Making Trail Signs While Hiking With Girl Scouts

After meeting Sir Robert Baden-Powell in England, Juliette Gordon Low organized the first chapter of American Girl Scouts in 1912, according to Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Baden-Powell, a British Army officer, discovering that his troops lacked basic survival skills, wrote a brief military handbook, "Aids to Scouting." When the handbook became surprisingly popular with British boys, he founded a movement called the Boy Scouts, reports the Longhouse Council of BSA. Low wanted to give American girls similar opportunities to participate in outdoor activities.

  1. Materials for Signs

    • Reading danger signs and following a trail were covered in Baden-Powell's original handbook. A series of trail signs became standard for all of scouting. You can use a variety of materials to mark a trail, some of them available at the site and others carried in. Sticks or twigs, stones, tall grass stalks and painted rectangles of a single color can mark the trail for others who follow, according to Girl Scouts of Palo Alto. The signs should be consistent, instantly recognizable and easy to spot. Yarn or strips of cloth may come in handy to tie together clumps of grass, if that is your favored method of marking. Colored rectangles (or blazes) attached to tree trunks generally measure 2 by 6 inches.

    Common Trail Signs

    • Many of the signs are self explanatory, such as sticks forming an arrow to point the direction or a twig X or row of stones blocking a path, to keep hikers from entering the wrong fork in a road, the Trefoil Scouts' website demonstrates. If using stones, two stones are stacked and a single stone is placed to the right or left to indicate the direction to go. Small pebbles can be arranged in a V, with the point acting as an arrow, to relate the same information. Tie grass stalks with yarn or fabric to bend the stalks to one side or the other. When marking with blazes, two are required to warn of a coming turn; the top rectangle should be placed to the right or left of the one below it. Three sticks forming a triangle or a stack of three stones of graduated sizes are both symbols of danger.

    Scout Hiking Tips

    • Placing each sign within sight of the next one is best, according to Camping Supplies for You. Never destroy any of the markers, unless a leader instructs you to do so. To prevent leaving litter in the wild, however, the last person following the trail signs should collect each of them. Although in most cases the hikers will be together with their leaders, bringing a whistle and a compass is a good safety measure in the event you become separated from the group.

    If In Distress

    • In the remote chance that you become lost in the woods, stay where you are unless there is impending danger. If you move, mark the trail so rescuers will be able to follow it. In an open space, using rocks or digging into the earth, make a giant X to indicate "Need Medical Help" or a V to signal "Need Assistance," so it is visible from above. Also, try to get the attention of search planes with a mirror or other shiny object. Use your whistle to attract rescuers, rather than yelling, which can dehydrate you and make you tired.