Winter is the reason many hiking clubs avoid using white blazes as trail markings.
Bob, the Natureguy, described how the Conservation Trail, a branch of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), became blazed orange:
“The group was hiking the Finger Lakes Trail in Allegany State Park. These were old timers in the Finger Lakes Trail organization. It was a nice fall day. A freak snowstorm hit while they were on the trail. It took them hours to get back since the early wet snow stuck to the trees and obscured the white blazes. They had to brush every tree to look for blazes and find their way back. They vowed the new trail would not have that problem and chose orange for the Conservation Trail blazes.”
He went on to explain, “It would be a momentous task to change the blazing of the FLT. It would be very expensive and take many dollars and many years. Not just the marks, but all the printed literature and reference material would have to be changed. And there is logic to the color schemes when there are trail junctions. Over almost a 1/2 century those color schemes have been worked out so there are no conflicts. All trails that intersect with the FLT could be affected. It is not just one trail. The FLT is a primary trail that a multitude of trails across the state radiate from or intersect. So, unfortunately, the color is what is, for bad or good and do not expect it to change.”
It is easy to loose the white blazes in a white-out of snow, so be extra careful when hiking or snowshoeing white-blazed trails such as the Finger Lakes Trail. Always take some extra warm/dry layers with you and some snacks and water in case your outing gets extended due to a change in conditions.
How about the addition of a Orange (florescent?) square in addition to the std white rectangle blaze? It would make the blazed tree much more visible, but not mess up the main color scheme.
Two color blazes! Paioting one color is hard enough.
While I have not hiked in snow shoes, I not a fan of orange blazes. In Autumn, the best time of year to hike, orange and red blazes get obscured by the foliage.
In addition, in winter your sight lines become much longer, and as the FLT tends to be over blazed, there should be several blazes visable in winter. Remember blases are spaced to conform shorter summer times sight lines.
White is good.
What about blue? I believe the Adirondacks have a number blue trails – no confusing with foliage or obscured by snow.
I believe that white is good all around color, snf eoulf be a devil to chsnge. As for two color, the FLT already has such a system. The Letchworth branch is blazed with white paint and orange disks. It not too confusing.
As for blaze spacing, I am of the belief that the the blazed should spaced so that there are two blazes visable when hte folliage is at maximum. Sadly, this does result in too many blazes being visable in winter, when the sight lines are longer. Such is life.