Remember when you could just follow a creek to find a trail?

Last fall on the Lost Coast Trail, a major slide wiped out the path near Randall Creek. My map said to go around, but the 'detour' was just a vague arrow pointing inland. I spent a solid 90 minutes bushwhacking through thick, slide-choked brush before I found the trail again. Anyone else run into a reroute that turned into a real adventure recently?

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3 Comments

karen_nguyen306mo ago

90 minutes bushwhacking through slide choked brush" is the kind of map note that needs its own warning label. A vague arrow pointing inland is basically the trail saying "good luck, you're on your own now." That sounds less like a reroute and more like the forest just decided to adopt you for a while.

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nora_chen6mo ago

Did the map get made by a prankster?

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dylan_rodriguez5mo ago

Disagree about the vague arrow being a bad thing. That kind of uncertainty is part of the real backcountry experience. Finding your own way makes the trip more memorable.

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