancock notch trail between Cedar Brook Trail and Sawyer River trail ... I want to get a handle of exactly where the problems are since it's a 2.5 mile hike in just to start work...

More good news: it's actually only 1.8 miles from the Kanc to the Cedar Brook Trail jct.

Alex

 

[JToll]

We hiked the trail from the Sawyer River Trail in May. All the way up to the hight of land it was overgrown. In some places it was not clear where the trail went, when in doubt we followed the stream. Blazes were few and far between. It certainly could use a maintainer.

 

[billski]

We went in from the east last week with knives and chains and implements of destruction.s Just kidding about the chains.
We worked from the Sawyer River Trail, westward for 1.5 miles to the washout. According to other reports and someone who was out there last weekend, we hit the belly of the beast. I am sick to death of hobble bush. So I took it out on all those adolescent pines in the trail, especially the eye poker kind. I've made it a specialty this year to go after neglected trail which needed renovation, not just maintenance. I may adopt it, not sure, I've got a lot of trail work on my plate already.

We spent more time playing with machetes. Good for slicing down the tops of the hb so we can see their root. Some of those suckers are 7 feet high!

I am releived to hear that hb doesn't grow that quickly, but we still need to go back. Right now, we just cleared to a wilderness standard and made the trail "obvious" again. We'll come back with paint, but it may have to wait until next spring, Fall has gotten pretty busy for me. I will probably do one more pass on it, maybe later next week.

God it sure feels like wilderness in there. Love to pitch a tent in there one day.

 

[billski]

I've had experience with thick stretches of hobblebush on the trail - very feisty root/runner system - takes some effort. The good news: it doesn't re-encroach that quickly, so it's a reasonably satisfying investment of effort.



More good news: it's actually only 1.8 miles from the Kanc to the Cedar Brook Trail jct.

Alex

We hiked in from the Sawyer Brook Trail 2.7 miles to the easterly trailhead. Later we realized we could have driven in on sawyer brook road. duh! It was a pleasant walk in, but it was a long way out (you know how that goes!)