When I returned home last Thursday evening from shooting photos at my very first Nightmare at Beaver Lake, my fiancee greeted me at the door with one question.

“Did you walk the whole thing?” she asked.

“Yeah…,” I replied, sopping wet from the rain and somewhat sheepish, realizing I was in trouble. We had been on the lookout for haunted houses and neither of us had ever taken part in the haunted trail that is Nightmare at Beaver Lake, making it a potential target.

Now, she was worried that since I had already walked the trail, Nightmare at Beaver Lake was out of the question. But I couldn’t have disputed that notion any quicker.

You know how after seeing a good movie, some people just want to relive the experience and see it again and again? Well, after my initial round of fear had subsided, that was me after my first Nightmare at Beaver Lake. Walking through the woods on a dark and stormy night, it was everything a Halloween experience should be.

Now if you’re reading this, chances are Nightmare at Beaver Lake, the annual fundraiser put on by the Rotary Club of Sammamish and Scare Productions, is nothing new to you and you probably have a good idea of what it all entails. A cursory online search will bring up a multitude of Yelp reviews, mostly flattering and some not as flattering.

All I can go on was my experience, and personally, I feel there are few better ways to usher in the Halloween season than to take part in an outdoor haunted trail.

As the actors can probably attest from last Thursday’s dress rehearsal, there were multiple instances where I couldn’t help but let out frightened yelps, curses and swears.

Walking through the dark silence of the Beaver Lake trail can create moments of anticipation and heart-pounding anxiety. I did have an unfair advantage with the flash of my camera as I walked the trail, which I may or may not have used to guide my way at times.

Maybe I am easily startled when it comes to these things. But I am an unabashed horror fan who once claimed Halloween as my favorite holiday at a young age.

The all-volunteer cast of actors are very good at what they do. The detailed sets, which change from year to year, are intimidating and quite effective.

With different haunt themes every Halloween season, you may have seen them once, but you haven’t seen them all.

I remember very clearly reaching the juncture of the trail where I had the option of either taking the ‘Scary’ or ‘Very Scary’ route.

Admittedly, my initial reaction was to take the lesser of the two paths. But in the name of journalism, I went against my instincts and forged ahead for the full scare. It did not at all disappoint.

(It is here that I should mention certain parts of the haunted trail may be a bit much for younger children. Nightmare organizers recommend the haunt for children 10 years and older, though the decision is ultimately left to parents.)

During the course of the path, I almost regretted meeting actor and 21-year Nightmare veteran Shane Mitchell at the ribbon-cutting ceremony just before the haunt opened. I found myself scurrying from Mitchell, who was very much portraying a crazed clown, as he shrieked at me, “WHERE ARE YOU GOING, JOE??? COME BACK, JOE!!!”

I felt an incredible sense of relief after emerging from the final leg of the trail, which included, in all honesty, the scariest experience I’ve had in recent memory. Looking back through the photos, many of the pictures look like they were taken by a spooked photographer, probably because they were.

At the trail’s end, I commiserated with a young toddler, whose frightened face looked every part of how I felt inside, as evidenced not a half-hour later by my startled jump at a couple ‘suddenly’ exiting the sliding doors at Safeway.

So yeah, I already walked the haunted trail at Beaver Lake. But now I can’t wait to scare myself again.