Finally got my 4K count past 30!
I had a little money at my disposal (tax return), so I decided to use $40 of it and finally bag the Hancocks, which have eluded me since October 2013. (In that month and year, I made it to the first brook crossing on the Hancock Notch Trail but turned back there due to having a poor light source).
I arrived at the Hancock Overlook lot at 6:30 AM. I geared up and was ready to set out, but I didn't realize until just then that I forgot my camera at home. I later found out that it was right next to my backpack, but it was too dark in the house to see it, and I thought I put it in my backpack the night before Embarassed . Thus there is no video or pictures for today
.
Wore snowshoes the entire time. The Hancock Notch Trail, after crossing NH 112, was nearly level to the Cedar Brook Trail junction except for a few short ups and downs. There was one brook crossing on the way (bridged) and a couple small stream crossings, but overall this trail was easy. It was slow going, though, as I began to feel slight pain in my legs, and I didn't want to turn back because of leg pain.
After 1.8 miles and 45 minutes, I turned left onto the Cedar Brook Trail; the Hancock Notch Trail was unbroken past this junction. The trail remained easy, and it was even easier because all the brook crossings were bridged. In a speedy 20 minutes, I turned right onto the Hancock Loop Trail; the Cedar Brook Trail, like the previous trail, was unbroken from here.
The Hancock Loop Trail to the junction was easy to moderate, with a couple brook crossings (bridged). It took about a 1/2 hour to get to the loop junction, and once I got there, I opted to bag South Hancock first to avoid the 100 feet of descent on the trail to North Hancock. Plus, it was shorter .
The south link of the loop trail started out moderately and then got extremely steep; I began taking frequent rest stops from here to the summit. I think it took me about 40 minutes to hike this 1/2 mile. Boy, was I relieved when I got to the summit! I bagged #30, and I met a kind gentleman with his very friendly dog. We chatted for a bit and then he headed to Middle and North Hancock, with myself close behind.
I quickly caught up to them, and we hiked together for most of the ridge walk, parting ways a short distance from North Peak's summit and meeting again at the top of that peak.
The trail, which was drifted-in in spots, descended briefly and then made an easy climb to the wooded summit of Middle Hancock (not a 4K). I stopped here for a minute and then made the approximately one mile trek to North Hancock's summit.
Once I got to the top, the snow was so deep that the summit sign was only up to my knees, and the summit trees were so buried that I could see right over them, allowing for excellent views . The gentleman and his dog I met on South Hancock caught up with me, and we briefly chatted before he went to the outlook and I began the hike/express buttsled back to the loop junction.
About 0.1 mile down the trail, it started to become quite steep, so to make the buttsliding easy, I took off my snowshoes and strapped them to my pack. On the parts that weren't steep enough for buttsliding, I made a few postholes, some a couple inches deep, others 1-2 feet deep (I apologize for any trouble they may have caused). On another note, the buttsliding was very fast and very fun; I could've gone twice as fast, but I didn't want to run straight into a tree or off the mountain Shocked . Near the part where the trail ascended 100 vertical feet to the loop junction, it was very drifted-in, so I put my shoes back on and kept them on for the rest of the hike back to the Hancock Overlook.
This was an excellent morning- the weather was beautiful (clear skies, no wind, decent temperature), the views were great, and I met some cool people, including one person who posts on NETC and VFTT.
#30 and #31 are in the books!
I had a little money at my disposal (tax return), so I decided to use $40 of it and finally bag the Hancocks, which have eluded me since October 2013. (In that month and year, I made it to the first brook crossing on the Hancock Notch Trail but turned back there due to having a poor light source).
I arrived at the Hancock Overlook lot at 6:30 AM. I geared up and was ready to set out, but I didn't realize until just then that I forgot my camera at home. I later found out that it was right next to my backpack, but it was too dark in the house to see it, and I thought I put it in my backpack the night before Embarassed . Thus there is no video or pictures for today
. Wore snowshoes the entire time. The Hancock Notch Trail, after crossing NH 112, was nearly level to the Cedar Brook Trail junction except for a few short ups and downs. There was one brook crossing on the way (bridged) and a couple small stream crossings, but overall this trail was easy. It was slow going, though, as I began to feel slight pain in my legs, and I didn't want to turn back because of leg pain.
After 1.8 miles and 45 minutes, I turned left onto the Cedar Brook Trail; the Hancock Notch Trail was unbroken past this junction. The trail remained easy, and it was even easier because all the brook crossings were bridged
. In a speedy 20 minutes, I turned right onto the Hancock Loop Trail; the Cedar Brook Trail, like the previous trail, was unbroken from here. The Hancock Loop Trail to the junction was easy to moderate, with a couple brook crossings (bridged). It took about a 1/2 hour to get to the loop junction, and once I got there, I opted to bag South Hancock first to avoid the 100 feet of descent on the trail to North Hancock. Plus, it was shorter
. The south link of the loop trail started out moderately and then got extremely steep; I began taking frequent rest stops from here to the summit. I think it took me about 40 minutes to hike this 1/2 mile. Boy, was I relieved when I got to the summit! I bagged #30, and I met a kind gentleman with his very friendly dog. We chatted for a bit and then he headed to Middle and North Hancock, with myself close behind.
I quickly caught up to them, and we hiked together for most of the ridge walk, parting ways a short distance from North Peak's summit and meeting again at the top of that peak.
The trail, which was drifted-in in spots, descended briefly and then made an easy climb to the wooded summit of Middle Hancock (not a 4K). I stopped here for a minute and then made the approximately one mile trek to North Hancock's summit.
Once I got to the top, the snow was so deep that the summit sign was only up to my knees, and the summit trees were so buried that I could see right over them, allowing for excellent views
. The gentleman and his dog I met on South Hancock caught up with me, and we briefly chatted before he went to the outlook and I began the hike/express buttsled back to the loop junction. About 0.1 mile down the trail, it started to become quite steep, so to make the buttsliding easy, I took off my snowshoes and strapped them to my pack. On the parts that weren't steep enough for buttsliding, I made a few postholes, some a couple inches deep, others 1-2 feet deep (I apologize for any trouble they may have caused). On another note, the buttsliding was very fast and very fun; I could've gone twice as fast, but I didn't want to run straight into a tree or off the mountain Shocked . Near the part where the trail ascended 100 vertical feet to the loop junction, it was very drifted-in, so I put my shoes back on and kept them on for the rest of the hike back to the Hancock Overlook.
This was an excellent morning- the weather was beautiful (clear skies, no wind, decent temperature), the views were great, and I met some cool people, including one person who posts on NETC and VFTT.
#30 and #31 are in the books!
