If this is in the US I would guess the city put a giant flashing "Share the Road" sign there for a while and everybody had to go around.
this post was submitted on 10 Jun 2025
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Desire Paths
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Desire paths Desire paths can be paths created as a consequence of erosion caused by human or animal foot-fall or traffic. The paths usually represent the shortest or most easily navigated routes between origins and destinations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_path
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The main path has a puddle there after rain. Source: British.
Could have been tree overgrowth that has since been pruned.
I do not think in the mud puddle theory. There is a moat right to the right where rain would drain. There is also no depression for holding any puddle.
I think there is a depression in the treeline and grass and also slightly on the road. I would say that there has been a broken/bend tree/bush laying in the way for over a year and was recently removed. There is no debre left, as the grass was also cut recently by a machine that also could have picked up any leaves.
it looks like there could have been metal posts at these spots, maybe a fence to only let pedestrians through, and cyclists started going around
Those are just leaves. No local authority would leave twisted metal pole bases ready to slice people's heels. Surely...
Low spot on the trail. When it rains, mud pit.
Found the hiker.
Oh, that's a good notion. My thought had been that it's a place where people often stop so it formed a bypass of sorts.
Hmmm maybe, but the left is on a slope. The real path is lower, why wouldn't the rain pool there?
Here's a baseless guess: someone dumped something big on the trail there for awhile and a path formed from the detour and never went away
The real path is the one that floods. When it's wet, people use the desire path to avoid the puddle.
Ohhh!! Duh, I totally misinterpreted that haha. I am fully on board with your theory now
Good point actually, that makes a lot of sense.
Or there was a barrier of sort there before, but now there isnt anymore.