Signs made by volunteer

Use this forum to post links to news stories from other websites - ones that other hikers might find interesting. This is not intended for original material or anecdotal information. You can reply to any news stories posted, but do not start a new thread without a link to a specific news story.
Post Reply
AlpenGlowHiker
Posts: 81
Joined: May 14th, 2020, 6:35 am
Location: Portland

Signs made by volunteer

Post by AlpenGlowHiker » August 28th, 2022, 6:14 am

I never knew how the signs were created, only that I found a deep comfort in their aesthetics and familiarity. I never realized that other areas (such as Nat'l Parks) had switched to metal signs, until I hiked through Mt Rainier on the PCT in 2020. I found that quite jarring, but understood it was likely due to longevity.

I prefer these wooden signs by far, and learning why they look similar, and other processes behind the scenes makes them even better.

Don Nelson, you probably just recently saw that Observation Peak sign. :)

Volunteer handcrafts signs to guide Nor ... ail-signs/

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by drm » August 28th, 2022, 6:32 am

Your url got a little mangled, so I fixed it for you.

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/08/27/ ... ail-signs/

That Observation Trail sign is not at the bottom. I bet it hasn't been placed yet, but will probably go on the north end of the trail.

I have put up a couple signs made in that workshop, though I have no idea who made it. I carried in and replaced the sign for the Soda Peaks Lake trail where it starts on the Observation Trail.

I also found an old sign in a creek on the south side of Mt Adams. It listed some destinations that nobody hikes to any more and said it was in the Columbia National Forest. A Forest Service historian dated it to the late 1930s due to the material used. It now sites in some FS warehouse. Maybe I should have just taken it home. :lol:

AlpenGlowHiker
Posts: 81
Joined: May 14th, 2020, 6:35 am
Location: Portland

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by AlpenGlowHiker » August 28th, 2022, 9:37 am

Do you have pics of the old sign? that'd be pretty cool to see.

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by drm » August 28th, 2022, 9:48 am

AlpenGlowHiker wrote:
August 28th, 2022, 9:37 am
Do you have pics of the old sign? that'd be pretty cool to see.
Oh, yeah, forgot to do that. I found it 8/17/2014.
Col Natl Forest sign.jpg

User avatar
Charley
Posts: 1834
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Milwaukie

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by Charley » August 28th, 2022, 10:04 am

Well now that's positively heartwarming. I've noticed that the Wilderness signs look like oak, and I'm gratified to learn that they are actually oregon white oak. Very neat!
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

User avatar
Sugar Pine
Posts: 182
Joined: April 28th, 2017, 12:23 pm

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by Sugar Pine » August 28th, 2022, 4:27 pm

Great OPB segment. Thanks for sharing.

User avatar
rubiks
Posts: 114
Joined: February 12th, 2020, 7:49 pm
Location: Hillsboro

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by rubiks » August 28th, 2022, 7:21 pm

Great thread. That OPB piece was very interesting.
AlpenGlowHiker wrote:
August 28th, 2022, 9:37 am
Do you have pics of the old sign? that'd be pretty cool to see.
Thanks for asking, AlpenGlowHiker. You were right, that is pretty cool to see.

Whenever I see a really old/faded/grizzled trail sign I always wonder how long its been there.
You know exactly what to do.
There's no need to be afraid.
Keep walking.

User avatar
BigBear
Posts: 1836
Joined: October 1st, 2009, 11:54 am

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by BigBear » August 29th, 2022, 1:32 pm

Neat old sign. I found a Cascade Crest Trail sign 2 miles south of Killian Creek one time. I like to get well off the trail when nature calls and that's how I came across it. It was wooden, not medal and I thought about claiming it as a souvenir, but the weight and lack of equipment needed to remove the old rusty bolts was too discouraging to even put for the effort. Always wondered what became of the sign.

User avatar
Eric Peterson
Posts: 4097
Joined: May 11th, 2009, 5:39 am
Location: Oregon
Contact:

Re: Signs made by volunteer

Post by Eric Peterson » August 29th, 2022, 4:58 pm

Speaking of home made volunteer trail signs - anyone have any idea who is making creek signs on Herman Creek 406?
Attachments
IMG_0057 (Small).jpg

Post Reply