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Spirit of the Woods Blazing
How many of the 80 miles of trail maintained by this chapter are blazed?

Official Stuff
  NCTA's End-to-End Marking Policy
  From the NPS Trail Handbook
Why the Blue Blazes?
  The Importance of a Thread by Bill Menke, NPS manager of the NCT
copied from the April/May and June/July 1998 issues of the North Star with permission. This is an essay about the reasons for consistent blazing
How to Do It?
  Tools
  Paint
  Techniques
Help from Folks Who Know
  "Trail Blazing from the Renaissance through the Space Age"
Get practical help from a veteran blazer, Irene Szabo of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. Her comments are applicable to many situations.
  "Blazing is Worth the/ your Time!"
by Bob Tait and Joe Smith of Pennsylvania.
  "Blazing Backward Ensures Quality, Not Quantity"
by John Morgan of Pennsylvania.
  Short Hints from real blazers.
Local Progress Reports
  Spirit of the Woods- Lake, Mason, Manistee Counties, MI
Related Topics
  "What in Blue Blazes is Going on in the Forests?"
by Don Ingle, reporter for the Traverse City (MI) Record Eagle and Lake County Star writes about forest management boundary markings. Reprinted by permission.
Where:
Our chapter is responsible for the miles from Marilla trailhead to south of 76th Street at the Lake Newaygo County border. We hope eventually the blue blazes will be complete from Crown Point, New York to Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota!

How:

Gradually the gray nailed-on diamonds (the previous markings in the Manistee National Forest) will be replaced with blue rectangular paint blazes. The blazes should be spaced so that you can just see the next one from the one you are at. There is no right or wrong measured distance. Sight lines are the important thing. See other sections for more detailed information.

How are we doing:

We've made a beginning! So far there are about 75 miles of blazing completed. It's a slow task when done right, but we will keep at it.


See larger map
of trail from Marilla TH to Dilling Rd.

See larger map
of trail from Dilling Road to Freesoil Road

See larger map
of trail from Freesoil Road to Timber Creek

See larger map
of trail from Timber Creek to 96th St