Got lost in the Sierra Nevada for 5 hours because of a trail reroute

I was hiking the Rae Lakes Loop last summer and hit a section where the trail was rerouted due to a washout. They had these tiny temporary markers that blended right into the rocks. I spent almost 5 hours wandering around before I found the new path by following footprints from another hiker. Has anyone else dealt with trail reroutes that were WAY harder to follow than they should be?

3 comments

3 Comments

gibson.nathan1mo ago

Isn't Rae Lakes Loop more of a JMT section than a standalone trail?

robinmason1mo ago

The 65-mile Rae Lakes Loop was my first solo trip and it worked perfectly @gibson.nathan.

susanm2219h ago

Oh man, trail reroutes are the absolute worst for that. I did a section in the Sierra where they taped off the old path with this faded pink ribbon that looked exactly like the dried manzanita bark. I walked right past it three times, just circling around like a dumb cartoon character. Ended up bushwhacking through some thick brush for a good hour before I realized I was basically going in a circle. Felt like I was personally selected by the forest service as their official dummy.