A slight change from normal JYAT programming… with a video tip this week! I was out hiking last Friday at Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in Princeton, MA, recording some video of the trip. While I was there, I recorded a few tips along the way, here is the first one! More videos to come, tips, reviews, and more.

The gist of this tip is, when on the trail, follow the trail markers to stay on-trail and to not get lost.

• Follow blazed trails
• Follow official trail signs
• Do not follow what appear to be spray-painted or unofficial trail signs, especially if it looks like there is NOT a trail there
• Guidebooks and trail maps sometimes state that some trails may not be marked well, if that is the case, follow what looks like a trail cut out as best as possible
• Other good samaritan hikers may leave rock cairns or other signs on the trail to denote the proper path
• If you lose track of blazes or trail signs, backtrack until you can find those again, to re-gain your bearings
• Use a map/GPS/compass/topography/landmarks to help keep you on trail and know your position at all times

Enjoy the video tip, and let me know what you think! I was mid-hike, so, I was slightly out of breath, and sweaty. I also need to change the orientation of my camera, and one day, get a nice GoPro Hero 3 to do the video segments for the site, instead of just my cell phone camera 🙂