Spent a whole day backtracking because a trail junction wasn't signed at all

In my experience, trail signage can be a real hit or miss, but last week it was a total miss. I was on the Pine Ridge Loop, and at what should have been a clear fork, there was zero marking. My map showed a left turn for the scenic overlook, but all I saw was dense brush. I ended up going straight for about two miles before I realized my mistake. By then, I had to turn around and lose hours of daylight. It seems like the local trail group hasn't maintained that section in ages. I heard from another hiker that the sign fell down last fall and never got replaced. Now I always carry a backup compass and double-check with GPS, but it shouldn't have to be that way.

3 comments

3 Comments

anna_roberts81mo ago

That exact thing happened on Pine Ridge last year. I keep a printed map in a ziplock now, GPS dies when you need it most.

aaronn571mo ago

My buddy got totally lost out near Silver Creek when his phone died. Honestly he was just following some trail app and didn't even have a real trail map. Took him like two extra hours to find his way back to the car because everything looked the same. Ngl he was pretty shook up about it after. Now he does the same thing with a paper map in a baggie. Sometimes the old ways are just better.

barnes.brian1mo ago

Seriously, @anna_roberts8, GPS always craps out at the worst times. It's like they know when you're in the middle of nowhere and decide to take a nap. Your ziplock map idea is genius, low-tech but it never runs out of batteries. I've been burned too many times by my phone dying on hikes. Now I keep a paper map in my bag as a backup, no matter what. Technology is great until it isn't, and then you're just stuck there like an idiot.