Demise of PortlandHikers

[Splintercat]

@raven: PortlandHikers.org and OregonHikers.com will both be pointed to OregonHikers.org indefinitely.

Tom

[CampinCarl]

Not to be confused with William Sullivan's website, Oregonhiking.com

[DannyH]

I wanted to echo the sentiments of several members, but with a slightly different twist.

I love reading all the trip reports, they are so much more interesting and engaging than any guide book. Over the last 3 years, since I stumbled upon the site, I've shared trip reports and field guide entries with numerous students and families. As a fifth grade teacher in a small rural district outside Portland I'm consistently amazed how many kids have never been hiking. The trip reports all of you post have helped numerous kids realize how much fun hiking can be, and have helped to "unplug" a bunch of them. I've personally watched families evolve from living a sedentary lifestyle, to one filled with weekend adventures. A big thank you from me, and all of my kids that this site has helped!

Keep posting your adventures please

[Splintercat]

That's awesome to hear, Danny! Thanks for sharing that.

Tom

[Crusak]

I've been reading through the pages of discussion in this thread (12 pages so far!) and honestly I don't fully comprehend the negative feelings about the name change. What's in a name? Whether the forum is called "Jim's Hikers" or "Tom's Hikers" or "Pacific Northwest Hikers" it has no impact on the content, or who can choose to participate in the forum.

There are plenty of other things that bother me about Portland Hikers / Oregon Hikers, things more important than the name. My biggest issue is that I'm in the top 10 all-time posters and I still haven't received a free t-shirt!

It's sad to see the name change becoming such a negative and divisive issue. I hate seeing some great people leave the forum... Is there anything that can be done at this point to mediate the situation?

[Splintercat]

Jim, I think some of the strong reactions in this thread have kept people from weight in -- in fact, I know that because I've been getting PMs in support of the change, give that it's part of a plan to keep the forum thriving and around for a long time to come. My hope is that the folks who've reacted strongly will give the forum a chance! We went through a similar transition when we switched to the new software in 2008, and though change is hard, it's easy to see now that it was well worth the transition we went through back then (and it was a lot more sweeping, too, as we basically started over with entire forum).

Since I'm a perpetual optimist, I view some of the strong reactions from some of our regulars to be a good sign -- to the extent that people place a lot of value in the forum! I'm personally committed to making sure that the forum continues to provide that value, albeit with a slightly different banner at the top of the page. It's only going to get better, with time!

...working on your t-shirt, too...

Tom

[retired jerry]

I'm embarrased to be #1. I need a real life

1 retired jerry Wed May 28, 2008 11:03 pm 8725
2 Splintercat Wed May 28, 2008 11:03 pm 7393
3 Grannyhiker Wed May 28, 2008 11:03 pm 4564
4 kepPNW Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:55 am 4411
5 pdxgene Wed May 28, 2008 11:03 pm 4393
6 Eric Peterson Mon May 11, 2009 6:39 am 3873
7 jeffstatt Wed May 28, 2008 11:03 pm 3749
8 Jane Wed May 28, 2008 11:03 pm 3630
9 mayhem Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:46 pm 3547
10 Crusak Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:33 pm 3502

http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/mem ... &sk=d&sd=d

[Eric Peterson]

That's a lot of spamming on that list right there!

At least 2 of those spammers aren't around posting anymore too...

[Splintercat]

I'm embarrased to be #1. I need a real life...

Hey, you're retired, Jerry! Goes with the territory...! Me, on the other hand... well, I probably need to get more sleep!

Tom

[Splintercat]

BTW, Jerry - I'm sure that list reminded more than a few of us "of a certain age" of the high score list on [Frogger/Tempest/Centipede/Space Invaders/Joust/Asteroids]... I wept when George Costanza's Frogger machine was run down by a truck, destroying his record high score forever...

Tom