Thataway

Day 160: Various land managers and agencies have widely varied ways of indicating designated trails and their specific uses. I was thrown for a loop when visiting the east coast some fifteen years ago when I thought I had lost the trail beneath a heavy layer of autumn leaves, only to have a friend point out the little pink diamonds tacked to trees about fifteen feet up. It was a new experience for me, and something of an eye-opener, having been accustomed to the more open trails in my favourite areas of the Pacific Northwest. Blazes and markers such as those are not something we ordinarily see. One exception to this can be found in Pack Forest. It has a "multiple-use" trail system, with some paths being designated primarily for use by people on horseback. I believe (although I am not certain) that is what this monstrosity indicates, although I can't imagine why a more subtle, less garish marker couldn't have been employed, especially since the map (a handout) clearly indicates which trails allow horses. As with any good marking system, others like it were positioned in such a manner that the next could be seen from the present location, eyesore after eyesore, keeping people and horses safe from getting lost in a three-quarter mile stretch of trail between roads.