From Trailhead cache to here is 530' down plus additional 170' to bottom for total to Stone cabin of 700' elevation change 1.6 mile round trip as goes the trail. As with several of the early logs, we too found it took as long or longer to go down than up! Bring plenty of water and if you plan to continue on to STONE CABIN, bring extra socks and shoes as you WILL have to wade the creek. At some times of the year it may be dangerous to do so. Check with locals on water level conditions.
Come DIRECTLY - Near straight line - to here from last cache (Additional encouragement) Do NOT try going straight west and cutting around from there to creek below and Stone Cabin. WE DID on our way down after setting Additional encouragement cache as we were looking for a good stream crossing higher up the creek. WE MADE IT - all the way to the creek, but would not want to do it again unless it was the ONLY way up and down. It appears that 3cacheteers FTF log shows that she ALSO tried the same route and did NOT find a route all the way down after being WAY off the cache route and then had to do a traverse on a loose shaley slope of well OVER 100% grade. At one point the Ms. got off on that same slope and once she realized how bad it was she just STOOD STILL for several minutes while she got her nerve back together to traverse back off of it. I though I was going to have to talk her off the slope or even go out and hold her hand but she finally, gingerly, on her own, worked her way back off of it. We too added over .5 mile to our down trip. We did not find a better crossing higher up so sucked it up and wadded back out and followed the marked trail coming back up, setting MORE encouragement at that time to guide everyone else on the BEST and ONLY decent? trail.
CONGRATS to 3cacheteers for FTF on 4-10-15!