| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Hancock, North Hancock, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, December 28, 2018 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Hancock Overlook at 7:30 AM and 2:00 PM. Lot was plowed; however, there were several inches of slushy quicksand right at the exit, and my FWD passenger car with all-season tires very nearly got stuck on the way out. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Despite the sleet and rain falling during much of our hike, surprisingly not bad. All were fairly easy rock hops on exposed or snow-covered rocks. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail corridors were in good shape, including the Hancock Loop Trail between the summits. A few blowdowns which were easy step-overs. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Hancock Loop Trail to both summits (especially North) might be interesting due to steepness, recent rain, and likely re-freeze overnight. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Pleasant, though essentially viewless hike to South Hancock and North Hancock (going counterclockwise over the summits). We had snow at the beginning of the hike, then sleet, then just rain- with the temperature staying near 32*F. Parts of the trail were a minefield of postholes- especially on the Hancock Notch and Cedar Brook Trails. This was somewhat better on our hike out. We used snowshoes from car to car (despite occasional patches of standing/running water)- saw one other hiker with snowshoes, and 2 with spikes. Snow got increasingly soft/slushy during the day, and snowshoes were definitely the footwear of choice. Ascending the south link of Hancock Loop was strenuous but fine in snowshoes- decent traction, and televators helped. Trail was nicely consolidated, packed powder between the summits. Descending the north link was quite tricky, with a couple inches of unconsolidated snow, and frequent loss of traction in our mountaineering snowshoes. We did some involuntary glissading, and admit to a bit of voluntary glissading as well. With yesterday's rain and today's re-freeze, suspect crampons may be optimal for the north link, or for descending the south link. |
|
 | Name: |
Jason |
|
 | E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-29 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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