Finally got the hang of a route in Olympic National Park that had me baffled last summer

I was sure the Seven Lakes Basin loop was overhyped until actually doing it last month and realizing the trail markers are just spaced way further apart than I'm used to back east - has anyone else run into that kind of issue out there?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy_ross18d ago

Ngl, I feel you on that trail marker spacing thing. "Trust the path" is pretty much what I had to do on the High Divide too. I remember standing at this one spot where the trail just kinda disappeared into a big meadow and I had to walk like ten minutes before spotting the next marker. Honestly freaked me out. Back here in New England you get a sign every hundred feet so it felt like I was doing something wrong out there. Glad it wasn't just me feeling that way.

taylor.amy18d ago

Yeah trail marker spacing in the PNW is a whole different beast compared to back east. Out there you can walk half a mile without seeing a single sign and just have to trust the path. Felt like I was constantly second guessing myself on the High Divide trail. Maybe they figure the landmarks are obvious enough but for flatlanders like us it's nerve wracking. Could have saved myself a lot of stress if I'd just downloaded the map before heading out instead of relying on phone service.