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TIL that my grandpa's route notes from the 70s are totally different from today's trails.
When I came across my grandpa's old backpacking journal, I was surprised. His notes from hikes in the 70s described routes that are gone now. He used to follow animal paths and stream banks because marked trails were few. Today, those same spots have clear, kept paths with signs at all turns. It showed me how much easier backpacking is today. But I kind of miss the thrill of making your own path. That's why I always bring a map and compass with me.
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patricia_carr561mo ago
That point @the_hugo made about erased forests is so true, but it goes the other way too. My local state park was just scrubland back in the day, according to old photos. Now it's all these winding, groomed trails through planted pines. We're not just losing wild paths, we're actively building new ones where they never were, which is its own kind of change. Makes those old notes feel like a map to a different world.
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the_logan1mo ago
Man, that reminds me of a time I tried to follow some old camping notes from a library book. The instructions said to look for a bent pine tree as a marker, but when I got there the whole area had been logged and replanted. I spent an hour walking in circles where a forest used to be, just young same-looking trees in rows. It's wild how much the landscape itself can change, not just the trails. Makes you wonder what spots we think are permanent today will be totally different in fifty years.
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