[at-l] Enhancing the AT Blaze

[daveh at psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

Ah Tradition!

Lets all do that again, from a rooftop accompanied by fiddle music ;-)}  Ah
Tradition!

When this thread opened I heard echoes of the effort involved in just trying
to get the entire length of the AT blazed "White."

Never mind the issue of offset double blazes at turns.  Oh my!!!

And don't forget the perennial debates about the spacing of blazes
(over-blazed distraction/eyesore vs. clearly marked route;
if-you-want-a-cinder-walk-go-to-a-park vs.
even-newbie-city-folk-should-be-accommodated;
wilderness-areas-should-not-be-blazed vs.
the-scenic-trails-act-take-precedent-over-the-wilderness-act; etc; etc;
etc.)

This issue of spacing/frequency bit me while I was re-hiking PA once.  I was
walking along an old woods road (w/o out a lot of attention to the route)
when I noticed a well painted out white blaze -- e.g. a white blaze that had
been scrapped down and over painted with grey, which in turn had brown
specks flicked over it.  Now, as a maintainer, the only time I have
done/seen that was at a relo.  So, I assumed that I had missed a turn and
was walking along the "old" route.  As this was back when the PA maps north
of the PATC area left a lot to be desired, they were little help.  Even
"good" maps can be out of date :-0}

I started to just continue walking SOBO, on the assumption that it was most
likely one of those PUDS relos (off a good grade line up to a ridge line)
and on the assumption that relos and old routes rejoin.  However, from what
I could remember of that segment and from what I could glean from the map, I
couldn't see where that was likely.

So, I assumed that it was a place where the old route was "broken" by a
dispute with a local landowner, or something of the sort.  Well, I reversed
my self, paying close attention to the paint-out blazes and looking for
white - including looking back over my shoulder.  Only painted-out blazes
for nearly a quarter mile - actually quite a few painted-out blazes.  Then a
NOBO white.  Still no SOBO whites.  So, hey maybe that solo NOBO blaze was
just an oversight.  Continued walking back north.  No doubles.  No sign of a
re-route.  After a few hundred more yards a SOBO white, back over my
shoulder.  Now I was confused.  Well to be safe, so I continued NOBO looking
for one more white.  After nearly another quarter mile, I found one, with
still no sign of a re-route.

So, I reversed my self, again.  Hiked out the "old" route without incident,
but passed lots of painted-out white blazes, with the few white ones at
about quarter mile intervals.

Later I call a Club member (someone I knew from when I lived and maintained
trail in PA).  He advised that they were going though an internal dispute on
the spacing of blazes.  The local powers-to-be, at that time, felt that the
AT was way over-blazed.  At that time, their policy was that any well
established treadway should only be blazed about every quarter mile and that
sight-to-sight blazing was only used where there was ambiguity, or
likelihood misdirection.

At this point, I think there is more or less a general consensus, among many
of those actually doing the work here in mid trail, is that you should be
able to stand at one blaze and see the next.  However, some still hold out
for the wider spacing of being able to see a blaze from any point on the
trail - i.e., the next visible blaze might be behind you, but if you
continue walking away from it on a well established treadway, you will see
another before you are out of sight of the last.

However, from experience I know you can't count on it -- especially on
balds, rock fields, pastures with lots of cow trails, etc.

Bottom line: IMHO, this issue goes beyond "properly blazed" vs. "poor work."
The very question of "proper" is often in the eye of the beholder.

BTW, it is not the ATC, or all of the trail community's position that, "All
in all, if a section is properly blazed you should be able to shine a weak
flashlight ahead and catch the white marker."


For example, the ATC's current manual _ APPALACHIAN TRAIL DESIGN,
CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE_ contained the following:

"Blazing needs to be continuous, even along roads or unmistakable parts of
the footway.  Immediately beyond any junction or road cross­ing, paint a
blaze even if there is a directional sign.  Place a second "safety blaze" 50
to 100 feet beyond.  Where club maintenance sec­tions meet, check that
blazes extend into the next section.  Eliminate all gaps in marking, and
avoid suddenly varying the spacing of blazes in a way that confuses hikers.

"Normally, you should change blazing frequency naturally with changes in
trail terrain, forest cover, or the clarity of the footpath.  When the trail
is conspicuous, place one blaze for every five minutes of hiking time or
about six per mile in each direction (800 to 1,000 feet apart).  Where you
run into hard-to-follow sections, blaze more fre­quently, but never so that
more than one blaze is visible ahead, ex­cept at trail junctions, road
crossings, and similar confusing areas.

"Too many single and double blazes can mar the primitive charac­ter of the
trail, so use the minimum number of blazes necessary to help hikers follow
the route.  Except near trail junctions and road cross­ings, blazes in
hard-to-follow sections should be spaced so only one is visible in each
direction, usually no closer than 150 feet apart.  In federally designated
wilderness and other remote sections, fewer blazes are better, and the
five-minute standard (800-1000 feet apart) can apply.  If you blaze more
often, you may degrade the primitive trail experience."

 Chainsaw




----- Original Message ----- 
From: <RoksnRoots@aol.com>
To: <AT-L@Backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 12:39 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Enhancing the AT Blaze



In a message dated 3/16/04 9:11:59 AM, Bror8588@aol.com writes:


> Would it
> not be a help for Hikers to have these "glass beaded tacks" in the center
of
> the white blaze? Would this be helpful to night hikers?
>

             The answer is that it is mostly a matter of tradition and
standardization. If you put night sparklers in the blaze in one section and
leave it
out in the corresponding sections you are going to have people confused
about
whether they are still on the AT.

            We mulled over whether to use plastic blazes or other blaze
enhancers and decided that white paint was the easiest standard method. The
problem
with nail-on metal or plastic blazes is that they 'suck' into the growing
tree as the bark grows and become engulfed. This can lead to real messes
that are
worse than what they are trying to solve.

           Another reason is that white paint is the warmest method as far
as
trailbed aesthetics. Sharp-angled metal with nails is just another
non-natural eyesore. Some goofers also like to pry them out.

          My main hang-up with maintainers was their not paying attention to
neat blazing. I found that a properly painted blaze really stood out and
made
the trail look well-cared for and presentable. Some blazes were just a weak
offering at a slosh and on to the next tree.

           All in all, if a section is properly blazed you should be able to
shine a weak flashlight ahead and catch the white marker. It's usually only
a
problem in neglected areas or sections where blaze bearing trees have
fallen...

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