We were there in 2007 about this time of year and drove up. We were in 2 vehicles, I was driving one, my son the other. When we started to drive back down an old man opened the door of my sons car and got in the back seat. I walked over to see what was going on.
It was a retired guy, nearing 80 who had walked up and was hitching a ride back down. I'm not familiar with any of the trail names, but he got out and into his own car near where you pay to drive up. While talking to the guy he told me that during good weather he did the hike several times a week just to stay in shape and had done it for several years. He knew the exact number of times and told me. I don't recall the exact number but it was well over 200 times.
