Scattered Paint on North Twin Spur

[Raven]

I was hiking in the area yesterday and couldn't help but notice that blue paint had been dripped for quite a distance along this trail. Every couple feet, I saw some on the treadway, on rocks, etc. It looked like blue blaze paint, so I at first thought maybe it had dripped out of a maintainer's can accidentally.

Then I saw three blue hand prints on a tree along the trail about chest high and quite a lot of paint on a downed tree across the trail.

Any ideas?

 

[una_dogger]

I will send a note to Dave Berry who maintains that section...thanks!

 

[Raven]

I will send a note to Dave Berry who maintains that section...thanks!

Thanks - good idea. Maybe it was Gargamel.

 

[MichaelJ]

At least it wasn't the remains of a splattered Hiker Smurf!

 

[una_dogger]

LOl-MJ- yeah that's a relief!
Heard from Dave and he hasn't been blazing soo...

 

[Raven]

Yeah...it's easy to tell this was not the work of a blazer...someone(s) getting a hold of some blaze paint, maybe at the hut...that I would believe, if I can speculate.

It was smurf blue allright though.

 

[BIGEarl]

When Sue and I hiked the area last week we came across a container of blue paint roughly half-way between North and South Twin. The color was quite a bit more blue than the blazes on the trees, which were more of a blue-gray. The "trail" blazes appeared to be fresh as well.

We assumed somebody was in the process of refreshing the blazes and happened to have an off-color container of paint. We had no idea why it was left where it was unless it was intended to mark the place where the blazing effort left off. As I recall, the fresh blazes continued from the location of the paint container to S. Twin.

It seems like some kids, or perhaps some adults that behave like kids, found the paint and decided to make a mess.

 

[Raven]

As I recall, the fresh blazes continued from the location of the paint container to S. Twin.

It seems like some kids, or perhaps some adults that behave like kids, found the paint and decided to make a mess.

Thanks Earl...

It did look as though some of the blazes were recently painted on some trees that had been "cleaned" of bark in order to take the blaze paint. I checked the hand print size to see if I could get an idea. I have medium men's hands according to the glove companies anyway. The hand prints were smaller than mine, not that that helps much.

 

[NewHampshire]

Thanks - good idea. Maybe it was Gargamel.

La la la la la la la la la la laaaaaaa

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Brian

 

[OldMan]

Get your finger print kit out...

 

[Fisher Cat]

Oh my gosh, I wish I hadn't seen that.

Just a little insight how this can cause problems. As we all know, there is an approach to Mt Cabot that has been closed for some time. I went to school with some of the members of the family who closed part of the trail that crossed their land. While there are several mitigating factors to this closure, one was that years ago some individuals that were blazing the legitimate trail got carried away and began blazing and painting, and doing things like you see pictured in these photographs, all over the place, trees, rocks, etc., that were well off the trail. While this is not the case here, when it comes to land ownership, what it is, is truly a shame.

I wish to adhere good to all (until proven otherwise) and assume that this is an isolated incident and the happenstance of a bit of tomfoolery. Fortunately, as most adopters know, there are methods to deal with this. Its just a shame that it will mean time spent that could have been invested elsewhere.

 

[MichaelJ]

The person or persons who did this, suck, as it were.

There's not going to be any good way to get that paint off without damaging the tree. The one that's still alive, anyway. Talk about a complete lack of ethics.

 

[OldMan]

And not to mention it's confusing.... I though I had wandered off to Lend-a-hand Tail.

 

[Raven]

Get your finger print kit out...

Thanks for the photo!

 

[Fisher Cat]

The person or persons who did this, suck, as it were.

There's not going to be any good way to get that paint off without damaging the tree. The one that's still alive, anyway. Talk about a complete lack of ethics.

It may seem ridiculous, but one of the ways we were instructed to get rid of rogue blazes was using tree paint that is similiar to the appropriate bark. It sounds dumb because to get rid of paint that shouldn't be there, is to apply more paint, but it is one method.

 

[wardsgirl]

As far as I know, blazing paint is not typically stored at AMC Huts. Also, the colors are standardized so there is no variation in the shade of blue. I don't believe this paint came from the AMC, FWIW.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Are blaze colors standardized across other organizations as well (across the USFS, AMC, RMC, ...)? I can't say I have paid much attention to shades of blaze colors in my life and due to fading they will look different over time anyway.

Tim

 

[PETCH]

Maybe we could introduce more bears into that area who in turn could scrape the bark/paint off of the trees. Then it could be re-blazed. Yes, we may loose a few hikers during the course of this action, but the end may justify the means. We have to think of the trees! Or, rent a portable sand-blaster and haul that up there. Or, just bring up a can of tree colored paint, I guess...........it's just doesn't sound that fun.

Petch

 

[Raven]

Also, the colors are standardized so there is no variation in the shade of blue. I don't believe this paint came from the AMC, FWIW.

Very true WG, although not all maintainers get their paint from the USFS or AMC before blazing. A few trails are blazed in a lovely baby blue.

From what Earl said about seeing the can on the trail side, it makes more sense that the paint was simply left on the trail for one reason or another than taken from the hut.

Petch, maybe we should go back to blazing trails by notching trees with axes.

 

[slevasse]

Petch, maybe we should go back to blazing trails by notching trees with axes.

Sounds like a good idea until some juvenile bears with mischief on their minds start scraping up trees all over the place. We'd never find the trail!