Finding this place on my GPS was not difficult. I almost missed the final turn. There is a no outlet sign at the turn. It’s a dirt road and the parking area is a tight round opening that only about 4-6 cars can manage. To my surprise there was another car when I got there but it had frost on it and it did not just get there. I put on some DEET tick repellent as I read other hikers complained but I did not have any issues the whole way.

Started hike at 5:30am. Climbed over landowner’s gate and continued on to trail system. Approached SNP boundary line/gate. Kept going and not too far ahead I went around a tent and two campers sleeping in it. I printed out the topographical map and mile directions. Since, this was my first hike here I just kept to them and never got lost. I also had a head light which was essential for the first few hours of darkness until the sunlight was enough to see my surroundings. I never encountered any bears as others have documented and I would know what to do if I did get close to one. The only two items I saw where a large dropping which I never have seen so I assumed it was bear and about a quarter mile further there was a huge claw/paw print in the mud. Both of these were fresh so I kept walking. The hike was excellent. It does start off gradually and it is almost a walk in the park but then it quickly ascended to its peak but not at one shot. There was a break about half way in. I then entered the portion of this hike that was meant for the SNP visitors and I saw my first trail runner on the part when it opens up and sharply descents. I prefer going up as it is easier on my injured ankle. For the most part the trail was descending either sharply or gradually the whole distance that was originally gained.

Toward the half way point while descending you are able to stop and sit on rock cliffs for some grub- taking in the beautiful cliff-side waterfall and on the opposite side the valley and rolling mountain view of multiple ranges and colors. I was not aware of this but it was breathtaking and so beautiful. I continued down while the few people I saw just turn around and go back up to the SNP parking area. At the bottom elevations the creek is always on the left side and there are a few areas of smaller rapids and waterfalls that form a pool for taking a dip. I trekked on until I finally got to the connector to the backcountry trail I originally started on. It starts with a yellow blaze and then the parts it overlaps the other trail is blue. I was alone almost all the time and only encountering other hikers in the stretch to and from the falls and the swimming holes.

When I got back to the parking area I could see what was around me as it was all hidden in the darkness of the morning. There were a few old shacks and then a trailer with clothes drying on a few clothes lines. As I drove I could see that there were more broken and old structures until I got out to a real road.

I loved this 13-mile hike. It has a lot of technical diversity from the multiple stream crossings, rock gardens, ups/downs, and flats.

The "Solitude" rating of 3 is only correct until you get up to the MM 5 at Matthews Arm trail.  Before that point, we only saw two other hikers.  After that point, we saw more people on this trail than we did last weekend on Old Rag, which gets a 0 rating for Solitude.

5 rating for "Streams/Falls" was garbage for us.  Passed a lot of stream beds, but only two of the stream crossings had even a trace of water in them.  Falls were dry.

Trail maintenance was terrible on almost the entire length of Heiskell Hollow and Beecher Ridge Connector Trails.  Heiskell Hollow still hasn't been cleared of downed trees since the derecho over a month ago.  Both Heiskell Hollow and Beecher Ridge Connector are overgrown to the point where the "trail" is frequently only about 15" wide, and your boots and shins are swishing through the edge of the overgrown grass, thorns, nettles, etc.  The sides of our calves were shredded by the end of the hike.  While your shins are brushing past that grass, they're picking up ticks.  When we stopped at the swimming area (which was swarmed with a group of around 30 kids and some camp counselor type chaperones) and stripped off boots and socks, we realized that my wife's legs were coated with tiny little ticks that had mostly crawled down under her socks.  I mean covered.  We estimate, with no exaggeration, more than 100.  Can't believe I didn't take a picture to document it.  Not sure if they were deer ticks or just larval stage regular dog ticks, but either way, the doc put her on a preemptive course of antibiotics due to the sheer quantity.  I had around 20, much fewer since she hikes ahead of me and probably was clearing them off the grass ahead of me.  Gnats and biting horse flies were terrible too.

Other than the insects, we were treated to a bear, a timber rattlesnake, and a juvenile copperhead to round out our wildlife interactions.  That, and finally returning to the parking lot, were the highlights of the day...

Keep in mind - this was the weekend when it rained 3 to 4 inches in one day, so your hike will most likely vary from our rare experience.  The parking situation was a little dicey so instead of parking at the end of Chrisman near the gates, we parked 200 yards away on the wide grassy shoulder.  Once we got on the trail we hardly saw anyone else on it.  The frequency (10 to 12 total) and the depth (above the ankle to knee deep) of the streams were different than we anticipated and read, but this was obviously due to the rain.  Bring extra socks if you intend to ford them.