Somedays I just like to mosey into the backcountry, do my roaming about the trailless mountainside and make a clean get away; unnoticed. All that remains is a set of 24” snowshoe prints and the crunch of late-winter snowpack left resonating through the hillsides.

With snow and high winds (45mph for Hancock Mtns) forecasted for the mountains last night, I was hesitant at the thought of a longer off-trail hike; assuming much of the snow received was just waiting patiently in the conifer boughs for me to pass, ready to unleash torrents of fluff down my back. Even all the Gore-Tex layers in the world did not make me want to swim through depths of new powder - this is Spring, after all.

Knowing that the Hancock Notch Trail had rock-solid footing several days ago, I would likely be left with 0.7-miles of Cedar Brook Trail which may need to be broken out before following a northwesterly, clockwise trajectory to reach the broad summit of East Hitchcock, the last remaining of the five Hitchcock mountains in which I had yet to stand upon.

I chose to ascend from the south and hook along the summit ridge because, when the topographic map is viewed with slope angle shading on caltopo.com, there appear to be possible ledges or steep areas on the eastern slope which I did not want to contend with - not in fresh powder, at least.

Carefully, I made the commute to the Hancock Notch Trailhead, watching other cars slip and slide on the icy roadway, I reminded myself that I could be in no rush - the trails will always be there whenever I arrive. Alone, I took a spot in the parking lot as the surrounding winds kicked up any lingering fresh powder into local whirlwinds.

At 7:26am I stepped out of the warm cocoon which had become my Subaru and into snowshoes right from the start. The old logging grade of the Hancock Notch Trail has become a very familiar stretch of trail over the past few years, sensing that I can recall each minor bend and dip of the 1.8-mile stretch before reaching the Cedar Brook Trail intersection.

The packed trail had received 3-5” of fresh powder overnight, some of which was drifted or knocked loose from the upper conifer branches overhead; the picturesque forest seemed cut straight out of a Thomas Kinkade winter wonderland painting.

*Beautiful forest along Cedar Brook Trail*

Branches along the Cedar Brook Trail grew heavy from the snowy loads they bore; I had to remind myself that I was likely trekking atop a 4-5’ snowpack as well, putting my head right in tree branches that would otherwise be out of reach in warm months.

Many of the early water crossings had still been bridged by solid snowpack but as I hiked away from the trailhead they soon became open, forcing me to cross atop rocks or simply walking directly through several inches of water - this did not seem to slow me down, however, I just prefer to keep the metal on snowshoes dry to prevent snow from sticking whenever possible.

Once I bode farewell to the Hancock Loop Trail I was laying down fresh snowshoe tracks on the Cedar Brook Trail; following a slight imprint of old ski tracks I began the slow, steady climb to 3,100’. I enjoyed gazing into nice, open forest to either side of the trail while enroute to the height-of-land, it wasn’t hard to envision myself already bushwhacking as there did not seem to be much of a recognizable trail in the first place with all the remaining snow.

Because the forest appeared so fine I actually began drifting into the wilderness prior to my planned exit, which worked out very satisfactorily - easy going through pleasant conifer woods began the East Hitchcock bushwhack. Reaching one section of thick, young fir growth, I crossed my fingers and pushed through, hoping for a better scene on the other side.

*Sun coming out enroute to East Hitchcock’s summit*

While “crossing fingers” and banking on “hope” is just about the most unreliable method of accomplishing anything ever, however, this time it just happened to work out in my favor; the remainder of the short ascent was through mature, wildly wind-twisted spruce, tight in places but never overwhelming.

Once I could see the sides of my surrounding land falling away on either side I realized I had begun traversing across the small, north-south stretched summit ridge. Through several breaks in the low, scrappy trees I could pick out hazy outlines of the much higher Hancock’s to the east.

Across the ridge I dodged and weaved around poking branches, my mind focused on one tree at a time while trying to spot my trajectory well into the distance.

*Looking back down the 3,300’ summit ridge*

“Hmmph, well, that was fast”, I recall thinking to myself, assuming I had a few hundred feet remaining along the near-flat summit ridge - unlike other summits, East Hitchcock doesn’t have as much of an apparent high point as other more cone-shaped peaks, allowing the true high point to be up to judgement call, or altimeter.

The canister and summit register hung on a spruce tree, with wind whipping all around I took several photos of the old AMC 3000-footer notebooks, read a few historical, 1989 and early 90’s entries before registering my own ascent into the newer register book and noticed that the last entry was dated August 2022, not nearly as popular as some other trailless peaks around here.

Retracing my steps, as I had yesterday on Mt Dartmouth, I found more streamlined routes to avoid several hefty branches and made good time while having a playful time in some of the steeper, deeper snow drifts.

Back at the Cedar Brook Trail, the sun was beginning to come out and while the birds were singing I figured a break for tea was in store. All there was to see and hear was raw nature out in those moments; warm herbal tea had never tasted so good, sun had never been so welcomed upon my wind whipped skin, I even took inventory of my body for any aches or concerns - all was working in fine order and every piece of gear was serving its purpose beautifully, today was a good day.

The remaining trek out was even more familiar now than it had been several hours earlier; back on the Hancock Notch Trail, I could gaze northwesterly to catch glimpses of South Hitchcock’s shoulder; peering the the southeast, a chunk of West Huntington became visible; knowing I had stood atop both of these peaks only days prior made me grin proudly, like the first time I stood atop Mount Marcy of the Adirondacks at age seven.

While not likely a destination for most adventurers of the White Mountains, East Hitchcock really was another satisfying morning roaming through some of the most beautiful and peaceful forest New Hampshire has to offer.

Overall stats for the day:
7.32-miles
2hr 52 minutes
1,598’ elevation gain

Mount Hitchcock, East Peak - 3,331’

East Hitchcock Mountain

Mt Anderson + Mt Lowell

Mt Dartmouth + Millen Hill