North And South Hancock, July 28th 2019

When you have a weekend off, and the weather is spectacular (although hot) you hike as much as possible.

Eric, Casey, Ellie and I had climbed Eisenhower the previous day, but that is such a great hike that all of us (minus Casey) were ready for more. Evan was available for some adventures, and we were thrilled to have him along. (read about Casey's bit adventure on her first 4K footer Here.

We parked at the almost empty Hancock Scenic Overlook around 8:00 or so, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the early morning Kanc.
It's a bit of a trick getting to the trail, you go through a little gate, down a hill, and then you cross the road on the hairpin turn. Not the most confidence inspiring crossing. #death

At the gate (and a side: hasn't the Thoreau Bridge been out since 2011?)

Anyway- we made it, and immediately were plunged into quiet, on the very flat/gradual and scenic trail.

How it begins, flat flat

It is a LONG way on this trail before you get to anything intense, but that's the kind of hike that I enjoy. Tons of walking in the woods, pretty things to see, then BOOM, mountain.

And honestly, that is exactly how this trail behaves.
You go along for a bit, and it is bone flat.
Then, maybe it gets a little greener and *perhaps* the trail goes up a bit.
(FYI: there is a standard route. Hancock Notch Trail, to Cedar Brook Trail, to Hancock Loop, to either peak.)

Ever so slight uphill

So you wander along, walking and talking and loving life and then *mayyyyybe* you hit the beginning of a little something...

The beginning of a little something.....

And then, on command, the trail splits. The fork in the road takes you right, for the final half mile to South Hancock.
AND IT GOES UP, LIKE A BEAST.

Their feet are at my head, and I am standing right next to Evan. 

Fortunately, this intensity only lasts half a mile. Totally manageable, and in a non scary way. We had to use hands in places, but I would not call it a scramble.
But dudes? If you weren't in great shape this could really suck. Just FYI.

And then, POP, you reach the end of the fierce incline and are rewarded with a terrific view at a tiny scenic overlook.

Hazy

The walk between peaks is lovely, and straightforward. It's about 1.4 miles, and is really a terrific stretch of trail. I forgot to take any pics....

From North Hancock, you get a different view.

A view of us!!! Haha.

Another hiker wandered by, and expressed his pretty severe disappointment in the quality/quantity of views in relation to the miles put in. I must disagree, but it certainly is a subjective situation. Really, only a mile total was hard (0.5 up, and down) and the rest was just an easy woods walk. And I enjoyed the views- you can see a lot!

Happy Hikers

Based on my research we did the loop counter clockwise, hitting the South peak first.

I would certainly recommend doing it this way. Both directions have their fiddly issues- it is rocky and climbey getting to South peak, and the trail is all small rocks and slidey crap coming down from North. We all agreed, we would prefer to climb up big stones and come down pebbles.

Heading down on little death pebbles

We did manage fine. Nobody fell. Evan was glad that there was no snow....

Yes, Steep. 

Of course, once one returns to "flat" land, it is still a pretty long walk to get back. (about 3.5 miles)
That was ok. We chatted. Talked about the big fish that Evan catches. We snacked. Ran out of water for the first time ever. Ellie almost got beat up by a dog the size of a guinea pig.
And the kids took a moment to relax and recharge in one of the pretty streams.

Evan went for it

And so did Elle

By the time we returned to the car, the Kanc was full blown weekend chaos.
We tried to block out the noise and enjoy some cold pizza, but (honestly) it was almost too loud to talk over! Typical.... #getoffmylawn

We made it!!!

So another couple peaks checked off (this makes #22 and #23 for Eric and me) and another really fun, rewarding hike on a gorgeous day. Just can't beat the weather we are getting this year!!!!
And again, so happy have Evan join us. He got up at 3AM to make it for this adventure, and we were so glad to have him join!

But I think they were a little tired!!!

Strava data: (we take this with a grain of salt) 
-elevation climbed: 2,792
-miles covered: 9.5
-elapsed time: 5:35 (we never shut off our watches- so this includes all down time)

Difficulty: Difficult. Why? Because it is a long day. And you really need to be reasonably fit to handle the climb up- no matter which peak you choose to climb first (I suggest South) 
BUT: The trail at ANY point until the final half mile is easy. Plenty of people just walk the trail, see the river, head home. 

Views: Small outlooks on both peaks with lovely views. 

Bugs: Horse flies, horse flies... But maybe slightly fewer today?

Dog friendly trail? Yes, as long as your dog can handle hours on the trail.