Caps Ridge

[hikeritz]

I climbed Mt. Jefferson yesterday on the Caps Ridge trail. As I was finishing up I realized I hadn't seen the usual "Alpine Zone" and "Turn back now, you'll die" signs near treeline. Did I miss them? I assumed those signs were standard issue on all trails in the Whites that go above treeline. Yellow paint blazes were also few & far between (or badly faded), so perhaps it's a maintenance issue. I did spot "Forest Protection Area" signs (entering/leaving) 0.25 miles from the parking lot.

 

[sierra]

I climbed Mt. Jefferson yesterday on the Caps Ridge trail. As I was finishing up I realized I hadn't seen the usual "Alpine Zone" and "Turn back now, you'll die" signs near treeline. Did I miss them? I assumed those signs were standard issue on all trails in the Whites that go above treeline. Yellow paint blazes were also few & far between (or badly faded), so perhaps it's a maintenance issue. I did spot "Forest Protection Area" signs (entering/leaving) 0.25 miles from the parking lot.

Those signs are not on every trail that enters the alpine zone, in fact most trails do not have them. As far as blazes go, that's a trail maintenance issue and this seems to be the norm in many areas. I've been repeatedly commenting in netrailconditions that trails need to be re-blazed. The Caps Ridge maintainer is a member here, maybe he will comment on it.

 

[DayTrip]

I climbed Mt. Jefferson yesterday on the Caps Ridge trail. As I was finishing up I realized I hadn't seen the usual "Alpine Zone" and "Turn back now, you'll die" signs near treeline. Did I miss them? I assumed those signs were standard issue on all trails in the Whites that go above treeline. Yellow paint blazes were also few & far between (or badly faded), so perhaps it's a maintenance issue. I did spot "Forest Protection Area" signs (entering/leaving) 0.25 miles from the parking lot.

Unless it fell off it used to be engulfed by some scrub just before breaking tree line. I just went down that way a few weeks ago but I didn't really notice if it was there. The blazes on that trail have been faded for a long time. Route is pretty straightforward though so and there are a lot of cairns so not sure what value they provided anyway.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

I wouldn't mind removing/stopping all blazing and just keeping signs at trailheads and intersections.

 

[sierra]

I wouldn't mind removing/stopping all blazing and just keeping signs at trailheads and intersections.

There are many reasons that is not a good idea.

 

[maineguy]

I wouldn't mind removing/stopping all blazing and just keeping signs at trailheads and intersections.

Well, that's pretty much what we have out here.

 

[JoshandBaron]

There are many reasons that is not a good idea.

That's policy for every Wilderness in the country.

 

[akafuzzjones]

As far as I know there were never "turn around or you will die signs" on Caps Ridge, and the Forest Protection sign is relatively new. Some idiotic chucklehead did put a "Da Caps" sign up a few years ago that had to be removed. Below treeline I don't think you need blazes, it's pretty straight forward, but I will look again next time I am up there doing work. It is second nature to me so I may be missing something. Above treeline we are no longer allowed to paint blazes on rocks. Need to use cairns. I have been unsuccessful in petitioning the powers that be to get real cairns installed (more work than a single person can do), so for now it's little piles of rocks here and there.

 

[maineguy]

There most assuredly was a "turn back now" sign on the Caps Ridge Trail. However, I was last there in 2022 and have no recollection of seeing it.

 

[sierra]

That's policy for every Wilderness in the country.

I know what the Wilderness policies are, he did not say in a Wilderness.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

I know what the Wilderness policies are, he did not say in a Wilderness.

Correct. I'm advocating for this policy in all of the Whites and other areas too. I think Josh was questioning why you thought it wasn't a good idea when it's actually policy in designated wilderness and it seems to work fine.

 

[TomK]

That's policy for every Wilderness in the country.

Without venturing a opinion on if it is or isn't a good idea, I would point out that something being "policy" is not an argument for (or against) that something.

TomK