the Appalachian Trail
It is easy not to get lost while hiking this granddaddy of a trail. Just follow the blazes, the 2 x 6 inch vertical paint swatches on trees, sign posts and rocks along the pathway. When the blaze is white, it means you are on the route of the main trail.
When the blazes are blue, you are on a spur trail leading to a water source, a view, a camping area or an alternate “bad weather” route.
A thru-hiker named Mark Kelley blogged these fantasies concerning the color of the blazes on the Appalachian Trail, conceived when he thru-hiked, possibly because 2180 miles is a long way to walk, and the mind, like the feet, wanders.
white = main trail.
blue = support routes
(The following color blazes are Mark’s creation, not real life. Don’t get carried away.)
yellow
references the yellow broken lines on highways, walked by hikers who, for some reason, desire a change of pace from the wooded trails
green
hiking while stoned
brown
hiking with diarrhea
pink
hiking with someone you met on the trail and fell in love or lust with
amber
hiking off trail to the local beer mart
aqua
going off-trail to do a little water travel, rejoining the trail later
gold
hiking with the latest, most expensive equipment and hiking into town to dine in expensive restaurants
platinum
see gold
red
hiking with an injury