The 'UP' trail and the 'DOWN' Trail?

[Tom Rankin]

I've never seen this discussed before, but are there any places where etiquette dictates that there be 2 separate trails for a particular route? I just read where PinPin went to Allen and created an 'UP' route with steps, and then came down a parallel route much more quickly, w/o steps.

I realize it doesn't work everywhere, but I think this is a great idea where it is practical.

 

[dug]

Hmmm. Strikes me of a thread I started many years ago lightly admonishing people for glissading over some kick steps, thereby wrecking the trail and making it more difficult for the next hiker. "If you need to depend on the steps, then you shouldn't be in the woods" was the general consensus. Of course, that also ignores the reasoning behind ski tracks, postholes, etc., but that's besides the point.

I don't know of any specific trail or trail system that would follow PinPin's method. For example, I always do the Hancock's counterclockwise, but others go the other way. Maybe up Owl's Head slide? You generally stay to the right, so maybe it would work there?

 

[Tom Rankin]

Hmmm. ... don't know of any specific trail or trail system that would follow PinPin's method.

The hike in question was up/down a slide, so yeah, that might be the only place it works well.

 

[forestgnome]

I've never heard of any.

Concerning smoothing over kick-steps by glissading, I do the same thing in snowshoes. I noticed on Hancock Loop that a group had kicked in steps with those small, hard plastic snowshoes all the way up North Hancock. In order to not ruin them as I descended, I would have had to bareboot. My 36" tubs wouldn't possibly fit into those small steps. I smoothed the track as I sort of skiied all the way down on my snowshoes. Now, that was fun!

happy trails

 

[RoySwkr]

I've never seen this discussed before, but are there any places where etiquette dictates that there be 2 separate trails for a particular route?

It is quite common on snowmobile trails, usually due to lack of width for passing

There used to be a place on the M-M that came out at a clifftop from one direction but the other direction didn't

One of the X-C trails off Yellow Jacket is uphill only

Sherburne is (ski) downhill only