The National Park Service is trying to make trees more natural looking. It isn't because the are extremely obsessed with beautifying the Appalachian Trail, but it's to cover up hot-pink spray paint that has been added to white blazed trees and rocks along the trail. The new addition is believed to help mark half-mile intervals in the Cumberland Valley area. So the assumption is that a local athletic enthusiast has done this to help with training.
Park Ranger Todd Remaley says he hopes to find this person, or persons, not to prosecute, but to educate. Although this is a nice gesture I believe whoever is unintelligent enough to not understand that you shouldn't walk into the woods to spray trees with pink spray paint, should suffer consequences for this action. The volunteers and NPS are estimating continue work on these trees for two years to lose all resemblance of these markings. I think whoever caused this should clean all local privies until there is no more evidence of the pink blaze.
