Ridecamp: [RC] trail marking

> This ride was fabulously marked. Three ribbons before the turn, >
single ribbons right after the turn and another single ribbon in 20 >
yards or so to let you know you are on the right track.  

Sounds like everyone agrees it was well marked, but let me explain why I
so highly recommend the use of red pie plates.  Here's how I manage to
get lost on a trail that is extremely well marked.  

The manager puts bright markers on the right, well ahead of a turn, and
into the turn.  Of course the wind blows them around the tree some and
they aren't *as* obvious as when they put them up, but still very well
marked.  So, how do I miss it?  Well, one time there were some cowboys
coming up the left side of the road and I turned my head to speak to them
as I went right by the ribbons.  One time I was turned around trying to
fix something that was bouncing on my saddle.  Didn't take long, but my
attention was diverted and I continued merrily down the trail for a ways.
 

So...when they put that pie plate past the turn, there's something to
say, "HEY STUPID! YOU MISSED THE WELL MARKED TURN!" :-)  Confidence
markers are nice but I am far more likely to accidentally miss a turn
than take a turn for no reason that I shouldn't have taken. 

I guess I'm just a little obsessive about this because of an experience a
rider had that I was crewing for at the North American Championships in
Flagstaff.  My rider and another Central Region rider were in the top 10
with 8 miles to go.  The trail headed out on the road, then turned off to
the left.  There was a large white arrow on the dirt road to turn them. 
A mile or so down the same road the trail re-entered the road.  They were
able to miss the turn then pick up markers later and continue the wrong
way.  My rider left just as the front runner's crews were leaving and a
string of about 10 cars drove over that arrow as our riders trotted past
it.  It cost the Central Region the gold.  It cost my rider top 10. She
ended up 18th.  We had looked at that trail marking the Thursday before
and commented how badly it could have used some of those red pie plates. 
Spilled milk I guess but I still mourn that missed turn.

Angie

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