For this hike, Chris and I (both 6POP challengers) were joined by our better halves, Mary and Abigail, and Chris and Mary's trusty pup, Birdie the Corgi. Short though her legs may have been, Birdie blew us all away with her agility and natural skills to herd the group and keep us all together. However, her black coat absorbed a great deal of warm spring sunshine and she required regular creek soaks to cool down. The humans of the group faired well; we stuck together, encouraged each other, and all felt confident yet challenged by the route's steep steps and elevation gain. Wildflowers (trillium, blood root, toothwort) lined the edge of the trail and early spring migratory birds (yellow-rumped warbler, blue-headed vireo) chirped from the canopies. No morels were spotted, to our great chagrin. The observation tower was, at first, a jarring sight, after traveling through the natural rock formations and quiet creeks. But, from the top, there's no denying the view was breathtaking. All in all this was a surprisingly tranquil hike (we expected more car noise) and the weather was lovely.