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Had a ranger in Yosemite set me straight on trail markers
I was hiking the Pohono Trail last week and stopped to chat with a ranger near the Taft Point junction. He said over 30 people a year get turned around on that stretch because they rely on phone maps instead of the actual carsonite posts. He showed me how the markers are spaced exactly 500 feet apart on that route, and how the old blazed trees are still the most reliable markers when the fog rolls in. It hit me hard because I've been guilty of just following my GPS without paying attention to the physical trail signs. Has anyone else had a ranger or veteran hiker point out a simple thing that made you rethink your whole approach to navigation?
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elliot_grant3811d ago
The part about 30 people a year getting turned around really got me. I read somewhere that GPS can be off by 30 feet or more in national parks, which is plenty to miss a turn on a foggy day. Makes me want to pay more attention to the actual trail signs.
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