Trail: Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail. 9.8 Miles, 2700 feet elevation gain.
Trail Conditions: Well maintained AMC trail. Notch Trail is mostly old RR bed. Hancock loop has a steep ascent up north peak.
Views: From north peak, excellent views to the southwest and west to Franconia Ridge and down into the Pemi Wilderness.
Group: Mike - solo
Having more or less recovered from my chest cold (cough still lingers) and having done another training hike on Mt. Major last weekend, I decided it was time to get back in the game and I headed for the Kanc’s sharp “S” turn where the trail begins for the Hancocks. Brian and Anai were in upstate NY on this weekend so I did another hike that was already checked off their list.
The hike started off a bit cool and I was in the shade. The temp would increase slightly to be very comfortable in the mid to high 70’s – near perfect hiking weather. With the exception of some threatening clouds as I climbed Hancock, the weather remained great for the entire hike with no noticeable humidity. The great weather contributed to this being a great hike (the ascent of the north peak would be grueling in high heat and humidity).
The Hancock Notch Trail starts out on some old railroad bed so it is fairly smooth and the grade is almost unnoticeable.
The Cedar Brook Trail follows its namesake and has some more interesting terrain – lots of tree roots and rocks.
There are some open marshy areas where again I was hoping to see a moose, and again I was disappointed.
This was one of the most isolated trips I’ve been on. I was hiking by myself and ran into very few people, only seven total and four of them (a family) were during the last mile or so. There were very few unattended cars at the trailhead when I set out so it was no great surprise. I saw the first two hikers less than halfway in. They must have stayed locally and been up early that morning to grab the Hancocks and were already on their way back to the trailhead.
Where the Hancock Loop Trail splits and you can go to the south or north peak, I sat down to zip off the legs of my convertible pants, grab a snack, and take another look at the map. As I sat there I noticed that it was very still and quiet. I was away from the nearest stream, miles from the road, no planes overhead, and no wind. Beyond the signs showing the split in the trail you can make out the first objective through the trees.
A swift moving man in his 50’s blew through the junction, exchanged a couple quick observations with me, then headed off for the South peak. We would meet up again crossing the col between the two peaks.
The trail from the split up to Hancock (north peak) is fairly steep and long. You go up the mountain parallel to the Arrow Slide which can be seen from the split. But unlike some of my other “miserable miles” the low humidity and moderate temperatures made this ascent very doable, and the views to the southwest from the outlook on Hancock make it worth the climb.
The col between the two is listed as 1.5 miles but it didn't seem that long. Despite the general lack of rain, there were some fairly muddy parts in this col. The trekking poles sunk in pretty far and the logs that had been laid down in the mud were completely covered in some spots. You had to test where the log was with your pole before stepping.
At the south peak the views are not quite as satisfying as the north peak, but there were excellent views of Chocorua and the Sandwich Range to the southeast.
Someone decided to make the sudden switch to barefoot hiking atop the south peak (or they decided to start wearing those nice Danners they found on their way to Owl's Head!).
Some trailside philosophy on the south peak.
Descending the south peak you get a great view back over to the north peak and the Arrow slide that runs next to the trail.
In my last mile or so I came upon a family of four. Dad was filtering some water from the stream while mom, son & daughter were sitting trailside. Dad seemed happy enough, but the others looked miserable. Mom barely acknowledged my enthusiastic “Hi!” and the kids didn’t even look up. I wondered how many more hikes he could convince them to do this year.
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