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The time I picked the 'scenic' route over the marked trail in the Smokies

Last fall, I had to choose between the well-signed Alum Cave Trail or a dotted line on my map labeled 'old logging road' that promised a quieter walk. I went with the dotted line, which turned into a two-hour bushwhack through rhododendron thickets so dense I had to crawl. My friend just kept saying, 'You picked the dotted line' over and over. Has anyone else been completely betrayed by a map's suggestion?
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3 Comments
the_nora
the_nora1d ago
Maps don't betray people, they just show what's there.
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matthew897
My buddy followed a "shortcut" on his GPS last year that was just a washed-out creek bed. He ended up fording the same stream like four times, shoes full of mud and water. The map totally lied, said it was a clear path. He was so mad he almost threw his phone in the river. We still give him grief about trusting the blue line.
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quinnprice
Oh man, @matthew897, your buddy really took the "path less traveled" literally.
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