[pct-l] Graffiti

[carl myhill]

Hi All,

I thought some folks would object to any kind of informal trail markings,
even just that which says 'PCT->' in a discrete and helpful way at points
along the trail when things are not clear. I've been wet and cold on the
trail for a couple of days in northern Oregon and I personally like the
little things that people ahead do to help the people behind. I had to cross
the Muddy fork of Sandy creek in heavy rainfall. I walked up and down it for
half a mile and in the end concluded that the cairns (ducks) were the right
place to cross. Cairns, arrows, logs across the wrong route - these are
helpful to me. People who walk ahead and routinely flicks sticks and logs
from the trail as they go - this is very considerate. I thank these people
as well as the person with the black sharpie writing 'PCT->'.

The Park Service had some appalling signage around the Ramone Falls Loop
(which were also Graffiti'd but differently). The park service map, next to
their note about the dangers of certain routes, showed the incorrect routing
of the PCT. It made no sense when read with their recent note. I ended up
crossing a raging torrent on a very recently downed tree, labelled 'horse
ford' instead of using a 'Hiker Bridge' which was 600ft away (someone had
suggested, in Graffiti that it was an hour distant). A helpful black sharpie
markered 'PCT->' would have been a god send.

Personally I see a very big difference between someone writing 'PCT ->'
discretely, at often confusing signage, to someone writing mindless graffiti
with arrows here and there. One points the way and the other attempts to
send you wrong.

It is poor form to accuse people of this and that without knowing for sure.
I know that. With my original post I had hoped to :

- THANK whoever it was writing 'PCT->' in black marker since I, and many
other hikers I have spoken to have found it useful. If this is Yogi, I think
she should have praised heaped on her for doing it;

- Let the people I suspected of doing it know that I had some idea that they
were doing it in the hopes that this might persuade them to STOP doing it.

If someone has other ideas of how to stop this RECENT graffiti quickly I'd
like to hear it.

Interestingly, the last time I saw a 'PCT->' was near the Indian Springs
Trail (around mile 2132?) before Eagle Creek (mile 2136). It had NOT been
Graffiti'd. Mind you, it has been so wet for a couple of days that I havent
wanted to rummage in my pack for food so I could see why a graffiti 'artist'
might have not bothered recently.

Cheers

Carl