After all the publicity the Russ Jolley Trail got due to Jewelle's trip report on R of A Ridge and Fredo's subsequent report I thought I'd get back up there to clear the trail and try to locate the old cabins.
Sunday, 4/26 turned out to be a pretty good day for a hike so we headed out to give the old trail a shot. I was pleased to find that someone had done a little work removing winter blowdown so some of the work had been done. We proceeded to finish the job and so the trail is now easily located all the way to the foot of the ridge leading up to the Rock of Ages trail. (After that, it's more of a game trail than a regular trail but keeping to the general ridgeline will get you there.)
We explored a couple of very faint side trails and were able to find both of the old cabins/shelters that date back many, many years.
Here's a few pics of the journey:
The trail starts where the main trail rounds a ridge west of Ponytail Falls.
The first few hundred feet are very steep. You can just make out my hiking partner between the two trees in the upper part of this photo.
Two short bridges cross Horsetail Creek.
A nice camping spot I'll call The Grove of the Patriarchs: Twelve ancient old-growth hemlocks and firs surround this nice fire ring and prepared tent site.
The mysterious sign on the trail: Mandrake said he knows this as the Mindolovich trail due to this sign. You can make out the "trail" part and maybe it does say "Mindolovich" - too deteriorated to tell at this point.
We went off on what appeared to be an old side trail to find the old cabins and found these ancient, fire scarred cedars along the way.
It took some very attentive tracking to follow the old route but it paid off:
On the way back down, I spotted another faint trail and headed up the hill to see if it led somewhere and was pleased to find the second of the old cabins. This one was a much deteriorated and primitive, low structure but came complete with a stove and an old sleeping bag!
The sign says "Steven Shelter".
A view of the trail on the way back down.
I think I'll go back this coming Saturday and would like to invite anyone interested to join me. The tentative plan is to visit both cabins and then head up the ridge returning via the R of A trail. About seven miles and 2,300 vertical.
- Don | 
