Mt. Liberty via Liberty Springs Trail - Thoughts?

[David Metsky]

Originally Posted by Jonni

I found that the trail wasn't well marked with blazes, but since it was traveled enough by other hikers it was still easy enough to follow.

Unless trails are much less heavily used, or through very tangled terrain, you are unlikely to be able to always see one blaze from the previous one. These trails get a lot of use, and it's pretty tough to lose them even if you try. Most trails in the Whites don't need frequent blazing except around trail junctions and difficult turns.

-dave-

[Mike P.]

As Dave said, the more heavily a trail is used & easy to follow between the trees & ground, the less likely it will be marked.

Even on this one though it would be hard to walk more than a minute or two tops & not see a marker either in front of you or behind you. (trees are not always marked front & back so a marker on a tree visible while climbing the trail may not be visible while descending or have a marker on the other side for descending hikers & likewise a marker visible on the way down may not be visible for hikers going uphill.

Interesting that you like hiking ski areas. While the trails are wide, on hot sunny days the only shade is on the edge, & the grass is usually allowed to grow pretty high so you can't see where your feet are going real well. Trails are also designed for fast travel downhill when covered by snow, so they are usually steep & don't have many switchbacks. I did Sugarloaf in the late 90's via the ski trails due to the condition of Caribou Valley Raod at that time. It was not a pleasant trip IMO although the weather was great. One advantage the ski trails do have is the views are usually great without trees to block your view....

[riverc0il]

one could actually consider open ski trails a bad thing when it comes to views. one of the most rewarding aspects of hiking is coming out of the trees after an hour of ploding along and coming to a grand view. you appreciate it a lot more after two hours under the trees and even a small window through the trees can seem majestic. skiing spoils many people on views. there are a few views from ski areas that still blow me away like cannon and wildcat. other than that, i will occasionally stop when something catches my eye, but when you see grand views all day, it desensitizes slightly and when you are under trees most of the day, it makes you long for just a peep.

i rarely notice blazes on trails any more. hiking in the fair weather seasons, well worn trails are generally easy to follow. often times, i can't recall the last time i hiked past a blaze, just not something i look for on trails in the whites due to their heavy usage.