Revision as of 16:38, 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

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 style 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

You will only rarely create a new category. An exception is if you are working in a totally new region for the Field Guide. If there is a need to create a new category, 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.

Example: See the list of Categories for the Mount Adams Summit Hike.

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."

Example: See the Hike Statistics for the Judge Waldo Tree Hike.

Hike Description

The hike description is a multi-paragraph chronological account of the hike written in objective fashion (It is not a Trip Report!). Here are some points to consider:

• It's highly recommended that you write up your hike description, and perhaps statistics about the hike, soon after you have hiked the trail and save it in a Word document.
• 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 complete sentences in conventional, grammatical prose.
• A day or two after you have posted the description, read it through carefully in Page mode, and take notes on any corrections to be made.

Example: See the Hike Description for the Harrys Ridge Hike.

Fees, Regulations, Facilities

Examples of what you can list here include:

• Special fees, e.g. Northwest Forest Pass, Discover Pass, State Parks fees, concessionaire fees
• Toll bridge fees on the drive to the trailhead
• Self-issued wilderness permits
• Hours open, e.g. for city parks
• Seasonal closures
• Seasonal trail conditions
• Pet policies, e.g. "Dogs on leash" or "No pets permitted"
• Share the trail situations, e.g. with bicycles or horses
• Facilities, such as restrooms, picnic tables
• Other features, such as visitor centers, interpretive trails

Example: See the Fees, Regulations section for the Jackson Bottom Loop Hike.

Maps

This is a list of maps that include the route described. Some can be found online and some can be purchased. The list does not have to be comprehensive, just what you know or are able to find out.

• Begin the Maps section with the Hike Finder. Here put coordinates that refer to some point on the hike. The Hike Finder links to that spot on Google Maps.
• List maps that you can link to. These can include city, county, state park, and Forest Service online maps.
• List maps that can be purchased. These can include privately-issued maps, such as those by Green Trails or Sky Island Graphics, or maps produced by government departments, such as Forest Service maps.

Example: See the Maps section for the Lake Lenore Hike.

Trip Reports

Those posting reports in the Trip Reports forum are able to link their post to a hike if it is already in the Field Guide.

However, if you are creating a new hike, you can search for Oregon Hikers' trip reports from past years and link to them here.

Example: See the Trip Reports section of the Paradise Park Hike.

Related Discussions/ Q & A

Users were able to link specific questions and discussions relating to a hike or trail here. When creating a new hike page, this is where you can link to these kinds of discussion on the Oregon Hikers forums.

Example: See the Related Discussions/ Q & A section of the Burnt Lake Hike.

Guidebooks

List all guidebooks you know about which feature the hike. Guidebooks do not have to be current and can be out of print. The title and author(s) are all you need to have. Title should be in italics (in html, two apostrophes on either side of the title).

Example: See the list of Guidebooks for the Hurricane Hill Hike.

More Links

Compile a list of outside links that you think may be useful to the user. You can link to these kinds of pages/sites:

• Official agency sites, e.g. the Forest Service page for a particular trail or the official State Parks page.
• Hiking organization pages for the hike, e.g. the Washington Trails Association page for the hike
• Personal accounts of the hike online, e.g. on a personal blog.
• Pages that offer more detail on a particular feature of the hike, e.g. a summit, a waterfall, a lookout tower, a historic building.
• Sites that give more background or history of the area.
• Online news articles relating to the hike or its features.

Example: See the More Links list for the Ona Beach to Seal Rock Hike.

Contributors

If you have completed a new page, list yourself as the creator. If you have added significantly to an existing page, you can list yourself under the creator's name.

Example: See the Contributors for the Hamilton Mountain Loop Hike.

As an editor, you can create a profile page for yourself; for example, see CFM's profile page.

Images

The last items you will probably add to your hike page are the images: photos and a map.

Photos

• The page will probably include three to six photos, to fit the length of the page. Photos will form the right border of the page.
• Save photos as .jpg or .png
• Download photos in a relatively small size, e.g. 40 - 100 KB.
• The first photo, if a horizontal rectangle, will be 400 px in length; if a vertical rectangle, it will be 260 px in width.
• All other photos will be 250 px and 160 px respectively.
• Photos need to be uploaded with a file name.
• The caption needs to be clear.
• The photographer needs to be credited; use parentheses and italics (two apostrophes before and after the name).
• You can use someone else's photos if they give permission and you give them credit (PM forum users and ask nicely for their pictures).
• Do NOT use a picture without the photographer's permission.

Example: See the pictures for the Table Mountain from Bonneville Hike.

Map

• The map can be downloaded from a GPS device, but it has to be smaller than 2 MB in size. You can compress using online freeware like TinyPNG.

Example: See the map for the Wilson River Traverse Hike.

• You can create your own maps if you like using online freeware like Caltopo or Google Maps; if tracing trails and labeling, try using Paintbrush (Mac only). Again, your map has to be smaller than 2 MB to upload to the Field Guide. Give credit to the source of your map. Note if it is a drawn map rather than a GPS track.

Example: See the map for the Newton Road to Newberry Road Hike.

 Editing the Field Guide  |   Creating a Trailhead page  |   Creating a Destination page  |   Creating a Junction page