North Hancock (4403 ft) and South Hancock (4319 ft) are on the south side of the Pemigewasset Wilderness in northeast Grafton county. They are to the southwest of Mt. Carrigain. The North’s prominence is 1200ft and the South’s 179ft. Prior to the Kancamagus Highway (pronounced “cain-kah-MAW-gus, meaning “Fearless one”) they were a couple of the most inaccessible mountains in New Hampshire. South Hancock is officially (according to AMC) a 4000-footer because its peak rises more than 200 ft above the col that adjoins it to North Hancock. The Hancocks were named for the Founding Father John Hancock.
The most direct route to climb the Hancocks is from the Hancock Notch Trail to the Cedar Brook Trail and then up and around the Hancock Loop Trail. Hancock Notch Trail (southwest of peaks) is accessed off of Rte 112 the Kancamagus Hwy. The Kancamagus Hwy is one of the most beautiful drives in the U.S. thru the middle of the White Mountains and you can see how remote the Hancocks would have been prior to that road being completed in 1959.
I found this 9.6 mile loop hike to be more difficult that I had expected. Maybe it was because we had hiked Carrigain two days prior and my knees and achilles were still aching or maybe it was because I still hadn’t gotten over a COVID infection, or maybe I was just getting a little older.
We got a later start (8:15 am leaving house) on this second hike of the season because the drive was only 30 minutes and the hike itself was less than 6 hours. It was Sunday morning and still very gray outside with a threat of rain later in the day. We had been at the Boogie and Blues festival Saturday night and it was very enjoyable. Dad was selling Fried Dough and we hung outside with a perfect view of the stage listening to the music. It was quite a treat being just a few miles up the road in Thornton, NH…who would have thought a big festival like this would be in our old stomping ground.
After crossing the highway at the hair pin turn, we started on the trail at 9:05am. The head of trail has all the information you need for hiking in the White Mountain National Forest. No marijuana, no fireworks, and no drones…clearly someone is breaking the rules or it wouldn’t have to be said. The Bear warnings certainly get your attention but Jacob and I commented that we have never seen one in all of our hikes…much easier to see crossing the backyard at my sister’s house. Jacob wearing the Auburn pullover and he has no idea where it came from…we have no relationship to the school.
The first 40 minutes and 1.8 miles was a nice walk in the woods. The trail was dry and some of it ran along the Hancock Branch brook. Jacob and I had a good talk and warmed up the legs. We had originally planned on hiking this the next day on my birthday Monday Aug 19, but the day was calling for rain all day. The rest of the family was busy getting ready for the Acton fair the following week, so it ended up being a good day to get our second planned hike in. At 9:45am we reached the junction of the Cedar Brook Trail that would take us toward the Hancock Loop trail. This intersection is at 2500ft and the parking lot was at 2100ft and so it was a very mild walk in woods.
The next 0.7 mil on the Cedar Brook Tr only gained 200ft but I was starting to warm up, so I took off my long sleeve sun shirt that had kept the morning chill off. We reached the Hancock Loop trail at 10:05 am. Jacob and I figured out that if we have a good pace on a flat road we are at 20 minute/mile, a good pace on uneven and rocky trail with mild ascent/descent is 30 minutes/mile.
It would take us another 30 minutes (10:35 am) to cover the mile to the junction of the trail where you could go left to the North Hancock peak or right to the South Hancock peak. We had read that the North Hancock ascent was steeper and you would be better off going up to North Hancock first. In hindsight, I don’t think it would have mattered as the were bother steep with loose rocks and loose footing.
Jacob and I ability to have a conversation while hiking, quickly came to an end. The last 0.7 to North Hancock was steep with uneven ground, loose rocks and a couple blow downs that hadn’t been cleared.
It would take 38 minutes to cover the 0.7 miles and by heart rate was in the 140’s. I was sweating and having a tough time keeping up with my nimbler son. I blamed it on him have a smaller lighter pack:)
We made it to the top of North Hancock at 11:10 to be greeted by NO VIEW. There was an outcrop on a rock that probably had a good view on any other day, but was nothing but gray and couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us. We ran into a Dad and his 3 kids coming the opposite direction from South Hancock and they took the above picture. We talked with them for a few minutes. The older daughter was a Junior a U Lowell, the younger daughter was starting her first year of college, and the son was a senior in high school at Dartmouth Mass. It was great to run into families hiking together and I suggested to Jacob after leaving the group that he look into a hiking group at UVA, it would probably have young athletic women like the ones we just left…Dad being Dad.
We had planned on having lunch on the top of North Hancock but it was windy on the rock and there was nowhere else to sit. We started across to South Hancock and found the first place there was room to lay down our packs and get out our sandwiches. We were hungry from the climb. The salty Pringles and the ham and cheese were pretty darn good.
The mossy green coverage at this altitude was beautiful. I think this is what they call a Boreal Forest and only exists at altitudes above 3000 ft in New Hampshire. They consist of red spruce and balsam fir, along with the mossy green ground cover…and the red squirrels.
After eating our food we made it over to South Hancock (#40 of 48) at 12:18 pm. There were a couple of groups there and so we saw the path to an overlook with a big rock and a nice place to rest and eat some of our snacks. There wasn’t any view but a pair of Canada Jays came to share our snacks, see our vide below.
We headed down about 12:40 pm and would make it back to the parking lot at 2:45pm completing the 9.6 mile loop. It was slow going at the top as we knew we needed to be careful with the wet and loose rocks, and the steep terrain. At about 1:15 we had passed the steepest part of the top and I thought I heard a brook. Turns out it had started to rain. It was quite calming. We hiked in silence listening to the rain hit the leaves of the thick forest above. Very little rain was actually reaching us.
We made it home late afternoon and headed to the store to get protein for the last chance we had to eat with the family. They would all be gone the next day. It was another fantastic cookout at my sister Beth’s with Uncle Eddie on the grill. A couple large cowboy steaks for Eddie and Ana Sofia (and a special lobster for her), with the rest of us having haddock, marinated chicken, and sausage. Fresh corn out of the fields and all the fresh veggies out of garden for an amazing salad. I got a special blueberry pie and homemade ice cream Lauren picked up for me to celebrate my 62nd birthday. Love these great days with the family.
Next year we have what I hope to be the most epic trip in covering the last 8 peaks of the 48. The first part will cover the most remote hike we will do by hiking over to Mount Isolation and then through the Dry River Wilderness ending up at the AMC Mitzpah Spring Hut for an overnight. The next couple days will take us across the entire Presidental Range of the Whites, bagging our last 7 peaks. We can only hope for clear weather as this traverse is entirely above tree line and is know for some of the worst weather in the world.