Finished the Maplewood Loop in Vermont last week and noticed something odd

I was hiking the Maplewood Loop up near Stowe, about 8 miles total. What caught my eye was how many trail markers were missing or faded, especially at the key turnoffs. I counted at least 3 spots where I had to pull out my phone to check the map. Has anyone else run into this on that trail recently?

2 comments

2 Comments

harris.vera17d ago

I noticed the same thing doing the south end of the loop back in June. Maybe it's just me but it felt like someone specifically pulled the markers at those three confusing turns, they were way too cleanly missing.

evanb8717d ago

Three of the missing markers on the east side I saw last October were still there but snapped clean at the base, like someone kicked them over with a boot. I actually checked a few of them and the posts were just sheared off, not twisted or chewed by animals. My guess would be mountain bikers or trail runners hitting them on purpose, not someone going around pulling them. The ones near the creek crossing were still standing but faded to where you could barely see the orange under the lichen. I dunno, in my experience the missing ones usually get hit by accident rather than someone taking them on purpose.