i just did this whole thing on sunday evening (4/4/07) and it was a pleasant surprise. i wish i had a map of it beforehand as that would have been a great help. now that i have seen it, i finally understand how i crossed the road 3 times (i don't count the first crossing on the map because it crosses at an intersection near the cancer research facility). the part at the beginning with the pipelines is now completely covered in grass with a trail eroded down into it. there's a ton of crashed trees along the trail, some of which are really big. the whole thing is pretty easy on your feet until the middle part where it starts circling around. at that point there's a lot of downhill stuff that can be kinda rough on your ankles if you're not careful. at this point i saw a gigantic buck off in the trees but he took off before i could snap a photo. i saw a few cardinals and a rabbit, and heard some frogs cry out as i approached them, but that was about it for wildlife. not knowing the trail map, i was getting worried until i got back to the part where you start retracing your steps on the trail. it was getting dark and i had a 13yr old aussie shepherd with me who was starting to quit on me. i had to do the pipeline stretch and the last part that leads back to the park in the total dark since i thought i would get back before dark. luckily that part of the trail is wide and pretty obvious where you're supposed to go. i recommend this thing if you want a fairly easy - but long - walk in the woods by yourself (or with immediate company). i didn't see anyone else on a nice sunday evening.
