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Type E
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PostMon Nov 17, 2008 10:12 pm 
Hancock's Comb is the tufted point above Hancock Lake in the North Fork of the Snoqualmie drainage. If it wasn't included in the Home Court 100 I doubt it would hold any interest. The intent was to mountain bike to just past the summit and climb the short ways to the ridge and on to the summit. I had tried this trip a couple weeks ago and had to abandon when I lost a bolt holding my front tire on. Although it seemed stable I didn't want to take that type of chance. I had plenty of time and I even took the time to enjoy the very warm hazy sunshine. I wasn't able to ride much more than half the way and pushed it the remainder. I was making good time until I reached junction not on my map. There was a road closure sign due to ongoing logging in the area. I pushed on until I reached the actual logging operation blocking all of the road. I gave some thought to dumping the bike and sneaking around the working area. I was concerned about how to handle the dogs and lacking leashes it could have provided an unhappy outcome. I backtracked to a lower road which I followed on foot hoping to go cross crountry to reach my road higher above me. I followed this road until it ended in a tangle of brush before a torrent of a stream. I decided a leisurely return to enjoy the remainder of the day was much moredesirable than a tedious bushwack. Approx 14 miles 2000' of climb 4 hours car to car

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Mike Collins
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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 6:48 am 
Hancock's Comb is probably the low-point of my Homecourt Peaks experiences. Randy and I made it happen but I think I am still pulling Devil's Club thorns out of my hand.

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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 11:10 am 
Sorry to hear you got blocked out. I hiked my bike up there a few weeks ago. I got a really late start, so the loggers were heading out as I was heading in. There weren't any road closures at that point, but there was lots of preliminary work taking place, equipment everywhere. I turned prematurely on the road that heads over to Upper Blethen and had to backtrack. With that and the late start it was nearly dark by the time I got around to the ridge. Wound up scrubbing the summit scramble, but got some sunset shots.

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Sabahsboy
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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 7:39 pm 
Looks to be way too far to hike, esp. during short days of Nov.-January. The roads look good....are they? Do you need to purchase annual pass to get on to Hancock timberlands? How dangerous is it to take dogs there, leashed or not? Much broken glass? I have not been up North Fork in years and had a number of "sighs" and disappointments going up the interminably long road, a grind to reach the NFS road (closed now at Sunday Creek bridge crossing?). Bessemer looks really interesting in these photos! You can reach Upper Blethen Lake? Mesmerizing.

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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 7:56 pm 
Sabahsboy wrote:
Looks to be way too far to hike, esp. during short days of Nov.-January. The roads look good....are they?
It is a long way, with lots of up, but with a bike the return is fast, fast, fast! The Hancock roads inside the spur 10 gate were good when I was there, little muddy due to the cutting traffic. The county road, though, was not so good, as usual, but it's good enough for a car (just watch the holes).
Sabahsboy wrote:
Do you need to purchase annual pass to get on to Hancock timberlands?
Not to walk or bike; only for motorized access.
Sabahsboy wrote:
How dangerous is it to take dogs there, leashed or not? Much broken glass?
No dog, so couldn't say. But I've never seen broken glass inside the Hancock gate. Sometimes a little trash when the cutters are working it, maybe blown out of the back of a truck, but generally it's very clean.
Sabahsboy wrote:
I have not been up North Fork in years and had a number of "sighs" and disappointments going up the interminably long road, a grind to reach the NFS road (closed now at Sunday Creek bridge crossing?).
The drive's really not bad to the spur 10 gate - the real work is the 9+ miles up on the other side of the gate to the comb (or beyond to Blethen/Bessemer). I believe the Sunday Creek bridge is closed now, at least with signs, though I don't think it's physically torn out yet.

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moosefish
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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 9:02 pm 
Did it look like the road would be completely closed if the crews weren't there working? In other words, does it seem passable (on bike or by car) on a weekend?

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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 9:22 pm 
North Fork Road and Sunday Creek Bridge
I am confused. Is the Sunday Creek Bridge to be removed and not replaced? Am I correct in recalling the bridge was a hazard and then replaced one or two years ago? Any scoop on this item? I have read of folks crossing the bridge with bikes, etc. But, will the National Forest lands be cut off permanently, eliminating the spectacular upper valley and hikes to Bare Mountain and Lennox Creek/Dog Mountain/Anderson Lake? I might not be able to do those(again), but I would hardily urge others to go, both are a little trying (esp. Lennox Creek-Anderson Lake trail) but the rewards are vast and supreme! p.s., anyone interested in native wildflowers, the route to Dog Mountain has a wide array of species to delight the hiker.

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PostTue Nov 18, 2008 10:54 pm 
Re: North Fork Road and Sunday Creek Bridge
Sabahsboy wrote:
I am confused. Is the Sunday Creek Bridge to be removed and not replaced? Am I correct in recalling the bridge was a hazard and then replaced one or two years ago? Any scoop on this item?
Not sure it's a scoop, but here's some info:
Quote:
Sometimes a bridge just can’t be repaired or upgraded. That’s the case with the Sunday Creek Bridge, a small span located in a remote area 17 miles northeast of North Bend. The bridge on North Fork Road Southeast will be closed at noon on Oct. 31, and will not reopen until the King County Road Services Division can replace it. The condition of the bridge has reached a point where county bridge engineers do not feel it is safe for traffic. The replacement project is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2009, but construction funding is still pending. There are no homes beyond the bridge. It is used mostly by recreationalists, logging and quarry companies, and the forest service.
I don't know when it was last replaced. For those unfamiliar with the bridge, it's a double-log affair, similar to but smaller than the just replaced North Fork Snoqualmie bridge a few miles back. Here's a pic of my daughter contemplating the creek and bridge from a couple months ago.
Sunday Creek Bridge
Sunday Creek Bridge

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PostWed Nov 19, 2008 10:33 am 
The road that I took stays in great shape for most of the year. There are plenty of Cabins on Lake Hancock... most of these are bigger/nicer than my own house. There is plenty of traffic going to those cabins. The road is clean and in good shape. You can buy a pass that I believe used to cost $50 for weekend access. I do think that this may have gone up substantially. As for the dogs I had to pull them off to the side of the road to let some trucks pass. You can hear them coming with plenty of time to gather the dogs. I did enjoy the change of pace of riding instead of walking. I would recommend leaving the dogs home however. I had to go much slower on the decent than what I would have liked. There is no way the dogs can run that fast for that long without some injuries. Since I didn't make Hancock's summit I will be doomed to remake this trip sometime in the future. I will also be using this approach for Paperboy Peak as well.

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Sabahsboy
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PostWed Nov 19, 2008 7:33 pm 
ewb and TypeE, thank you for the follow-up information. No, no bike is possible....I will be stuck with driving and walking...did not realize Lake Hancock had houses! North Fork area still needs some exploring on my part. What always surprised me was that the amount of time to drive to trailheads equaled driving to Wenatchee or Chelan! The road was (then) that bad. I expect the road is no anything but worse these times.

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