View Full Version : Should we stop using 'blazes'?
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 03:21
Blazes we all know guide us while on the trail. :D
They also defile the purity of nature. :mad:
I think we need to come up with a non-invasive way to guide people while they are on the trail. Paint on trees is not natural, and I cannot see how the paint on trees fits in with 'LNT' rules. :rolleyes:
Paint on trees clearly leaves a trace of humans. :p
I have several ideas on how to solve this problem, but I want to hear from everyone here before I write my letter to my Representatives and Senators. I really want to get everyone's input so I can make the letter as good as I can. :sun
If you choose not to engage in civil discussion, save yourself time and do not write hateful or unproductive posts. Not only does it clutter up the thread, but it also wastes your time since I ignore negative posts by nature. :cool:
Blazes we all know guide us while on the trail. :D
They also defile the purity of nature. :mad:
I think we need to come up with a non-invasive way to guide people while they are on the trail. Paint on trees is not natural, and I cannot see how the paint on trees fits in with 'LNT' rules. :rolleyes:
Paint on trees clearly leaves a trace of humans. :p
I have several ideas on how to solve this problem, but I want to hear from everyone here before I write my letter to my Representatives and Senators. I really want to get everyone's input so I can make the letter as good as I can. :sun
If you choose not to engage in civil discussion, save yourself time and do not write hateful or unproductive posts. Not only does it clutter up the thread, but it also wastes your time since I ignore negative posts by nature. :cool:This was much, much better than your usual efforts. I take back much of what I have said about you. This is _really_ good work!
Stick around. Not that you'll fool anybody anymore, but excellent entertainment value.
Blazes are spoiling the water. Animals and bugs are poisoned by them. They choke the life out of trees. Increase trail erosion, although the this may be connected to the hue of the blaze. They are highly radioactive. Causes global warming. Clubs baby seals. Waterboards kittens. Yes, something that is nothing more than arguably a visual blight is worth elevated attention.
buzzamania
02-07-2011, 03:53
I'd rather see a little snow white paint on a tree than miss a hard turn on the trail and wander for a while, especially in the dark.
WILDERNURSE
02-07-2011, 04:19
Im not trying to be mean but..... you have wayyyyy to much free time on your hands.
A blaze murdered my entire family.
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 04:26
I will soon be donating to WhiteBlaze, but until I do I need to make edits with new posts.
I want to revise the title of this thread to read:
" Should we stop using blazes in their current form ".
I want to make it clear that it would be foolish to remove helpful blazes from the trail, but I think I have some ideas and some ways that we can do it that respects LNT ethics and does not tarnish nature and the trail experience by defaming trees with caustic paint. :sun
I apologize for my haste that lead to the original thread title. :(
WILDERNURSE
02-07-2011, 04:27
Ha! Ha! Thats really funny!!!!!!!!
BobTheBuilder
02-07-2011, 04:37
I think there is a way to make everybody happy here. Those that want use blazes can continue as before. Those that feel the blazes ruin the natural state of the trail just hike with their eyes closed.
Ok i get the point of the OP, But i think they are missing a part of LNT. Like a blaze is more of a trace than the trail its self. lol
Besides LNT is not the point of a trail. It is a place for us humans to leave a trace in a concentrated area in an effort to protect nature. It is imposible for us to truly LNT, But that shouldn't stop us from trying. In order to have a trail we must at least leave enough trace to see the trail. Whether it is a blaze on a tree or the path below you, a trace must be there so we know not to contaminate a different area.
Administrators & Moderators,
If you weren't convinced this guy was a troll, this thread should erase all doubts. For the good of the membership, please take appropriate action.
Thanks,
The original thread title was SO over-the-top, even the OP realized it. Sensing he had blown his cover (based on early replies), he made a plea to Mods to change the title.
The request was accommodated, making the thread appear more moderate than it was originally. That's not exactly the "appropriate action" I had in mind.
I guess if all the white blazes are removed then if you come upon a blue blaze you'll then know you are on the wrong trail. Works for me.
A blaze murdered my entire family.
so that's why its called Blood Mountain...
I always thought the blazes were painted on the trees by deer, bears, chipmunks, Bob Peoples, and other woodland creatures. The animals aren't required to abide by the LNT rules.
restless
02-07-2011, 05:52
There are a lot more things that leave a trace of human presence than blazes. Things such as shelters and privies. Ax an LNT master I see no place that blazes violate LNT principles. The only reasonable argument that could be made for removing blazes would be in Federally Designated Wilderness Areas. This is already being done in a lot of places. As a professional trail builder, I would be interested in hearing your suggestions, but it appears that you simply choose to hold on to your ideas like some sort of classified secret. My bet is that your ideas would be about as reasonable as closing down the trail for a period of time to let it recover. My suggestion? Before you waste your congressmans time with a letter writing campaign based on what appears to be no first hand knowledge, join a trail maintaining club, and spend time working on the trail. Gain the experience necessary to perform search and rescue and help find a lost hiker. Get out and do a 30 day section hike on the AT or any other trail for that matter. By your own admission, you are new to hiking. Gain some experience and understanding of the issues and history as to why things are done. Then come back and present a valid argument. 20 years of internet usage does not qualify as experience. Besides, lets face it, there are a lot more pressing issues that congress has to deal with than a trail.
double d
02-07-2011, 07:31
LNT has nothing to do with white blazes on trees.
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 07:54
Painted white blazes are things left by humans, in the woods. Painted white blazes on trees do not occur naturally.
Thus, leaving pained blazes on trees leaves a trace of humans in the woods.
Painting trees is as old as the trail. This method is obsolete.
I am thinking of several ways to achieve the same effect, but retain the natural state of things.
Using nature itself to mark the way for example.
Right now we use paint to mark the way because it lasts a long time. The trade off is defaming hundreds if not thousands of trees and rocks along the way.
Use nature, use natural materials to mark the way. The downside of this is that the blazes will need to be replace far more often. This is the price to pay for taking the trail back to nature. The trail has given us so much, to be lazy back to it by painting trees is shameful.
I am a purist when it comes to nature. When I hike in the deep woods, I get very angry when I see signs of people. Garbage, scored rocks, markers, etc.
We need to protect our wild spaces at all costs. I strongly feel if we lose them, we lose ourselves.
Pixie dust is the answer!!!!!!!!!!
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 07:59
Pixie dust is the answer!!!!!!!!!!
Why do you and many others make jokes about these issues?
Do your really think the A.T. can stay the way it is indefinitely? The excellent efforts of the volunteers are simply not enough to future-proof the trail.
Despite what the general public knows, rules are coming and we will all need to live by them. I am just trying to help ease the transition.
I am trying to challenge deeply set in thoughts about the trail, and I have met resistance at every step. That's ok though, I am used to that.
What I dislike is people questioning my love for the trail, for all trails, and for nature. I intend to one day die on the trail, when I am in my 90's. And when I do, all of my life's efforts in regards to the trail will be around me as I lay on the trail, taking my last breath.
max patch
02-07-2011, 08:04
This website if full of trolls.
You really need to practice somewhere else and then come back and try again. You're in the big leagues here.
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 08:05
The original thread title was SO over-the-top, even the OP realized it. Sensing he had blown his cover (based on early replies), he made a plea to Mods to change the title.
The request was accommodated, making the thread appear more moderate than it was originally. That's not exactly the "appropriate action" I had in mind.
You don't know what your taking about. The title of the thread was never changed by anyone.
Your blind hated is not welcome to me. I have no idea why you are openly calling for me to have actions taken against me.
I am simply posting what I feel about the trail, like anyone else. Just because you do not like my ideas does not mean you can openly tarnish my reputation. My ideas are new, and new ideas are just that - ideas.
Why do you not want me to post my ideas? Why do you feel the need to try to silence me? I am not being mean to anyone, harassing anyone, or calling for someones head.
You are. :mad:
Why do you and many others make jokes about these issues?
..... I intend to one day die on the trail, when I am in my 90's. And when I do, ........
You won't be following LNT then will you?
What a conundrum......
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 08:16
You won't be following LNT then will you?
What a conundrum......
Dying while naked in the wild is a natural death. Dust to dust.
Far more natural than being put in a coffin and buried.
These posts remind me of the old WhiteBlaze - mean and assuming. Why not just say "No I don't think so, but please explain your point of view"? Time after time I have seen you guys jump all over a poster, only to have to backpedal as the facts emerge.
Sickmont
02-07-2011, 08:27
I'm just curious as to why everything brought up by this individual thats supposedly a "problem" involves a letter writing campaign to try to convince the federal government to restrict our usage of the trail.
I'm just curious as to why everything brought up by this individual thats supposedly a "problem" involves a letter writing campaign to try to convince the federal government to restrict our usage of the trail.
He already answered that when he posted this:
The bottom line is that I know how government works, top to bottom.
Majortrauma
02-07-2011, 08:35
"defile the purity of nature. defaming trees with caustic paint. "
Is this a practical joke of some sorts? This idea of his is so completely impractical not to mention unnecessary. He must dang near have a nervous breakdown when hiking through the SNP.
Is this a practical joke of some sorts?
Of course it is.
The alternative is too sad to contemplate.
Well at least he hasn't asked "how long will cheese stay fresh on the trail?" yet.
Toolumpy
02-07-2011, 08:48
Until you can hike the trail and never use the ground as a toilet, leave the blazes alone.
Awol1970
02-07-2011, 08:49
Lol@ caustic paint. This proves the pot stirring aspect of the OP. By adding adjectves such as this he is trying to elicite an emotion.
Paint ain't caustic. But it sure sounds good.:rolleyes:
flemdawg1
02-07-2011, 08:52
Dying while naked in the wild is a natural death. Dust to dust.
Far more natural than being put in a coffin and buried.
Why wait till 90, don't you realize how much CO2 you're expelling with each breath? And what about your food, house and even that peice of plastic and rare earth minerals called a computer Save the planet, die now. :rolleyes:
Sierra Echo
02-07-2011, 09:07
For someone who has never even BEEN on the AT, WisconsonHiker, you are sure in a hurry to make changes and heap on criticism. Perhaps the AT is simply not for you. I firmly believe that you are more suited to a 2 mile trail in your local park.
jerseydave
02-07-2011, 09:10
I'm not saying I agree or disagree with the OP about the Blazes, but I think I've found a way to accomplish his goal....... eliminate the blazes....
If we pass a Federal law that states that ALL trees that grow withing 500 yards of any trail must be removed, it'll be impossible for those caustic marks to enblazen the way!
So how long will cheese stay fresh on the trail?
The Cleaner
02-07-2011, 09:18
Your wish is true in some places.Here in the TN/NC section there are places with very few blazes....you need to hike a few hundred miles and then let us know what you found.....
Figgsy13126
02-07-2011, 09:19
I keep on thinking back to ur "Limiting the AT" post..where u write that you are "new to hiking". Of course u don't have to be a hiker to consider urself as an enviormental purist or what not. I applaud anyone seeking to do good for human kind. But, some ur ideology rubs me the wrong way.
Have you ever set foot on the AT? Seen a Blaze on Springer? Or step over a blazed rock in the middle of nowhere? Why with the limited hiking experience u have...u at 33 plan to spend the last seconds of ur life at 90 on the AT?
I can only imagine what type of OBSESSION U have with ur ex-girlfriend and if you have yet to Inbed a "next gen" tracking device in her body.
Now, I'm trying to come up ideas to help u in ur quest of the purification of the trail ...I just can't come up with much. Not my expertise. What are ur ideas? I'm interested in saving the Earth!! Save the Polar Bears!!!
From what I read..and History Channel. Dec 12, 2012...we r screwed. End of the World. Problem Solved.
Wisconsin..#1 in binge drinking. (and SuperBowl champs)
I had to check to make sure this wasn't the humor forum
Ummm Wisconson hiker, if you get so upset whenever you see signs of humans in the woods, then what the heck are you doing in there in the first place?????
This is hilarious!!!!
Skidsteer
02-07-2011, 09:37
The return of Kirk McQuest.
DesertMTB
02-07-2011, 09:37
I intend to one day die on the trail, when I am in my 90's. And when I do, all of my life's efforts in regards to the trail will be around me as I lay on the trail, taking my last breath.
Dying on the trail is not living by LNT principles
Old Hiker
02-07-2011, 09:37
de·fame
[/URL]/dɪˈfeɪm/ http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif (http://app.dictionary.com/signup/popup?source=favorites&fnCallback=loginuser&callbackAction=addToFav&domaindest=reference.com) Show Spelled[dih-feym] http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif (http://dictionary.reference.com/help/luna/Spell_pron_key.html) Show IPA
–verb (used with object), -famed, -fam·ing. 1. to attack the (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/the) good name (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/name) or reputation of, as by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely anything injurious; slander or libel; calumniate: The newspaper editorial defamed the politician.
2. Archaic . to disgrace; bring dishonor upon.
3. Archaic .
de·file
1 /dɪˈfaɪl/ http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif (http://app.dictionary.com/signup/popup?source=favorites&fnCallback=loginuser&callbackAction=addToFav&domaindest=reference.com) [U]Show Spelled[dih-fahyl] http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif (http://dictionary.reference.com/help/luna/Spell_pron_key.html) Show IPA
–verb (used with object), -filed, -fil·ing. 1. to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase.
2. to violate the (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/the) chastity of.
3. to make impure for ceremonial use; desecrate.
4. to sully, as a person's reputation.
Mods, please don't delete the threads! It makes life sooooo interesting. I'm already thinking of ways to get past the toll booths for the paying of the $250 hiker fee. I'm going to Radio Shack today to find some type of scrambler to....., well, scramble the next-gen chip that's going to be implanted into me.
So, no paint for blazes? Let's go back to the original axe slashes. That's SO much better for the trees, right? As for LNT, we won't be able to walk the trail, as a bare line of dirt through the pristine woods is a large trace!
With no trail, it will make life interesting for the rescue personnel to find lost hikers, though.
M1 Thumb
02-07-2011, 10:03
. ....And when I do, all of my life's efforts in regards to the trail will be around me as I lay on the trail, taking my last breath.
I wrote my representatives this morning to make sure that they pass a bill making it illegal for you to die on the AT.
If you fail to comply, you will be stuffed, and mounted on the strip in Las Vegas holding a sign directing people to the nearest international buffet.
So how long will cheese stay fresh on the trail?
TheChop, I'm ashamed of you!
Kerosene
02-07-2011, 10:19
Interesting that the focus is on the damage that paint blazing is doing to trees and that no one has talked about the scar that is the trail everyone tramps on that will be visible for thousands of years.
Everything is a trade-off, but if you're going to have a trail then the current method of blazing has minimal impact relative to everything else involved in creating and maintaining a trail traveled by millions of people each year.
Awol1970
02-07-2011, 10:27
Interesting that the focus is on the damage that paint blazing is doing to trees and that no one has talked about the scar that is the trail everyone tramps on that will be visible for thousands of years.
Elaborate. I bet if the trail was untread for ten years it would be indiscernable from the rest of the landscape.
OnThePath
02-07-2011, 10:45
The blazes may be unnatural but I was under the impression that they don't kill the trees or the rocks:-?. I've only walked from the aprroach to Uncle Johnnys in Erwin, Tn and in that time have never seen a disturbing ammount of insects in the blazes or any for that matter.
If you take the blazes away you will do more harm than good. The blazes keep you on the right path and when you use your natural method that will suffer in the elements and blazes will be lost and become few and far between people will bushwhack to get back on the trail causing erosion and multiple trails shooting off and back onto the AT. If ya don’t like the blazes go where there are none. Want a trail less park? Go to Alaska and leave the AT as you found it, blazes and all!
Interesting .... that no one has talked about the scar that is the trail everyone tramps on that will be visible for thousands of years.
.....
That's why it should be paved and have galvanized handrails.
P. When I hike in the deep woods, I get very angry when I see signs of people. Garbage, scored rocks, markers, etc.
Would etc be the petrochemicals you used to get to the trailhead, make your synthetic clothing and gear, and help produce the food you carry in your pack? :)
Easy to be a purist when you pick and choose, no? ;)
I hear Minnesota is a bit less used and may provide less population. No ever John Smith is out there and may be a good alternative to the AT. :)
LoneRidgeRunner
02-07-2011, 11:00
Administrators & Moderators,
If you weren't convinced this guy was a troll, this thread should erase all doubts. For the good of the membership, please take appropriate action.
Thanks,
This gets my vote too. Every one else who feels this way should cast their votes..Maybe we can get this troll off of here!
I think they should pull a cable that you could hook into. That way no one would fall off the trail. Safety First!!!
LoneRidgeRunner
02-07-2011, 11:03
If you take the blazes away you will do more harm than good. The blazes keep you on the right path and when you use your natural method that will suffer in the elements and blazes will be lost and become few and far between people will bushwhack to get back on the trail causing erosion and multiple trails shooting off and back onto the AT. If ya don’t like the blazes go where there are none. Want a trail less park? Go to Alaska and leave the AT as you found it, blazes and all!
Absolutely! There are many places you can go and hike without blazes, signs, guide books or even a trail...Please do that so you'll get your self lost forever! You're only making a nuisance of yourself here. Don't like the AT? Stay the heck off of it! It's just as simple as that. Or are you so danged smart (you think) that you can't comprehend something this simple?
4eyedbuzzard
02-07-2011, 11:10
And I thought I was a $#!^ stirrer...
Dude, you're obviously a fairly intelligent person, but your ideas aren't well thought out.
1) The trail is man made
2) As intended, it provides an illusion of wilderness, not wilderness
3) It exists so people can use it
4) Blazes are perhaps the most minor of our intrusions
5) If you really don't like seeing evidence of people in the woods, there are many other places you can go. The AT and other trails make up an insignificant amount of the acreage of public lands.
FlyPaper
02-07-2011, 11:19
Blazes we all know guide us while on the trail. :D
They also defile the purity of nature. :mad:
I think we need to come up with a non-invasive way to guide people while they are on the trail. Paint on trees is not natural, and I cannot see how the paint on trees fits in with 'LNT' rules. :rolleyes:
Paint on trees clearly leaves a trace of humans. :p
I have several ideas on how to solve this problem, but I want to hear from everyone here before I write my letter to my Representatives and Senators. I really want to get everyone's input so I can make the letter as good as I can. :sun
If you choose not to engage in civil discussion, save yourself time and do not write hateful or unproductive posts. Not only does it clutter up the thread, but it also wastes your time since I ignore negative posts by nature. :cool:
Anything that marks the trail so that someone can follow is by definition a "trace of humans".
If we were to hypothetically throw a stick on the ground to mark the trail, for example, either this stick is indistinguishable from a naturally fallen stick, in which case it cannot be used to mark anything, or it is distinguishable from other naturally fallen sticks and hence is a "trace of humans".
No "trace of humans" implies no trail markings, implies no trail.
I'm racking my brain and cannot think of a single idea to mark the trail in such a way that the markings are both visible, yet result in less impact than the current white blazes.
Having seen thousands of white blazes, I cannot recall any that appear to have caused secondary damage to the tree or rock they were painted on.
Slo-go'en
02-07-2011, 11:23
So how long will cheese stay fresh on the trail?
Depends on how long it take you to eat it all.
mweinstone
02-07-2011, 11:26
the magnetic core of the earth has a known quantifiable magnetic strength.
the magnetic strength of a single human is also measurable. ours comes from a small amount of iron in our blood, magnitized by our own movements i beleive.
the amount of "pull" a single person has is roughly one 6 billionth of that of the core.
i belive the rate and eventual limit on human population is regulated by a fundemental effect, whearby the earth and all of man will be two equal magnets one day soon.
my threory rests on these ideas:
man first built a club. before a stone axe. to take by force anything he wanted.war was his first need.as a chick breaks out of its egg could be concidered war between the chick and its own beginnings, man uses war to free himself of his beginnings. not untill man has killed his outer self and freed his inner, can he be what hes ment to be.we see iraqis being treated badly, we war with their oppressors. enough of this sort of war and you end up with a peace and a freedom.
man builds brains and calls them computers. he puts them in everything he can. then he attempts to link all of the brains hes created so he can cook a steak with an iphone. this building of his is who he is. we are the computers. we can be linked. but certian frequency carrier waves must be generated first by the right number of people being alive to have a magnetic combined balance with the core of the planet that sprouted us. and at exactly that moment when we come on line together, we must have by that time rid ourselves of the shell and lost our need of war with the shell. just like we built nukes that are a forrunner of what builds in the minds of men . one day we will be a collective. with mobility into other dimentions and planes of exsistance and time and space will be at our beckon. on that day we need to have rid ourselves of our shells. both phisical, and earthly. that is why its okay to make blazes on trees. cause this is our shell and its ment to be destroyed. everything is going exactly according to plan . our perspective that we are different from the natural animals is incorrect in some ways. we are as them, finely tunned natural wonders.
LoneRidgeRunner
02-07-2011, 11:27
If you choose not to engage in civil discussion, save yourself time and do not write hateful or unproductive posts. Not only does it clutter up the thread, but it also wastes your time since I ignore negative posts by nature. :cool:[/QUOTE]
In your case "negative" means anything that doesn't agree with you......
You know whiteblazers....I think this guy (WH2011) is merely suffering from "little man's syndrome", meaning he is lacking in security and is only seeking attention.. Probably the best thing we can do is simply ignore his rantings and ravings and threats to change the world, beginning with the AT. Maybe then he will just do what we all want and go away and go elsewhere to make a total nuisance and a** of himself.
the magnetic core of the earth has a known quantifiable magnetic strength.
the magnetic strength of a single human is also measurable. ours comes from a small amount of iron in our blood, magnitized by our own movements i beleive.
the amount of "pull" a single person has is roughly one 6 billionth of that of the core.
i belive the rate and eventual limit on human population is regulated by a fundemental effect, whearby the earth and all of man will be two equal magnets one day soon.
my threory rests on these ideas:
man first built a club. before a stone axe. to take by force anything he wanted.war was his first need.as a chick breaks out of its egg could be concidered war between the chick and its own beginnings, man uses war to free himself of his beginnings. not untill man has killed his outer self and freed his inner, can he be what hes ment to be.we see iraqis being treated badly, we war with their oppressors. enough of this sort of war and you end up with a peace and a freedom.
man builds brains and calls them computers. he puts them in everything he can. then he attempts to link all of the brains hes created so he can cook a steak with an iphone. this building of his is who he is. we are the computers. we can be linked. but certian frequency carrier waves must be generated first by the right number of people being alive to have a magnetic combined balance with the core of the planet that sprouted us. and at exactly that moment when we come on line together, we must have by that time rid ourselves of the shell and lost our need of war with the shell. just like we built nukes that are a forrunner of what builds in the minds of men . one day we will be a collective. with mobility into other dimentions and planes of exsistance and time and space will be at our beckon. on that day we need to have rid ourselves of our shells. both phisical, and earthly. that is why its okay to make blazes on trees. cause this is our shell and its ment to be destroyed. everything is going exactly according to plan . our perspective that we are different from the natural animals is incorrect in some ways. we are as them, finely tunned natural wonders.
"You will be assimilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."
JaxHiker
02-07-2011, 11:35
That's why it should be paved and have galvanized handrails.
I'm all for the paving but I'm not sure about the handrails. I long for the day I can take a Segway from GA to ME. That would be awesome! I suppose we can leave the side trails unpaved and use an all-terrain Segway. Of course we'll need to install charging stations along the way but I'm game.
I suppose to avoid blazes we can push the ATC to employ RFID tags instead. They could either rent readers or have smartphone apps to read the tags and tell us when and where to turn.
LoneRidgeRunner
02-07-2011, 11:44
Why wait till 90, don't you realize how much CO2 you're expelling with each breath? And what about your food, house and even that peice of plastic and rare earth minerals called a computer Save the planet, die now. :rolleyes:
YES!!! U da man flemdawg! :banana
LoneRidgeRunner
02-07-2011, 11:52
So how long will cheese stay fresh on the trail?
Unlike Spokes...I'm not ashamed of you Chop. I'm proud as a peacock of you!! So this hunk of cheese is gonna die on the trail....Is that LNT? Wish he'd hurry and do it!!!
If you want to actually be able to stay on the trail and not get lost and wander aimlessly in the woods I say stick with the bright white blazes. I really fail to see what the problem is. I mean a little white paint's not hurting anything, and if I may be so bold, I think it actually accentuates the trail.
Slo-go'en
02-07-2011, 12:01
Dear WisconsinHiker2011:
Writing to your Congress men and Representatives is a waste of time, since they have long ago delegated respsonability for regulating the AT (and other trails) to the National Park service and Forest Service. Since these agencies don't want to actually spend money on things like the AT, they rely on private groups like the ATC and local trail clubs to do all the work for them.
Therefore your ideas are best addressed to the ATC and trail clubs. If one day you want to be in the hall of fame due to your noble actions, I suggest you become a member of one of these organizations, learn about the real issues facing the trail and then make some meaningful contributions.
Paint on trees clearly leaves a trace of humans. :p
Dying while naked in the wild is a natural death.
A dead human in the woods clearly leaves a trace of humans.
Cookerhiker
02-07-2011, 12:26
Dear WisconsinHiker2011:
Writing to your Congress men and Representatives is a waste of time, since they have long ago delegated respsonability for regulating the AT (and other trails) to the National Park service and Forest Service. Since these agencies don't want to actually spend money on things like the AT, they rely on private groups like the ATC and local trail clubs to do all the work for them.
Therefore your ideas are best addressed to the ATC and trail clubs. If one day you want to be in the hall of fame due to your noble actions, I suggest you become a member of one of these organizations, learn about the real issues facing the trail and then make some meaningful contributions.
I've tried to tell him that twice now but he blows it away. He's too important and brilliant for the provincial and myopic lowlifes of the ATC and petty government bureaucrats.
What blazes? I didn't see any blazes....
Thenixon
02-07-2011, 12:45
It's not well known, but there is a more LNT-friendly version of the AT. You start out about 50 yards west of the "official" beginning, and follow the lack of blazes on trees. Signs of a worn track or other human impacts are clues that you may be drifting off the true path. LNT purists should cast of the taint of signs and blazes, and follow this version of the AT.
Let us know how it works out for you, WisconsinHiker2011.
mweinstone
02-07-2011, 12:48
and you wanna be my trail zambeeni driver......
no soup for you!
one year!
zambeenie the trail is a non profit organization raising awarness about the need to zambeenie the appalachian trail.for more information or to wright your senetor, contact zambeeniethetrail.org
Sickmont
02-07-2011, 12:51
Fine. No "caustic" white paint then. Would using a flamethrower to mark the trail suffice? Its not exactly LNT but fire IS more natural than paint is.
WisconsinHiker2011
02-07-2011, 12:56
Sadly I fear no constructive discussion can take place in this thread anymore. The reason is obvious, a rude and aggressive stance taken by the majority of posters. I am shocked at the vicious nature of many posters here.
Thank god WhiteBlaze represents a tiny majority of the people who actually hike the trail.
I will try to discuss the items I brought up in here in 1 months time. Hopefully people will be nicer.
I will also note that I have never and will never be nasty to anyone on here. I consider you all family, and would never treat you with the disrespect that you have shown me. I have always and will always be civil.
If this is too much to ask from my fellow users of WhiteBlaze, I will simply leave and hope to see you on the trail.
WH2011--Still waiting to hear your ideas. Only thing I could come up with is using GPS waypoints but personally that's not the way I'd like to do a hike.
FlyPaper
02-07-2011, 13:32
Sadly I fear no constructive discussion can take place in this thread anymore. The reason is obvious, a rude and aggressive stance taken by the majority of posters. I am shocked at the vicious nature of many posters here.
Thank god WhiteBlaze represents a tiny majority of the people who actually hike the trail.
I will try to discuss the items I brought up in here in 1 months time. Hopefully people will be nicer.
I will also note that I have never and will never be nasty to anyone on here. I consider you all family, and would never treat you with the disrespect that you have shown me. I have always and will always be civil.
If this is too much to ask from my fellow users of WhiteBlaze, I will simply leave and hope to see you on the trail.
Al alternative to white blazes? I'm happy to think outside the box. But it would help me if there were one concrete example of something that would mark the trail, but not contain a human trace. There have been plenty of non-hostile responses on this thread.
Perhaps you have an idea that would entail a human trace, but would have less of an impact than white blazes, yet still mark the trail. Please, please tell us your idea.
If this is too much to ask from my fellow users of WhiteBlaze, I will simply leave.
:banana:banana