I hadn't been up this trail since late 2003, so I decided it was overdue. Once in Bear Canyon, I switched from waterproof boots to lightweight water shoes sans socks and hiked all afternoon in them. I kept count of the stream crossings, which ranged from ankle to knee deep. Lower Bear Camp is between the 10th and 11th crossings. The trail in this stretch is in good shape, with a few poison oak patches encroaching the trail by the stream banks.
The trail deteriorates by the 14th crossing, but ducks are present in critical areas for guidance. (There were ducks also on the West Fork, but they were camera shy.) I was surprised to find graffiti on the fallen Wilderness boundary sign and on a large boulder between the 20th and 21st crossings. Something metallic half buried in the ground right after the 20th crossing, looked like a bumper. I hit my turnaround time just before the 26th crossing, at 2100', still short of the West Fork of Bear Creek confluence. The only traffic I saw on the trail was a pair of backpackers exiting.