Hancock & South Hancock Loop

"Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush."

This would be my second time hiking the Hancocks. I had hiked them in the fall about 2 years ago. I was looking forward to it. I met Trish and the girls once again at the parking lot. We hit the trail around 9:30am.


The trail starts off pretty flat for the first few miles in with a pretty steep up to Hancock. As I drove the Kanc across to the trail head parking lot, i realized winter just had not let go this year. Trees were freshly covered in a blanket of snow from the night before. Temperature was just bordering around 32 degrees.



The trail had a great packed down trail. I brought my spikes just in case we would need them on the steep sections. All water crossings were pretty manageable.

After, what felt like the longest half a mile up to the summit of Hancock, we finally made it. We sat on the rocks where the viewpoint was and enjoyed our snacks and lunches. And what do you know, a Gray Jay popped up above our heads and propped itself on a tree near us. He/she was looking mighty plump after this winter.

We finished up, put the packs back on and headed towards South Hancock. I was leading the way, and at one point was not looking straight ahead and walked right into a fallen tree across the trail and it literally took me off my feet. Alex had watched it happen, and I think it looked worse than it actually felt. However, I ended up with a small egg, scrape, and bruise on my forehead for the rest of the day. It was mildly entertaining after the fact, and a moment I had wished someone caught on camera. As a hiker you quickly learn not to be embarrassed of falling in front of others. It's part of the journey on trail. You're bound to run into obstacles that take you down, those are the ones that force you to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and continue with one step in front of the other.


We came up quick to the summit of South Hancock. We stopped here quickly just to grab a quick bite to eat again and a drink of water before we made our steep descent down on our bottoms. This is where the true fun begins.


We buttslid pretty much the entire way down off South Hancock. It was fast, and exciting. Not many branches or exposed rocks yet so it was a easy descent. We finally made it back to the cars. It took us exactly 6 hours. I can officially say I am feeling back in hiking shape and am very much ready for rocks and roots again this summer. This time of year is what I call "transition season." You just never know what the conditions will be like, how warm or cold your feet might be, whether it will be snowing or raining. When I pack for my day out this time of year, I need options. Especially my shoes!

(For the month of May, a friend of mine suggest we should wear a shade of blue on our adventures to help raise awareness for drug addiction. Especially, to raise awareness of the Heroin epidemic that is happening in New England. I will be trying to wear as much blue as I can this month. Lets see how many people we can get to do the same. )

Hike Safe & Keep on Tekking