Sunday, October 15, 2017

Will the Lighthouses of the Universe Light Up and Blaze?




The blazes on trails in George Washington National Forest are smartly and generously placed and wonderfully maintained, as good as any place I've hiked. If I have basic directions when I'm someplace new - like yesterday! - I never worry we'll get lost. Oddest blazes I've seen, though. Two blazes on a tree almost everywhere I've hiked means pay attention, a fork or turn ahead. Not here.





  • I understand the blue is Tuscarora Trail, the orange Massanutten Trail, the yellow Veach Gap Trail. 
  • Tuscarora's a thru-hike, Massanutten a long loop, not always concurrent w Tuscarora, Veach Gap a spur. 
  • Never saw a blue i.
  • Title of post from Delmore Schwartz's Narcissus.
  • Maybe it's marking which club is responsible for blaze/trail maintenance?
  • PATC is Tuscarora only?
  • I should do research, give that not PATC club some coins in my pocket.
  • Reminder to self: bring your fucking sticks and use them when needed.
  • Also: Colors better on gray days, yo.
  • All I want to do is hike with Earthgirl.
  • Too: The real color in Fall is at your feet. 




UPDATE!

Discovered today that Catoctin Mountain Park - not the state, the fed - has reblazed it's trails and created both an orange and a pink circuit - same old circuit, pretty new blazes. Here, when the two are concurrent:


2 comments:

  1. Went hiking in Panthertown wilderness up in NC mtns last weekend. Word to you: be thankful for clearly marked trails. We got lost, lost the blazes, lost the trail. Had to turn around and retrace our steps out—even though we could see (sort of) the valley into which we were supposed to be hiking from the bald where the trail & the blazes simply disappeared. Made every larger concentric semi-circles for about 15 mins before deciding to back out (~3 hours). Just sayin'.

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  2. Probably already part of your basic awareness while hiking, but watch out for the Sumac. On the left coast, it's Poison Oak. And fires. And mountain lions. And Survivalists.

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