| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Hancock, South Hancock, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 5, 2024 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
|
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The 3-4 crossings on Cedar Brook and lower Hancock Notch were manageable as a rock hop on the way in; after a few hours of rain, on the way out they had swollen noticeably, several inches higher. Still not too bad. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
3 minor blowdowns, easy to step across. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
This was a challenging day on Hancock! On trail at 9 AM and had planned to return to Cedar Brook by around 2; tough climbing conditions and some probably excessive fussing with traction (my first hike with Microspikes) really slowed me down.
Hard to avoid postholing here and there in spite of my best efforts. Descending via the S Loop from Hancock was definitely the way to go--N Loop was grueling/OK to ascend, but would have been really rough to come down.
Rained all day and had really picked up by afternoon--notable how much higher the crossings looked on the way back out. I could have improved my gaiter and rain pants game earlier in the day, but I think wet feet were unavoidable on this one.
Had snowshoes with me and would have liked to use them more on the Loop from N to S Hancock, but the trail is so narrow in places, not to mention changeable these days between rock, rotten snow and monorail, that I couldn't keep them on long. |
|
 | Name: |
Nate McBride |
|
 | E-Mail: |
barlowmcbride@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2024-05-06 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
