In the woods you'll often find hunting stands in trees. They can be built by property owners, or by hunting friends of the property owners. Also, there are all sorts of easy to set up stands, portable stands, etc. I did read a couple years ago that there was a stand in the woods.
This killer, or killers, likely knew the terrain around that bridge and trails very well. He/They were familiar with the surroundings.
I've actually used deer trails when in thick brush, they are narrow, and go through some areas where one has to duck low to avoid branches, but for the most part provide a rudimentary path through thick, and I mean, thick underbrush. Most people never even saw one, and don't know they exist.
I was looking at the timeline a bit closer. It appears the killer(s) really didn't have a lot of time between confronting the girls on the bridge, and the known reports of others beginning to arrive in the area. Maybe 20 minutes? Give or take 5?
The killer could not have stayed around at the CS for any length of time if he was seen exiting the trails. Or, there were two involved.
I've stated on several occasions that I suspect the killer to have possibly parked in that cemetery. This appears to conflict with eyewitness account of a man seen on the trail exiting the area, unless, the man seen exiting the area is not the killer, or there were actually two people involved, one being a 'scout' of some sort.
Interesting to note, it appears one witness account is prior to the murders, and another is afterward.
Some of this thinking leads me to suspect a potential reason for the change in direction, and/or the change in sketch.
One question I have is how does LE definitively know the man pictured on the bridge is the killer? Or am I wrong in that they never said that? Could someone clarify for me? BG is obviously a suspect, but has LE actually stated he is known to be the killer in this case?
MOO.