Cut 3 miles off the Laurel Highlands Trail by hopping a passing game path

I was hiking the Laurel Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania and hit a section where the switchbacks were killing me. Saw a deer trail cutting straight down the ridge and figured why not try it. Has anyone else used animal paths to shorten a route?

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2 Comments

iris_stone284mo ago

Hold up, you actually followed deer trails down a ridge? That's wild lmao. Hope you didn't end up in some random ravine or poison ivy patch.

1

thomas_scott4mo ago

Random ravine" lol. I used to think anyone who did that was crazy too, but after getting lost without a trail and panicking, I kind of get it now. Deer know where they're going.

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