chumley wrote:Back east, apparently there is a more complicated pattern of blazes which I have not seen or used in practice.
Yes, those are pretty common in the East. In particular, the AT and adjoining trails use those. They're quite useful in thick woods where there's little undergrowth because of the deer and poor sun penetration and excessive social trails.
They take regular maintenance because trees go down all the time and some of them contain turn signals.
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I believe it means arrested development A-holiness ahead.
It is interesting though to see a blaze where there is no obvious trail. How old is it and what was the trail, was it for moving livestock?
That particular one means trail continues forward if the top blaze is to the right slightly it means trail goes right to the left slightly trail turns left. I have seen these on trails around Arizona and wondered the same thing so I looked up trail blaze markings on the internet under Trail blaze markings on trees and it shows the different types. there is a good explanation in old Boy Scout books. Can't find it in new ones marking the trees is not politically correct. We should start posting pictures on our hikes of the various kind of markings, I have not seen the Spur trail mark, end of trail mark and start of trail mark. You will see the trail right or left usually at switchbacks.
Last edited by markthurman53 on Oct 20 2020 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The_Eagle wrote:I'm still trying to figure out this one [ photo ]
Did the trail come to an end shortly after the blaze? I'd interpret that to mean the trail ends straight ahead, but I don't have a scout badge in this stuff either.
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
A rancher told me about an old trail he was taking a pack horse on that was really rough. He was doubting it then saw the "filled in" blazes on some of the trees that were over his head on the horse. The trees had healed it but was still visible. He thought the blazes were probably 50-75 years old at least and possibly done by his grandfather. I thought that was neat.
I have frequently noticed in places like A-S forest, particularly far east I see "i" blazes on trees. They just look like a lower case 'i'. They almost never have a turn signal that I have seen - and appear to stand in for cairns. Vaguely resemble the "end of trail" one in the OP picture but clearly they are not as they are continuous along the trail. They are everywhere in the Gila Wilderness especially up on the mesas in between river canyons. I see them in AZ too - like the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness trails. Anyone have knowledge that explains the lower case 'i' thing?
RedRoxx44 wrote: ↑Oct 21 2020 4:42 am
A rancher told me about an old trail he was taking a pack horse on that was really rough. He was doubting it then saw the "filled in" blazes on some of the trees that were over his head on the horse. The trees had healed it but was still visible. He thought the blazes were probably 50-75 years old at least and possibly done by his grandfather. I thought that was neat.
In Yosemite, there are many blazes still visible made the US Army in 1914, when they were still the overseers. Some are on trails still in use, but there are also some long-ago rerouted or abandoned trails. The blazes were handy for following abandoned trails in backcountry areas.
I have seen an 'end blaze' on the north part of the Cabin Loop. Not that the 'loop' ended, but that there was/is an intersecting trail I supposed.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
on a slightly different note , does anyone know what the orange or blue paint markings are for in the coconino national forest Some trees have one orange stripe some two or three. I assume this is some marking for logging but couldn't get a good answer.
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