Trail Boss
New member
From here: http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?58205-Giant-Ridge-Trail-June-18
Please avoid using these bypass trails. They are created by people who aren't aware of the long-term consequences (chiefly, more erosion and a wider trail).
If the section seems "tricky" perhaps it's because one has avoided them repeatedly instead of developing the skills to tackle them. Easier peaks like Cascade attract first-time hikers. Bypass trails develop around anything and everything (steep, slippery, muddy) because neophytes haven't learned how to negotiate them or are actively avoiding muddy/icy sections. Eventually the single-track trails become broad boulder fields. Perceive them as challenges to conquer and not hurdles to avoid. Stop taking, and making, shortcuts.
This goes hand-in-glove with staying off bypass trails: don't cut switch-backs. The Zander Scott trail, up Giant, is one of the very few Adirondack trails that has switchbacks. I've witnessed hikers 'cut corners' in a mistaken attempt to save a few hundred yards over the course of the hike. Trail maintainers attempt to discourage this behavior by brushing in the bypass routes. However, wherever there isn't enough gnarly stuff piled high and thick, hikers continue to cut the corner. Please don't do this.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please avoid using these bypass trails. They are created by people who aren't aware of the long-term consequences (chiefly, more erosion and a wider trail).
If the section seems "tricky" perhaps it's because one has avoided them repeatedly instead of developing the skills to tackle them. Easier peaks like Cascade attract first-time hikers. Bypass trails develop around anything and everything (steep, slippery, muddy) because neophytes haven't learned how to negotiate them or are actively avoiding muddy/icy sections. Eventually the single-track trails become broad boulder fields. Perceive them as challenges to conquer and not hurdles to avoid. Stop taking, and making, shortcuts.
This goes hand-in-glove with staying off bypass trails: don't cut switch-backs. The Zander Scott trail, up Giant, is one of the very few Adirondack trails that has switchbacks. I've witnessed hikers 'cut corners' in a mistaken attempt to save a few hundred yards over the course of the hike. Trail maintainers attempt to discourage this behavior by brushing in the bypass routes. However, wherever there isn't enough gnarly stuff piled high and thick, hikers continue to cut the corner. Please don't do this.
Thank you for your cooperation.
