My girlfriend and I just went hiking along one of the easier paths in Sycamore Canyon.
It was an easy trail for casual hikers like ourselves. Round trip it took us a little over an hour. The trail featured minor elevation and a few changes in biodiversity. Aside from the wonderful conversation and the fresh air, the plant life and the trail design captured my attention.
The beginning part of the trail featured a lot of cactus life. It surprised me how they grew in little patches along the hill. I’m sure the little moisture in the area was being drained in groups. As we walked further along the path, we saw large vines of golden leaves entangling all the trees. We had seen a warning about poison oak and suspected that it had infested a large region of the forest. Several trees were completely covered by the vines, losing out on any sun or water that might have once supported it.
Just a month ago, Vox released a video on trail design on how well made trails are invisibly designed for its users. As a designer, this fascinated me way more than an average person could be. I noticed the changes in elevation, the bumps and angles, the curves of the paths, and the surrounding markers. The ease of the path and the small changes made for a pleasant walk.
Without a video deep diving the design of trails, someone like me wouldn’t appreciate the simplicity and the undertaking in designing the trail I undertook. The first image in this post seems little more than a meandering line through terrain. And for many people, that is all hiking needs to be. In the relationship between designers and users, the best intercourse is often none at all. Thank you to Vox for highlighting such a simple, yet beautiful design topic. Thank you to my girlfriend for dragging me out from my computer desk. And thank you to California and America for supporting our access to nature and leisure. I love appreciating good design as a user, but more so I love understanding good design as a designer. I recommend sharing the video and sharing a hike. We could all use great simplicity.
Writing, Design, Poetry 