[pct-l] blazes

[mgeis at yahoo.com (Matt Geis)]

On the topic of trail blazes, it was actually blazes
that contributed directly to me getting sidetracked
coming in to Old Station from Lassen.  I ended up on
the "old" pct for a couple miles, following the
blazes, pct signs, and fresh footprints.

In the process, I left footprints for others to
follow, some of whom ended up with no water well out
toward the Hat Creek Rim.

Fortunately, I sensed I was off-route, took a bearing
on Potato Butte, and seeing that it was north (when it
should have been NE had I been on the trail), I headed
due west.  I found the PCT in about 10 minutes.

This kind of thing can be even more common in the
snow.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a
misconception that the PCT is an easy hike, and that
hikers are entitled to an easy hike -- a "gimme" in
other words.  

By contrast, hikers going out on the CDT are far more
prepared, often carrying GPS, and making sure they're
comfortable with map & compass.  Why?  Because they
KNOW they will encounter sections where there is
literally no trail tread at all.  Maybe rather than
setting up blazes on trails all over the place, hikers
should evaluate what they're getting into, and judge
whether they're prepared.

Situation:  snowbound trail for miles and miles,
possible false trails (i.e., other hikers' tracks),
reduced mileage...

Some considerations:  Should I hike alone, do I have a
compass, do I know how to use it, do I know how to
really read a topo map and identify land features,
should I take a GPS, should I skip a section and
return to it later...

No matter how many precautions we might build into the
trail, there's always going to be a level of objective
hazard.  A few years ago a hiker lost his life in a
late-day attempt to climb (alone, I believe) over
Forrester Pass (he fell and was critically injured).

Probably every hiker has made a choice at some point
that could have turned out very badly for that person.
 Some of us weighed the considerations well and had
good results, others were just lucky, but a few end up
getting hurt or worse due to bad luck or bad
decisions.    I can personally look back and identify
a couple things I would do differently on certain
hikes or trips -- not that I had any problems, but
there are a couple times where I benefitted more from
luck or physical skill than I did from prudent
decision-making (example -- walking arcoss a steep,
icy, snowfield with poles and trail runners as opposed
to around it.  Sure, my climbing experience helped me
get across safely, but it should also have helped me
to better assess the consequences of a fall should one
occur).

Back to blazes, how long would these blazes be up for?
 Who would take them down?  Permanent blazes?  Why,
just for the years that there's a TON of snow?

It's just my opinion, but I don't think that making
allowances for a lowest common acceptable denominator
is the way to go.  If that's what's required, hikers
can always pick up a copy of the Pacific Crest Bicycle
Trail and road walk the whole way (or, they could
judiciously use such a resource to come up with a safe
way to bypass potentially hazardous parts of the
trail).

Iron Chef


		
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