Color of blazes on PCT and other trails?

[wtmntcaretaker]

you recommend map and compass then? no trails on the east really need compass work. would just a map work?

[garlic08]

you recommend map and compass then? no trails on the east really need compass work. would just a map work?

Definitely, carry a compass and know how to use it! Though I can't remember any serious compass work on the PCT, it would be irresponsible to go out there without a compass. There are times in the Sierra snowpack that the trail is covered and you seriously need to navigate. If it's cloudy, you could easily get turned around.

[Mags]

you recommend map and compass then? no trails on the east really need compass work. would just a map work?

As Garlic said, BRING A COMPASS for Western hiking.

Many times, you can just eyeball the terrain and map in the wide open areas, but even then a compass comes in handy.

In fact, Garlic and I (among others) did a hike where pulling out the compass and taking a bearing worked well. We knew where we were, but could not see the lake where we wanted to go. (We were off trail).

A simple bearing (along with our navigation shaman on the hike!) got us to the lake. My comment was "Wow..this map and compass stuff actually works".

[sarbar]

As long as you stay on the PCT and you don't wander off onto old trails bordering motorcycle trails you will be fine. (Don't ask about that one. Just don't)

I don't remember seeing a lot of markers from Mt. Hood to the Columbia River in Oregon.

In Washington the trail tends to be well marked in most areas - lots of markers high in the trees - metal emblems. If not a full PCT one there are grey metal diamonds nailed in.



Or this one that had me laughing:


Or the bored logger:


You will see Sharpie markings though at non marked junctions:


Many junctions are marked like this:


Or the sign is screwed/nailed into a tree at horse rider height.


Or you could get these sweet signs:


When crossing old closed logging roads and spurs there is often a knee high slender FS stake to mark where the trail picks back up - if the trail jogs a bit up or down the old road people will have often done cairns to help out.

Shelters? Not many of those left. You could stay in this sweet, sweet shelter from back in the day down in Big Crow Basin, just below the PCT:

[5th]

In Oregon Section E the trail is marked by blazes cut into the trees. If you have hiked through that part and didn't see them you weren't looking. Many of these old blazes are healing over, and many trees that used to bear them have fallen due to age, but I saw 1000s of them this last July/August when I did that section. In addition, you will see the wooden one and the metal diamond shaped one, both pictured in this thread, but they are not common. Near Maiden Peak there are also white metal diamonds and, up higher, blue diamonds for the cross-country skiers that frequent the area in the winter. Here's a classic PCT marker nailed up in a blaze that is now healing right over the marker:

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As for shelters, there is the one maintained by the ski club just north of Hwy 58. There used to be a number of others, put up when it was the Oregon Skyline Trail (pre-PCT), but since much of the trail in Oregon is in federal wilderness areas, they were not maintained after the the Wilderness Act by law, and are almost all gone now. One of the most famous around here was the one called Shunshine, set in a meadow by Glacier Creek just north of the are called Obsidian. Years ago it looked like this:

Sunshine-Shelter-jpg583.JPG

Now, the meadow itself is referred to as Sunshine, and the shelter has been gone since the '70s. Here's a shot from July:

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If you look, you can still find old shelters here and there in this section, but they are not on the PCT.