First time up the old trail and it surely won't be the last. Can't even imagine doing the new trail anymore. Kind of nice to be able to climb up through the forest relatively alone, even on the weekend.
This trail offers a lot more variation than the standard route. The two trails actually touch at the point where this trail meets the main ridge, so you can flip-flop between the two on either route for the last 3/4s of a mile.
These days I refuse to climb Si via the new trail on weekends, but this trail is still a fun conditioning hike! Car to summit plateau in 1:25. We continued up to the top of the haystack. My buddy's dog even made it up the scramble! Crazy!