What's confusing me about this trail is not only the girls but CE also walked onto this bridge. Did CE also take pictures from the "trail's end" side and then recrossed back over to the official trail (meaning the trail deemed safe by the town)? What about FSG, did he also walk the bridge (he was walking a dog right?) or was he on a different trail that only gave him ear/eye shot of one side of the high bridge?
My understanding is CE walked across the bridge and then back across it, at some point. Not sure about times and what have you. CE was there about an hour, give or take. The main trail which leads to the bridge is on private property, far as I can tell. The lower Girard trail is on public lands, six acres (from public records I've seen).
Not sure where FSG walked to, my understanding is DG encountered him at or near to the fork in the trail, near to the bench and the drop off point.The fork where the main trail keeps going, and the Girard trail splits off and runs down to the creek side.
People say north side, south side, throw in a west and east and I get so disoriented I can't pinpoint where they mean half the time.
The girls started off right near the Mary Gerard Nature Reserve off of W 300 N, is that correct?
Yes.
So they approached the Monon High Bridge from the north side of the creek (where they were also found) and crossed over to the south side where there is no longer a trail.
Correct.
Did I get all that correct? TIA anyone brave enough to help this jumbled mind.
Yes, they walked from the north side of the creek to the south side, the bridge runs at an angle relative to the creek at that exact area where it runs, although it's confusing looking at it on maps with the bends in the creek. It's easy to get disoriented, it took me a little bit to get my sea legs with the orientations of their trip/walk, the Libby images, the Libby video, etc. I'm good with maps but it takes some looking at this case, where it happened, over and over and over, again.
Oh and BTW I made a big mistake in a post from last night, in the "Abby photo" uploaded to SC, from Libby's perspective the trail in the background goes straight and then curves to the
right.
MOO is BG stayed back a bit to keep an eye on the trail closer to the drop off spot to see if the coast was clear, then started making his way towards the bridge to see how far long the girls were on the bridge. Then he sprung his trap, once they got close to the far (SE end) of the bridge.
JMO
-FD