I parked at the very north end of the hickory parking lot and started exactly at dawn which meant that my first couple laps I used a headlamp since it was still dark under the tree cover. The route was easy to follow and exactly as described. There are about 7 different flights of steps (if you count every one separately). About half of them I took the stairs, the other half I took the lightly used trail directly next to the stairs as I wanted the actual feel of running up a hill.
The route itself is beautiful. The downhill is gravel and not technical, while the uphill contains a lot of built staircases and wooden steps in the ground. I carried a 12L pack which contained water and food/gels, but naturally I had other food and more water at my car which is why I classify this as self-supported.
Around the halfway mark I had some serious stomach and GI issues which left me having to go to the bathroom after every 1-3 laps for about 2 hours :( which accounts for more mileage than the actual route itself. I tried to keep track of my laps as best as I could with a sharpie on my forearm, but I lost track around 50. Which is why I estimate 70 laps total which is 56 miles, not including my trips to bathroom and car.
Very happy with this effort, it was a good training run and my longest run and highest climb to date! Can't wait to do more!
(Also reference my strava file report)