| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Hancock, South Hancock, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 5, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All easily crossable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several blowdowns that required ducking under; some were just a nuisance but others required you to totally squat down lest your bag get caught on a branch. Often were pretty thick trunks too. 1 smaller blowdown that could be easily vaulted over. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
n/a :) |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Perfect sidewalk along hancock notch and cedar brook -- microspikes were perfect, honestly could be barebooted if you'd like. Going up to North Hancock, Hancock loop was mostly packed powder, perfect for the longer teeth of trail crampons but microspikes are workable too. The ridgeline was a mix of packed and unpacked powder, snowshoes are probably the ideal/responsible choice but it's certainly doable with microspikes/trail crampons albeit you'll churn up the trail and almost certainly make a posthole or two. No dangerous postholes observed though -- all were around the edges of the trail. Walking down South Hancock, the combo of steep grade + powder smoothed from butt sledding was too dicey for friend in microspikes so she slid down as well, but I was able to get down most of it in my hiking crampons.
Re: suggested traction
Mountaineering crampons are probably overkill/unnecessary, but traction that's more aggressive than microspikes helped a lot on the steeps. Snowshoes weren't necessary but are the responsible choice on the loop. |
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 | Name: |
GonzalezIsland |
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 | E-Mail: |
michael.rodriguez.564@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-02-05 |
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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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