At the western end of the trail, I crossed the creek on the newly constructed bridge below the former Campfire Girl's camp and followed the trail back down the valley, this time on the north side of the creek. I met a mountain bicyclist. Overhead, geese seemed to laugh at the whole thing. Gunfire snapped in the woods beyond the park and a few dogs answered the report of the hunter's gun. I felt quite safe on the trail in my orange clothing.
Signs warn of the difficulty of the trail and prohibit bikers from using it.
I was prepared for a work out. As expected, the trail narrows and winds up hill through the woods until it comes to the rim of the valley. Here, the steep slope gives way to forest floor covered with a carpet of newly fallen leaves. No understory obstructs one's view and the area reminded me of a pleasant city park. Darkness was now quickly approaching but frequent trail markers reassured me that things were going well.