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View Full Version : Wrongly Blazed Trail in MASS



torch
03-14-2004, 20:59
Wrongly blazed trail in Mass!

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum heading to post a blaze warning, but in my weekend hike in Mass this past Fri. afternoon I went down the wrong trail due to some confusing blazes. I don't know if the wrong blazes were due to locals playing a joke or if a local trail is blazed in white as well, but they take you in the wrong direction. It was made more difficult by the fact that it was snowing pretty hard and the snow on the trees made it difficult to see that these other blazes were not really rectangular but rather blobbish instead, so they may not be as confusing in the warmer weather ahead.

Anyway, the confusing spot is just after you pass northbound over the Housitonic River. As you leave Kellogg Rd. and cross Board St. up into the hill, there is a ATV trail that veers to the right. DON'T TAKE THIS! The AT veers to the left and is not as cleared out as the ATV trail. There are only two trees that I saw in viewing distance that had these blazes on them, and I rubbed them off (in retrospect not a good idea in case it was not a local yahoo playing a prank...) fairly easily, but in case the blobs return, just be aware in that area!

Cosmo
03-25-2004, 22:52
Thanks for the info Torch. That can be a confusing point if one isn't vigilant about checking blazes. In a snow storm it can be extra tricky. The problem is there aren't many good places to place a blaze right at that location. In the green season we prune heavily so it's not difficult to see the correct way to go. We hate to put signs and arrows up--perhaps we are overly purist--and would rather rely on appropriate blazing. We'll look into this and see if it can be fixed.

It is possible that some local snowmobile riders are trying to make some trouble. In late Feb I wrote an article regarding illegal use of AT lands along the river this winter, and we did have a NPS ranger down from Boston asking questions of local riders.

Thanks again for the heads up,

Cosmo
Mass AT Committee



[b]Wrongly blazed trail in Mass!


Anyway, the confusing spot is just after you pass northbound over the Housitonic River. As you leave Kellogg Rd. and cross Board St. up into the hill, there is a ATV trail that veers to the right. DON'T TAKE THIS! The AT veers to the left and is not as cleared out as the ATV trail. There are only two trees that I saw in viewing distance that had these blazes on them, and I rubbed them off (in retrospect not a good idea in case it was not a local yahoo playing a prank...) fairly easily, but in case the blobs return, just be aware in that area!