| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Hitchcock, West Huntington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, bushwhack, logging roads |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 11, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot about 25% full at start, and upon return. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Despite elevated rivers, crossings where doable on the trail if one wished to go to the Hancocks |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing more than spring cleanup |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Shelley did fantastic |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A FINE day in the forest was had. We are slowing picking away at NH3000/NH200 highest and these orphans fit the bill. Trails in surprisingly good shape for all the rain we've had. One 15' section of monorail remained through the journey. Launched from HOL to East Hitchcock (sometimes known as West Hancock) and found relatively good wood. Wet and boggy areas persist through the first half of this journey though it is may, and its rained 4" in 10 days so no big deal. This has such a broad contour to attack from the south it was a little deceiving. The second half of the ascent was nicer open woods, that of a Zeale, South Sugarloaf. Of note, a cheeky sign in from August of 1981 (nineteen eighty one) dubbing it "East Horsec*ck" because it was so terrible. Since the author had a "D.V.M." next to his name, I felt it was a worthy addition to this report, as it is science based observation. We departed due east from the summit and reconnected with Cedar Brook on the opposite side of the HOL. We discovered the cliff bands are actually there. On the way out we utilized more or less a ridge crest north west of West Huntington and then connected with a skid road that aided us greatly about half of the ascent. It is of similar construction to the railbed down low of that of stone walls on its flanks. We followed it to where it crosses the unnamed drainage but it was evident that after this was logged much earlier, as in the still very evident bed there where 12"+ trees and blowdowns. Surprisingly, there was another sign in from this morning in the log book. We went to the mini vista on the bump to the south west of West Huntington with grand views of "The Horseshoe" and the height of land on 112. A great day to be outside and without hyperbole, living north of the Notches, the first time I have seen the sun in this May. |
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 | Name: |
The Teal Goat, The Cone Demon, MattJim, Shelley |
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 | E-Mail: |
sea2thebiscuit@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-05-11 |
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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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