Noticing xxxiii - waymarking

Today my Volunteer Wilderness Ranger buddy Lynn and I went out to scout a trail that's been closed  for three years. I honestly didn't think we'd make it more than a few hundred feet, but lo and behold, others have been working this trail—as in, attempting to traverse it. I don't know how successful they've been—we, who knew the trail before it was closed by fire, were misled numerous times in the first third of a mile. But eventually, by spotting faded pink ribbons of flagging tape and following the right use trails, we made it to the easier, clearer section of trail, which took us another two-thirds mile down to a camp that sees very little use these days (though it still sees some, as the ash-filled fire ring made clear). It wasn't smooth sailing—I added another half dozen pieces of bright yellow flagging tape, to make sure we'd be able to find our way back up and out—but at least we didn't feel like we were wandering in circles anymore.

That got me thinking about the various waymarkers I've encountered around the world. Here are a few.

Oh look, balisage rouge et blanc!—the French Grande Randonée:
Crozon Peninsula, Brittany, this July

And more balisage rouge et blanc—et jaune
et orange—in the Dordogne many years ago

Also balisage rouge et blanc, but at home in Pebble Beach,
a junction of equestrian trails

Compton Bassett UK

Half Dome, Yosemite, California

Kilauea Iki, Big Island, Hawaii

The following images are from the Wikipedia article Trail blazing, because I like them and I've seen similar ways of marking the landscape in these or similar places. And that article has still more examples, with good explanation.

Southern Upland Way, Scotland: stylized thistle

Syland, Sweden

Harriman State Park, New York (explanation below)

Tararua Forest Park, New Zealand

Not this way! That way! (outside Flagstaff, Arizona)

In any case, our flagging today showed us the way, and we made it out! So yay for waymarkers.