De-blazing?

[twilight]

A question came up on our last section hike. Why do some trees get de-blazed to immediately blaze the next tree? There were no re-locations. The trail was well groved. Just something I thought was odd.

Twilight

[Lone Wolf]

overzealous maintainers

[SGT Rock]

OCD. They read the rules and find out one blaze is too close to the last by a foot or two - or maybe the blaze is not the regulation size.

[Tennessee Viking]

Lots of reasons.

Some maintainers blaze both directions of the trail on the same tree. If that tree gets blowdown, then both directions lose their blazes.

Maintainers should really try to refrain from blazing rodos or anything that will bloom and cover up the blazes.

Then some maintainers will set the next blaze immediately out of sight from the last blaze.

Personally, the trail can get a bit over blazed. I think should be blazed at turns, going over a raise, and detour hikers from taking old routes. Then I have seen forest service trails blazed only at turns, then I have seen them blazed every tree along the trail. I guess they have to use up the paint to make the budget look good.

[Dances with Mice]

Someone hauled paint in and didn't want to carry it out.

[Tin Man]

anytime I feel the urge to say something negative, aka snivel, about what a maintainer may have done, I stop myself thinking, he or she is doing their best to do something, while i'm just walking.

[fancyfeet]

I once saw a blaze painted sideways, like a minus sign. Made me laugh. At least someone had a sense of humor.

[Chenango]

Lots of reasons.

Some maintainers blaze both directions of the trail on the same tree. If that tree gets blowdown, then both directions lose their blazes.

Maintainers should really try to refrain from blazing rodos or anything that will bloom and cover up the blazes.

Then some maintainers will set the next blaze immediately out of sight from the last blaze.

Personally, the trail can get a bit over blazed. I think should be blazed at turns, going over a raise, and detour hikers from taking old routes. Then I have seen forest service trails blazed only at turns, then I have seen them blazed every tree along the trail. I guess they have to use up the paint to make the budget look good.

What seems like overblazing in the summer, might be just about right in the winter. Once the snow is on the ground, the worn trail is not always obvious. Blazes really need to be within view. I ran into this in Mass a couple of weeks ago. Spent a lot of time looking for the trail.

[Chenango]

ocd. They Read The Rules And Find Out One Blaze Is Too Close To The Last By A Foot Or Two - Or Maybe The Blaze Is Not The Regulation Size.


Ocd??

[fehchet]

I have retraced my steps to find the blaze hiding behind a bush that would have saved me some miles. Then there are sections the blaze painters decided the trail was too easy to follow so let's save some paint. Then I come along, it is the fall, and there is 4 inches of leaves on the ground.

I think more white blazes are going NOBO than SOBO. Because when I couldn't find a blaze going SOBO, I'd turn around and see several going north. Maybe we should have a pole?

[Blue Jay]

anytime I feel the urge to say something negative, aka snivel, about what a maintainer may have done, I stop myself thinking, he or she is doing their best to do something, while i'm just walking.

Good point. I wish I could say anytime. I'll work on that, thank you for reminding me.

[bulldog49]

Ocd??


Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

[jaywalke]

Mostly it's just different maintainers, working in different seasons and with different styles and agendas.

Peter's Mountain, north of Pearisburg, is maintained by the Outdoor Club of Virginia Tech. The club has a huge turnover rate because it's made up of college kids: four years (five, six) and done. One maintenance chief decided that since Peter's was a wilderness area it should be very lightly blazed, so she went through and de-blazed about 90% of it. In summer it's not a problem, but when there are leaves or snow on the ground the trail disappears.

So, I've been volunteering a day at a time and working my way across. It takes a long time to blaze properly. Some people try to walk in only one direction, blazing "over their shoulder" as they go, but that results in sloppy placement. I work one direction at a time, trying to place blazes only where necessary, that will be visible in four seasons. It's actually a fun challenge.

It's entirely likely that I've blazed a tree next to a painted-out blaze. It happens.

[warraghiyagey]

http://www.madcowprod.com/fi04.jpg

[ki0eh]

OCD. They read the rules and find out one blaze is too close to the last by a foot or two - or maybe the blaze is not the regulation size.

I would say this is the most likely explanation, but another possibility is that someone wants the blazes to stand out well and went through to make a background - then the background paint has to dry well before the blaze color goes on.

[Old Grouse]

In road rallying there's commonly a "callback" rule - usually three miles. Means if you've gone more than three miles without finding your next route instruction, then you're probably off- course. I've just always assumed that blazes are placed just close enough to maintain the average hiker's comfort level. That would depend on the various trail conditions. Am I wrong?

[Compass]

There is a certain comfort in looking ahead and seeing a "Whiteblaze" and a little anxiety when not seeing one or when one of a wrong color where two trails share the same treadway. When trails share the same treadway I wish they would choose the apropriate trees and blaze them with all colors instead of one tree one color.

But always have an appreciation for the hard work of the volunteers.

[Rain Man]

anytime I feel the urge to say something negative, aka snivel, about what a maintainer may have done, I stop myself thinking, he or she is doing their best to do something, while i'm just walking.

Probably the best post in the thread.

And I agree with Chenango about various seasons. Something well-blazed for a sunny Spring afternoon on a well-maintained section may not be so when the ground is covered with leaves (been there, done that) or covered with snow/sleet/rime ice (been there, done that). Also, a section the hiker has often hiked may appear over-blazed, while to a hiker setting foot on it for the first time, he may need every single blaze.

The same is true for dusk (been there, done that), night (ditto), rain (ditto), fog/cloud (ditto), storm (ditto), Southern pine beetle infestation (ditto), where posts have been pulled up on balds for firewood (been there, have NOT done that), where vegetation has been allowed to go wild (ditto). Personally, I have yet to run into an "over-blazed" trail, taking into account all the vagaries of weather and season.

Mostly what I appreciate is consistency within a section, especially with regard to double blazes. Thank you, trail volunteers!

Rain:sunMan

.

[warraghiyagey]

Any post bad-mouthing a maintainer - the words are absolutely irrelevent. . . the sole relevance is the name of the person that posted it, it's all you need to know. . .

[Chenango]

Thanks go out to all trail maintainers!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[TrippinBTM]

Mostly it's just different maintainers, working in different seasons and with different styles and agendas.

Peter's Mountain, north of Pearisburg, is maintained by the Outdoor Club of Virginia Tech. The club has a huge turnover rate because it's made up of college kids: four years (five, six) and done. One maintenance chief decided that since Peter's was a wilderness area it should be very lightly blazed, so she went through and de-blazed about 90% of it. In summer it's not a problem, but when there are leaves or snow on the ground the trail disappears.

So, I've been volunteering a day at a time and working my way across. It takes a long time to blaze properly. Some people try to walk in only one direction, blazing "over their shoulder" as they go, but that results in sloppy placement. I work one direction at a time, trying to place blazes only where necessary, that will be visible in four seasons. It's actually a fun challenge.

It's entirely likely that I've blazed a tree next to a painted-out blaze. It happens.

This is a good post, gives me some insight. Even so, there were times when I'd be really frustrated with the lack of blazes. I remember one time somewhere in the south, where a yellow-blaze trail joined the AT for a while, then broke off. Where it broke off, there were no blazes to be seen. I walked what I thought was the AT slowly, looking intently, stopping after every tree I passed looking backwards for the SOBO blazes and... nothing. It was a long time before I found a blaze that might have been moss or lichen, it was so old. What a waste of time.

So, while I appreciate the difficulties of blazing, and the work that goes into it, there are places where they need to be more careful. Trail junctions and turns, mainly. I love it when the double blaze features an offset in the direction of the turn. When they're vertically stacked, I get so annoyed. Which way am I supposed to turn? Straight?

Minor annoyances, I know. But at the time, when you're wondering if you're on the right trail, it can be a big deal.

Anyways, keep up the good work.