Thirty-three TrailBlazers led by Linda headed up highway 23 on a beautiful fall day to see autumn color from Hawksbill Crag. Color was a little past its peak, but we still saw plenty of red, orange and gold as we first trekked down the trail and then back up again to reach the top. Several hikers had the unique experience of seeing the crag for the first time, and we were lucky enough to have it to ourselves for a while since it is a popular trail. What a neat spot to eat lunch and explore! In a rare moment of deep humility to prove we are not perfect, we “accidentally” took the wrong trail for a while on the descent, but our own Energizer Bunny aka Mike did a little search and reconnaissance for us and we bushwhacked our way back up to where we needed to be! Some of us have done this trail so many times that we must have forgotten to turn on our auto-pilot. Some people thought we were already in Lost Valley! 

Next we took a short drive to the real Lost Valley, another popular trail. The first section of the trail is undergoing work to make it smoother and more accessible for the general public. Several hikers crawled and scrambled up through Natural Bridge Cave and then continued on to Eden Falls that unfortunately were bone dry. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful area with soaring palisades and a huge open cave. Last of all some trekkers climbed up the stone steps to Eden Falls Cave to do a little spelunking with flashlights. It was a great day with great company and a beautiful drive.