Difference between revisions of "Creating a Hike page"
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
| Line 78: | Line 78: | ||
Examples of what you can list here include: | Examples of what you can list here include: | ||
| − | * Special fees, e.g. Northwest Forest Pass, Discover Pass, concessionaire fees | + | * Special fees, e.g. Northwest Forest Pass, Discover Pass, concessionaire fees |
| − | * Toll bridge fees on the drive to the trailhead | + | * Toll bridge fees on the drive to the trailhead |
* Hours open, e.g. for city parks | * Hours open, e.g. for city parks | ||
| − | * Pet policies, e.g. "Dogs on leash," or "No pets permitted | + | * Pet policies, e.g. "Dogs on leash," or "No pets permitted" |
Revision as of 01:59, 18 January 2018
To begin a new hike page:
- Log in to the Field Guide with your user name and password.
- Find a hike that you can use as a template. Criteria should include: a hike in the same general area; also something that was created in the past four or five years (See the History link to look at the work history).
- Click on the Edit link at the top of the page.
- Copy the entire html content from the dialog box.
- Type the new hike name in the Search Field Guide field. All hike names need to have a suffix, e.g. 'Hike', 'Loop Hike', 'Traverse Hike' (one-way or shuttle hikes), 'Snowshoe Hike', 'Add-on Hike' (hikes that are optional extensions to an existing hike). Hike names can always be changed later using the Move link.
- When you click Go, a page will come up with existing possibilities. Check the list in case your hike already exists under a different name. Otherwise, click on the link to your new hike that appears after Create the page.
- Paste the html content from your template hike into the blank dialog box and begin working! Save frequently or you might lose content.
The Hike page has several components and sections:
- Categories
- Hike Statistics
- Hike Description
- Fees, Regulations, Facilities
- Maps
- Trip Reports
- Related Discussions/ Q & A
- Guidebooks
- More Links
- Contributors
- Images
Contents |
Categories
Categories help users to find hikes using the Find a Hike! feature at the top of the page. Other categories are useful because a user can click on them to find other hikes and points of interest in the same area, e.g. Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness.
The categories are listed at the top of your html dialog box. In view mode, they are at the bottom of the page. See the Strawberry Mountain Hike as an example.
- Use as many categories as possible that fit the page you are creating. Make sure the categories you use fit the format already being applied in the Field Guide, e.g. 'Mount Saint Helens Area' not 'Mt. St. Helens Area.'
- A list of all the categories currently being used can be seen on the Categories page.
- A special category is 'Lost Hike.' This category appears at the top of the list for hikes that include abandoned and sketchy trail treads, e.g. the Thorp Creek Hike.
Creating new categories
There is usually no reason to create a new category. However, if there is a need, add the category to your list. When you have saved the page, click on the new category. Type something in the empty dialog box (e.g. Hikes and points of interest in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness) and save. Now the category is established.
Hike Statistics
The hike statistics appear in the top left of a hike page.
- Start point links to the trailhead page.
- End point links to the final destination. On a loop hike this will be more or less the halfway point.
- Trail log is optional. Leave this blank if you aren't going to do it. If you do construct a trail log, it will have to be from GPS-based data; example of a Trail Log: Wahtum Lake via Herman Creek Hike/Log.
- Hike Type : "In and out," "Loop," "Lollipop loop," etc.
- Distance is given in miles.
- High Point is the highest elevation on a hike.
- Elevation Gain is the total elevation gain on the uphill parts of the hike (both going and returning if it's an up and down hike).
- Difficulty will be "Easy," "Moderate," or "Difficult." This is subjective, but think about the normal type of hiker, not your own particular standards.
- Seasons is a brief description of when it's possible to hike the trail without snow or outside an official closure period, e.g. "Early summer to mid-fall."
- Family Friendly takes into account those with young children. Put "Yes," "No," or maybe "Yes, for older kids."
- Backpackable is for longer hikes with backcountry campsites and water. Put a simple "Yes" or "No."
- Crowded For popular hikes, write "Yes." You can also be nuanced, e.g. "not after Little Strawberry Lake."
Hike Description
The hike description is a multi-paragraph chronological account of the hike in objective fashion (It is not a Trip Report!). Here are some points to consider:
- Begin with a "hook," a one- or two-paragraph introduction to the hike that summarizes its high points and gives interesting background information.
- Then describe the hike from the trailhead to the final destination. Use paragraph breaks at salient points on the trail.
- Add interesting or useful details where relevant, e.g. a description of an obscure junction or a brief history of a lookout.
- Make sure you have links to your junctions and points of interest along the way.
- Also link to distant points mentioned in the description, e.g. Mount Hood, Big Slide Lake.
- Use your own words. Do not plagiarize!
- Write in complete sentences using user-friendly, grammatical prose.
- A day or two after you write the description, read it through carefully and correct any typos, etc.
Fees, Regulations, Facilities
Examples of what you can list here include:
- Special fees, e.g. Northwest Forest Pass, Discover Pass, concessionaire fees
- Toll bridge fees on the drive to the trailhead
- Hours open, e.g. for city parks
- Pet policies, e.g. "Dogs on leash," or "No pets permitted"