Finally saw real progress on the Laurel Highlands Trail after 3 tries

I first hiked a section of the Laurel Highlands Trail back in April and got totally lost by the second mile. My map reading was just awful and I ended up bushwhacking for an hour. By my third attempt last weekend I actually finished a 12 mile stretch without a single wrong turn. The difference was spending an hour at home with the map and a highlighter before I left. Has anyone else had that moment where a trail finally clicked after a few rough tries?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph52916d ago

Getting the map down before you go makes a huge difference... I used to do the same thing with the Appalachian Trail sections near me. Started coloring the route with a highlighter and marking the water sources and campsites on the map, then took photos on my phone so I could check them without pulling the paper out. The first time I did that I didn't get lost once, felt like a whole different trail.

nancy82016d ago

Honestly, I used to think pre-trip planning like that was overkill and made things less adventurous. But ngl, after hiking a trail near me twice and taking wrong turns both times, I tried the highlighter trick on my map before my third go and it was a total game changer. Felt like I was finally seeing the trail for what it was instead of guessing the whole time. Tbh it made the hike way more enjoyable cause I wasn't stressing about where to go next. So yeah, I'm definitely on board with this now.