kathryn.v.martin
Navigation
This photo documents two very important means of navigation to (thru)hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The term "blazes" refers to the white painted rectangles on this tree trunk. The entire AT is marked with this white blazes, thereby allowing one to travel on the trail without a map. In this image, there are two blazes, meaning that there is a trail intersection ahead. In this case, the section trail that intersects the AT is a side trail leading to a shelter. For the most part, shelters can be located directly on trail or up to 1 mile off the AT. There is a second sign above the one for the shelter, indicating mileage from that specific location to other landmarks (mountain summits, other shelters, road crossings, etc) north and south of the present location.
Navigation
This photo documents two very important means of navigation to (thru)hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The term "blazes" refers to the white painted rectangles on this tree trunk. The entire AT is marked with this white blazes, thereby allowing one to travel on the trail without a map. In this image, there are two blazes, meaning that there is a trail intersection ahead. In this case, the section trail that intersects the AT is a side trail leading to a shelter. For the most part, shelters can be located directly on trail or up to 1 mile off the AT. There is a second sign above the one for the shelter, indicating mileage from that specific location to other landmarks (mountain summits, other shelters, road crossings, etc) north and south of the present location.