(1) A trail built with a bed raised above wet, boggy areas, done so by placing mineral soil over fabric between parallel side logs or rocks that run along the edges of the trail tread.
The tread must be "crowned" or raised in the center to enhance runoff, and small ditches usually run along the sides to provide even more drainage.
(2) Or, try this...A turnpike is a road or trail constructed from a combination of gravel, soil, and other filler to make the tread higher than the surrounding water table. Turnpikes are useful in low-lying areas with poor drainage. Boardwalks (See the picture?) are often used instead of turnpikes to accomplish the same goal. So there. (Calm down — it's just a path.)
(3) An overused trail, mostly for getting casual amblers to the more trendy and scenic (i.e., "money shot") backcountry. Turnpikes are often flat, wide, at least sort-of paved, and pretty much always crowded, these days with way too many selfie-clicking idiots.
Examples:
(1) The turnpike allowed us to keep our feet dry, and we also managed to stay out of reach of the bog monster, though we threw it all our spare food, just to be extra safe.
(2) A turnpike sounds fancy (and dangerous in a high-speed way), but it's only something to help keep your feet dry while avoiding the bog monsters.
Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@gmail.com
Me? Lost my pike when I turned around. Oh, well...
Etc...
so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
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