What the blazes?

Without them, we'd be lost in the woods. Their presence, part guide, part sentinel, steers our feet through forest paths, alerting us to their twists, their turns, their intersections, their beginnings and endings. And yet, from trail to trail and Trust to Trust, there seems a bewildering array of them, with each town and each trail-blazer taking a different approach. That said, in most cases they serve the purpose -- and, if one learns to read some of their peculiar conventions, they can often tell you a lot more than what trail you're on.

The simplest blaze is a painted rectangle, roughly three times the height of its width. It's the most common type, and in addition to its use on Land Trust trails, you'll find it in conservation areas and preserves in the state that are managed by the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy; indeed you'll find them used on trails throughout North America and many other parts of the world.

These blazes also have a further language -- a sort of semaphore -- that tells you what to expect ahead. Two blazes side by side signify the end -- or the beginning -- of a trail. If the blaze on the right is higher, that means the trail is about to turn to the right; if the one on the left is higher, to the left. A third configuration, with a blaze over to the side of two blazes, is sometimes used to indicate another trail coming from the side where the additional blaze is located. This simple language is just as effective as the painted arrow that's sometimes used at such turns.

Trailite Marker

There are, however alternatives, some of which are a bit more intuitive in their direction. My personal favorite are the plastic trail markers made by Voss Signs, which feature an arrow in the midst of a diamond -- you can see one on the tree above in addition to its painted blaze. The great advantage of these is that you can turn the arrow in any direction -- slight right or left, or horizontal -- this gives you more information than any traditional blaze. The Voss markers are used by the Cumberland Land Trust at Mercy Woods and Blackall Family Preserve. Another arrow-based marker with similar capabilities is made on small metal discs by Trailite; these have the advantage that they're reflective, though their small size means that sometimes one misses seeing them.

One final issue comes up in trail systems where more than one trail follows the same route for part of the way.  There are a number of solution to this; in many cases, such as out on the "Outback Trail" at George Washington Management Area, the blazes are "stacked" one atop the other. A more elegant solution appears at the Olivia's Forest preserve of the Smithfield Land Trust -- here, when the white and red trails follow the same route, the colors are superimposed, giving a look somewhat like an archery target.

Whatever trail you hike, the main thing is to check the map, and scope out in advance what trail or trails you plan to hike, Then, as you walk them, you'll soon learn the local conventions, and be able to read the signs easily.