[wbs]

What are some of the *plaques you have come across out in the wilderness on or even off trail? Those that have made you pause and think what was behind the plaque being placed there, to imagine what the author believed in, what made them to write their words for all to see? Was this in memorandum of some special person or historical event? Has stumbling across these scriptures given inspiration or meaning to you? Please share your experiences. Here's one I found off the beaten path last weekend in a sub-alpine basin. Just sort of came out of nowhere, right there on the side of a boulder when I sat down for a drink of water. Made my day a bit more enjoyable for hiking.

EDIT * This is plaques. Those generally flat signage things with words on them made of some type of metal or stone or combination of such. Some liek 'em, some hate 'em. Discuss... Not to be confussed with plaque or plaque; neither of which any of use would want in the wilderness or anywhere no matter how controversial. Yuck

[Phil]

On the lower south fork skokomish trail, about 1-2 miles in, someone firmly and prominently nailed a memorial plaque (name, dates) on a great big tree, about 12 feet up. I found it offensive, myself. It seems immune to casual damage such as might come from heaved boulders or earnest prods with hiking poles.

[jimmymac]

If family ever wants to memorialize my passing, they can go into the woods, or along the highway and pack foreign material out.

[hambone]

Like that poem, thank you. I like finding old FS signs still out there, or relics on abandoned trails. Means the ghosts have been talking.

[cheakamus]

[Brain]

[cheakamus]

[gyngve]

What about the plauqes on the ER of Lundin for the people who died there? Or the plaque atop Air Guitar for the guy who died there?

[polecatjoe]

I thought it said "plagues in the wilderness"! I was thinking bubonic, pneumonic, maybe smallpox. I prefer plaques; they may be unsightly but the recovery time is significantly lower, with a much lower mortality rate. Whew...

[Opus]

Heh, ditto. And if you're getting alot of plaques in the wilderness maybe you need to carry a better toothbrush!

[canyonwren]

I was hiking in Germany last fall and every so often would come across little plaques mounted on trees. It took a while to make the connection that they were some type of tombstone plaque, because at a glance they look kind of comical. Each one has a little cartoon character (in lederhosen, often) of a guy, showing how he died presumably in that spot. There was the little lederhosen guy with a tree branch on him and blood everywhere, a little lederhosen guy falling off a cliff, being buried in a landslide, getting shot by a friend while hunting (there was a deer there, too), and three guys mysteriously dead in a building, etc. You knew they were dead by the little crosses over their heads, like "x"s in their eyes, and a Mary figure above them. The names and dates were down below, which is how I figured out they were obits and not warnings. Some of the dates were quite old--most were 1800s, IRRC. Kind of odd. I vote for no plaques around here, but I have to admit being spellbound by the unfortunate lederhosen men.

[Brain]

[Lead Dog]

I found a memorial marker nailed to a tree at Spade Lake. I was camped 40 yards below it for 3 days before I noticed it. Maybe Spade Lake was his favorite place and I was camped in his favorite campsite? And maybe his ashes were put into the lake below me? Could you think of a better final resting spot than that beautiful hard to get to alpine lake?

[Opus]

This one is at Surprise Lake ... not sure how to interpret this one as a memorial.

[Dayhike Mike]

Putz...yes, it looks like that's indeed the case. ... You mean LNT doesn't stand for Leave eNgraved Tablets?