Put on the ol' boots and a light (15lb) pack with my Dad and the dog. This is the first actual training hike in preparation for the Bataan Memorial this upcoming year. Last year, I did it without any, and my feet suffered heavily. This was a short jaunt - the pace was respectable, but not fast. The pack was light, but I was wearing my boots.We passed quite a few groups of people on the trail, several with dogs, and a couple of mountain bikers. Two of the groups were mushrooming (one was just setting out, the other group appeared to have been quite successful).

There are a lot of intersections in these old logging roads, and many of the road flags are damaged. It is a good idea to get a copy of the area map (www.portgamble.com/pdf/trail_map_rules.pdf), and a GPSr is pretty handy (great reception).