Lake Hancock Road 12.16.08

With the clear frosty weather I thought I would make a long day of it. I was able to get out of the house at a reasonable hour. I had planned on leaving the dogs at home due to the cold weather and blustery winds. When I awoke the temperature was 18 degrees and there wasn't any wind. With the improved conditions I piled the dogs in the back and was off. There was much less snow on the the North Fork Road so there were no issues to make it to the gate. I parked and put on layer upon layer to thwart the very cold temps. I now was on the well travelled main line pushing the pace. I was entertaining a summit of Hancock's Comb which involves nearly twenty miles round trip. I made better than expected time to the turn off just before Hancock Lake. Here the conditions turned from packed snow to untracked powder. The snow was manageable but slowed my pace to a point that put my day's objective in jeopardy. The beagle also struggled with the combination of very cold air temperatures and dragging his undercarriage through the snow. After pushing on for another mile, I decided that it was too much for the little guy. I enjoyed the unbroken sun on the way out very thankful that I was able to get out. I was able to get home in time to add some more family time.




Approx 11 miles 1500' of climb 4:30 car to car