BIGEarl
Well-known member
December 27, 2008: Hancocks
Trails: Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail (CW)
Summits: Hancocks, North & South Peaks
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), LRiz (Larisa), Kevinmac (Kevin), Unfrozencaveman (Steven), MadRiver, Rocket21, Amantio, and me
Last August Sue and I decided to have some fun and set a goal to hike thirty one Four Thousand Footers, one for each day of the month. We had a limited amount of time which forced some long hikes. We were able to hit the goal in six hikes. After the dust settled, I looked at the hikes from August and earlier in the year to see which other hikes were needed for both of us to hike all Four Thousand Footers together during the year. Up to this point the idea of a mutual completion of the list wasn’t in our thoughts. After actually looking at the remaining peaks (only 8) it seemed like a small task. The hiking part was easy, the scheduling part was a little more complicated. The hike to The Hancocks finished off our mutual Four Thousand Footers for 2008. In the course of the 2008 hiking, together we managed to climb 93 peaks, hike over 332 miles, with an elevation gain of nearly 110000 feet and not a single disagreement – and we’re not quite done yet.
We had a great group for the hike to the Hancocks. Trail Trotter, LRiz, Kevinmac, Unfrozencaveman, MadRiver, Rocket21, Amantio, and me. This hike included a little flashback to August. Many may remember August was a very wet month. This most recent hike ended with all of us drenched. But, I think we were all satisfied with a good day in the mountains.
We arrived at the hairpin turn a few minutes before the planned on-trail time. As we drove through the turn I glanced at the Hancock Notch Trail and noticed the trail was broken out. We’re already having a good day! All of us were expecting a major trailbreaking effort starting at the Kancamagus Highway but that wouldn’t be the case. We parked and the others were in the lot doing their final preparation for the hike. It didn’t take long and within fifteen minutes we were off. The conditions at the start were gray – overcast, 34 degrees, no wind, and no rain – yet. We expected rain to start mid-hike and I was hoping we wouldn’t be hit until we were at least back to the loop split after hitting both peaks.
We crossed the road and immediately pulled out the snowshoes. The trail had a very nice snowshoe track established and we didn’t want to ruin it by bare booting and postholing. Soon we were underway; first target – the Cedar Brook Trail junction. The initial 1.8 mile section includes ~400 feet in elevation and offers a nice warm-up to the day. Along the way we made some adjustments to layers to stay comfortable but generally kept moving to this first turn. When we reached the trails junction we also learned it was the turn-around point for those that had broken the trail. In other words, we had 4.4 miles of trailbreaking ahead of us.
We made the turn onto the Cedar Brook Trail and MadRiver took the lead. The snow was still relatively dry but opening the trail was still hard work. MadRiver stayed in front for approximately a half mile. Then, he stepped to the side and Rocket21 assumed the lead trailbreaking position for his turn. Along with trailbreaking, Rocket21 had a folding saw and removed blowdowns as they were encountered. I didn’t keep count but it seemed like he removed quite a number of them. We continued to the trails junction with the Hancock Loop Trail and Rocket stayed out front leading us toward the loop split. This section of trail shows an increase in the rate of elevation gain. Along the way the group spread out a little with various stops along the way.
We re-grouped at the Hancock loop split, had a quick break, and made the turn for the north peak to hike the loop clockwise. Rocket is still in the lead, still clearing blowdowns, and still breaking trail. We made our way down to the upper brook crossing and started the steep climb to North Hancock. The group generally fell into a pace that everybody seemed comfortable with. We were spread out for a couple hundred feet but maintaining our relative positions as we climbed. Roughly half way to North Hancock the rain started. At first it seemed possible the moisture was falling from the trees, but it was falling from the sky. The wind also picked up and out came the rain gear to block the rain and wind. We continued the climb with Rocket out front and he led us to the summit completing the climb (with clearing and trailbreaking) in 1hr 25min. The conditions weren’t good, there were no views, we got a couple quick pictures and headed for South Hancock.
Rocket, still leading the parade, continued his amazing job of clearing and trailbreaking. Slowly we worked our way between summits and over a few PUDs (a couple of big ones) along the way. The rain and wind continued. It wasn’t a strong wind but the temperature combined with the rain made any wind something to be concerned about. Before long we were at South Hancock. Now, Sue and I had stood at the summit of all Four Thousand Footers together in 2008. I know, it’s a personal thing but one that is important to me. We enjoyed a quick break and were soon on the very steep exit from the south peak – with Rocket in the lead! All of us stayed on snowshoes but the seats of our pants got a workout more than once. The next re-group point was the loop split. The South Hancock exit to the loop split is a short .5 miles but includes 1000 feet of elevation loss. With the current trail conditions it was hard work to stay under control on the descent. Eventually, we were all back to the loop split, trailbreaking was done, and we headed out on a terrific snowshoe track – with Rocket in the lead.
The reverse hike was very similar to the hike in. The rain had generally stopped and we were working with a temperature of ~34 degrees, no wind, and high humidity. When we reached the Cedar Brook Trail, MadRiver had already headed out in front, and here Rocket, Unfrozencaveman, and LRiz decided to take off for the Common Man to have a couple cold ones. The plan was for the rest of us to continue out and pick them up on our way through Lincoln.
We set off at our relaxed pace heading to the trailhead. The uneventful hike out from the Hancock Loop Trail – Cedar Brook Trail junction took 1hr 30min. We hit the trailhead, removed our snowshoes, and made our way to the trailhead lot. When we stepped into the parking area we were all surprised to see LRiz, Rocket, and Unfrozencaveman lounging in the covered area waiting for us. They decided to pass on the run to the Common Man. Larisa had made some Blondies to share and had the container out roughly one second after I unlocked the door to the truck. They were a great after hike treat. We all enjoyed the snacks until they were gone.
Note to Larisa – next time we’ll need a bigger batch.
We quickly loaded our wet things into the back of the truck, said our goodbye, and were off for Dunkin’ Donuts and some hot coffee.
Jeremy, you did an amazing job on the trail today. I’ve enjoyed previously being on the trail with you but this hike is the one that will really stay with me for a long time. All I can say is thank you.
Congratulations to Amantio. This hike was his first two Four Thousand Footers. We have another list-chaser amongst us. Welcome to the gang. We’ll hike together again, I’m sure.
Thanks to everybody for making a difficult day very fun and interesting. And, a special thanks to Sue – it’s been a terrific year of hiking with you.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail (CW)
Summits: Hancocks, North & South Peaks
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), LRiz (Larisa), Kevinmac (Kevin), Unfrozencaveman (Steven), MadRiver, Rocket21, Amantio, and me
Last August Sue and I decided to have some fun and set a goal to hike thirty one Four Thousand Footers, one for each day of the month. We had a limited amount of time which forced some long hikes. We were able to hit the goal in six hikes. After the dust settled, I looked at the hikes from August and earlier in the year to see which other hikes were needed for both of us to hike all Four Thousand Footers together during the year. Up to this point the idea of a mutual completion of the list wasn’t in our thoughts. After actually looking at the remaining peaks (only 8) it seemed like a small task. The hiking part was easy, the scheduling part was a little more complicated. The hike to The Hancocks finished off our mutual Four Thousand Footers for 2008. In the course of the 2008 hiking, together we managed to climb 93 peaks, hike over 332 miles, with an elevation gain of nearly 110000 feet and not a single disagreement – and we’re not quite done yet.
We had a great group for the hike to the Hancocks. Trail Trotter, LRiz, Kevinmac, Unfrozencaveman, MadRiver, Rocket21, Amantio, and me. This hike included a little flashback to August. Many may remember August was a very wet month. This most recent hike ended with all of us drenched. But, I think we were all satisfied with a good day in the mountains.
We arrived at the hairpin turn a few minutes before the planned on-trail time. As we drove through the turn I glanced at the Hancock Notch Trail and noticed the trail was broken out. We’re already having a good day! All of us were expecting a major trailbreaking effort starting at the Kancamagus Highway but that wouldn’t be the case. We parked and the others were in the lot doing their final preparation for the hike. It didn’t take long and within fifteen minutes we were off. The conditions at the start were gray – overcast, 34 degrees, no wind, and no rain – yet. We expected rain to start mid-hike and I was hoping we wouldn’t be hit until we were at least back to the loop split after hitting both peaks.
We crossed the road and immediately pulled out the snowshoes. The trail had a very nice snowshoe track established and we didn’t want to ruin it by bare booting and postholing. Soon we were underway; first target – the Cedar Brook Trail junction. The initial 1.8 mile section includes ~400 feet in elevation and offers a nice warm-up to the day. Along the way we made some adjustments to layers to stay comfortable but generally kept moving to this first turn. When we reached the trails junction we also learned it was the turn-around point for those that had broken the trail. In other words, we had 4.4 miles of trailbreaking ahead of us.
We made the turn onto the Cedar Brook Trail and MadRiver took the lead. The snow was still relatively dry but opening the trail was still hard work. MadRiver stayed in front for approximately a half mile. Then, he stepped to the side and Rocket21 assumed the lead trailbreaking position for his turn. Along with trailbreaking, Rocket21 had a folding saw and removed blowdowns as they were encountered. I didn’t keep count but it seemed like he removed quite a number of them. We continued to the trails junction with the Hancock Loop Trail and Rocket stayed out front leading us toward the loop split. This section of trail shows an increase in the rate of elevation gain. Along the way the group spread out a little with various stops along the way.
We re-grouped at the Hancock loop split, had a quick break, and made the turn for the north peak to hike the loop clockwise. Rocket is still in the lead, still clearing blowdowns, and still breaking trail. We made our way down to the upper brook crossing and started the steep climb to North Hancock. The group generally fell into a pace that everybody seemed comfortable with. We were spread out for a couple hundred feet but maintaining our relative positions as we climbed. Roughly half way to North Hancock the rain started. At first it seemed possible the moisture was falling from the trees, but it was falling from the sky. The wind also picked up and out came the rain gear to block the rain and wind. We continued the climb with Rocket out front and he led us to the summit completing the climb (with clearing and trailbreaking) in 1hr 25min. The conditions weren’t good, there were no views, we got a couple quick pictures and headed for South Hancock.
Rocket, still leading the parade, continued his amazing job of clearing and trailbreaking. Slowly we worked our way between summits and over a few PUDs (a couple of big ones) along the way. The rain and wind continued. It wasn’t a strong wind but the temperature combined with the rain made any wind something to be concerned about. Before long we were at South Hancock. Now, Sue and I had stood at the summit of all Four Thousand Footers together in 2008. I know, it’s a personal thing but one that is important to me. We enjoyed a quick break and were soon on the very steep exit from the south peak – with Rocket in the lead! All of us stayed on snowshoes but the seats of our pants got a workout more than once. The next re-group point was the loop split. The South Hancock exit to the loop split is a short .5 miles but includes 1000 feet of elevation loss. With the current trail conditions it was hard work to stay under control on the descent. Eventually, we were all back to the loop split, trailbreaking was done, and we headed out on a terrific snowshoe track – with Rocket in the lead.
The reverse hike was very similar to the hike in. The rain had generally stopped and we were working with a temperature of ~34 degrees, no wind, and high humidity. When we reached the Cedar Brook Trail, MadRiver had already headed out in front, and here Rocket, Unfrozencaveman, and LRiz decided to take off for the Common Man to have a couple cold ones. The plan was for the rest of us to continue out and pick them up on our way through Lincoln.
We set off at our relaxed pace heading to the trailhead. The uneventful hike out from the Hancock Loop Trail – Cedar Brook Trail junction took 1hr 30min. We hit the trailhead, removed our snowshoes, and made our way to the trailhead lot. When we stepped into the parking area we were all surprised to see LRiz, Rocket, and Unfrozencaveman lounging in the covered area waiting for us. They decided to pass on the run to the Common Man. Larisa had made some Blondies to share and had the container out roughly one second after I unlocked the door to the truck. They were a great after hike treat. We all enjoyed the snacks until they were gone.
Note to Larisa – next time we’ll need a bigger batch.
We quickly loaded our wet things into the back of the truck, said our goodbye, and were off for Dunkin’ Donuts and some hot coffee.
Jeremy, you did an amazing job on the trail today. I’ve enjoyed previously being on the trail with you but this hike is the one that will really stay with me for a long time. All I can say is thank you.
Congratulations to Amantio. This hike was his first two Four Thousand Footers. We have another list-chaser amongst us. Welcome to the gang. We’ll hike together again, I’m sure.
Thanks to everybody for making a difficult day very fun and interesting. And, a special thanks to Sue – it’s been a terrific year of hiking with you.
Pictures will follow.
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