And now for Zach's version of the Tale of Nina and Rich's Trail

There is a story that was lost below. Yes, a perspective Rosencrantz and Guildenstern like.
Sure, the drama was with the prodigal chickens but we eagles have a story, that, while fortunately
not like the movie Deliverance was at times heading towards something more like Lord
of the Flies, or even worse Michael Flately's Lord of the Dance.

We left the Chickens and apparently Susie and Kent at the last Chicken eagle split.
Perhaps it was the cloud of doom that hung about that unfortunate group or perhaps it was
just the desire to survive, but, we ran as fast as we could away from them. There were
some remarks like "Hey, was Kent with us?" or "Where's Susie?" from time to time from
Matt and Dave, but the rest of us Cliff, Jacob and I just kept going, perhaps thinking of
the zebra that gets cut from the herd by a pride of lions, thinking, glad I'm not that zebra.

The run was pretty uneventful until night fell. Sure, there were the occasional wrong
turns caused by wet flour, white painted trail marks, and a sense that the trail "should"
go that way or this. We also experience a brief scenic overlook before we almost all
died going down the overlook's steepest slope. The stream crossing did little to slow
us down and the field after it was not intimidating except that we were most likely observed
through the blood shot eyes of a dozen paint huffing red necks who hesitated on shooting
us even though they knew we were not deer.

It was when night fell that the fun of the earlier run was replaced by the sense of impending
doom. We came to a check and seeing no trail to the right, went left. The FRB yelling
on-on, on-on. After several hundred yards and seeing just white trail marks and metal
things nailed to trees we realized we were off trail. Heading back the other way we continued
until we got to some picnic ground. Yes, it was Blair Witch time. We headed straight down
hill on flour and then utter darkness. The trail led out over what appeared to be some
natural archway over a raging torrent. However, we suspected that the "archway" ended
some 15 feet out from the last mark, 60 or more feet above a rocky death. Not believing
even Rich was cruel enough to send us down a one way trail into a mountain stream, we
spent 20 minutes looking, in the dark, where no one can hear you scream, disputing
the trails direction, until Dave pulled out a flashlight.

Finally realizing that the Trail almost doubled back on itself we reluctantly headed up the
jagged, steep river bank. Jacob and Cliff led. The rest of us encouraging their efforts providing
useful hints like "ya, it goes left there...I mean right", and glad that if there was a mis-step
and a splash it would not be one of the followers heading down stream into oblivion. But we
continued each secretly glad (or disappointed) that no splashes were heard, climbing boulders
in the dark next to a grand canyon like cut in the ground, and eventually came to a real trail.

For the next 30 minutes we ran as best we could, blindly in the dark. Dave took
a dive on some roots and we continued on, hoping that he was fast enough to catch up.
Eventually we came upon Rich. Resigned to his fate of a night in the woods, he told
us that we should just continue up hill and take a left at the road. He said this calmly
without giving any sign that he was sending us past a very large watery filled 4 foot deep
ditch that sat on one side of the trail within 100 yards of the road.

Jacob and Cliff were the first ones to the road and were promptly picked up by Nina.
I got to the road and ran for the parking lot, somehow thinking that freezing in the
parking lot was preferable to freezing in the woods. Moments later, Nina picked me up
as well. She said that she was hungry and hadn't eaten since breakfast several days
before. I felt very bad for her and wondered if the beer in her cup holder would keep her
going, in her nice warm car, until we got to the on-in.

Nina dropped us off at the parking lot. Cliff went home, glad to be alive and Jacob and
I headed to on-in in the Miata. Dave emerged from the trail as we were heading back
and we explained to him he was on his own since the Miata is a small car. Wishing
him luck and promising to let his friends and family know of his fate when we got around
to it, we headed to the on in.

We considered offering to help Nina but realized that if no one was at the on-in the
diner might close. So when Matt and Dave showed up at the diner we decided with
others such as Kelly and Junko who were smart enough not to run, that we could best
help the pack by helping ourselves and ordering as much food as was needed to keep
the diner open. Meanwhile Steve took a different tact which was to actually get in his
car and look for lost people. We almost considered his choice but then someone brought
out a bottle of wine and we stayed. It was the least we could do.