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October 8, 2007 At first the trail looks fairly easy, although the falling leaves hide a few rock fields and you realize you're in for more than a gentle country stroll. | 
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We thought this trail would be easier than the last one we tried, but if anything it was harder. Gradually the rock fields become rockier and the trail gets steeper much earlier. We were following an old 1800's farm road - I don't know how they got their farm vehicles up here 200 years ago.
One indication of the difficulty of this trail (Although it's marked 'moderate' in the guide book.) is the complete absence of litter and day-tripper garbage. | 
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After a while we thought we'd be able to tackle the steeper grades with hiking sticks. Rich people purchase proper hiking sticks, but the nearest sports shop wasn't actually very close by. In these circumstances, rich people cut branches with their Swiss Army Knife, so I found some fallen deadwood and cut it to length, using my cheap (as in really cheap) (Made in China) Communist Army Knife.
Gina wanted her photo taken near a decorative pile of rocks that somebody had carefully assembled in a small clearing, but she stumbled on the rocks underfoot and knocked the pile over. She diligently replaced them. | 
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After climbing to about 600 feet we stopped for lunch and a breather. We had been walking and scrambling for only about a mile since we left the car, and it had taken us an hour!
In case you're wondering, the red stuff is a solid block of frozen blackcurrant juice (Ribena). | 
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| Gina thinks I should smile more! | 
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Continued on next page. . . .
There's nothing down here!