Framerman
Member
I took a trip up the Kanc this morning. White Mountain hiking the 4k's. The parking lot was empty when I left the trailhead at 7:15, but was packed withmore than a dozen vehicles when I returned. It was a fabulous day on the trails. A balmy 28° and near zero wind made for almost T-shirt weather.
I have never been up the twin Hancock mountains. The outing is near 10 miles long, but the first 3½ miles were a nice, smooth highway. Not much in the elevation gain at the beginning, and I knew it was going to get pretty steep.
The White Mountain Guide said the trail up the Hancock Loop Trail is "unrelievedly steep", to which I replied "bring it on!" About a half mile of it up the mountain, and it certainly didn't disappoint. It was steep, but not so much I needed crampons, which I thought for sure I was going to need.
The first summit had a side spur to a nice outlook looking towards the Osceolas and Tripyramids. Some nice tree trimming made for some good picture shots.
A quick trip over to the south peak and had a great time butt sliding down. I need some more padding in the rear end department, or a butt sled or something. It would almost be worth it to head back up just to slide back down.
I almost made it back to the loop junction before I met my first fellow hiker. The floodgates opened after that. Met some really great people on the trail, as well as some canine companions. All were very pleasant, and all enjoyed the great weather.
I have never been up the twin Hancock mountains. The outing is near 10 miles long, but the first 3½ miles were a nice, smooth highway. Not much in the elevation gain at the beginning, and I knew it was going to get pretty steep.
The White Mountain Guide said the trail up the Hancock Loop Trail is "unrelievedly steep", to which I replied "bring it on!" About a half mile of it up the mountain, and it certainly didn't disappoint. It was steep, but not so much I needed crampons, which I thought for sure I was going to need.
The first summit had a side spur to a nice outlook looking towards the Osceolas and Tripyramids. Some nice tree trimming made for some good picture shots.
A quick trip over to the south peak and had a great time butt sliding down. I need some more padding in the rear end department, or a butt sled or something. It would almost be worth it to head back up just to slide back down.
I almost made it back to the loop junction before I met my first fellow hiker. The floodgates opened after that. Met some really great people on the trail, as well as some canine companions. All were very pleasant, and all enjoyed the great weather.
