Suggested Hiking Resource

[Greg]

This thread prompted this idea too. I'd like to get some discussion going on a "Suggested Hiking Resource". What should be included? I'm thinking some basic information (trails, length, difficulty, description). But perhaps we can also break this down based on type of hike, i.e.

• Dahike
• Basecamp
• Backpack

Also, I'll need some folks to contribute to these. We'll need to define what this will entail, but start thinking about some recommended hikes and please let me know if you can help. This will obviously be an ongoing project, but it could be a great way to get people thinking about hiking in the coming months.

Discuss!

[Stephen]

Some suggestions, not all shold necessarily be included

• reference White Mountain Guide page#'s (note which edition?)
• WMG map and cell #'s
• book time
• description written by AZ member (we don't want to run into copyright issues with WMG...)
• water sources
• links to nearby camping areas (tie-in to campground profiles???)
• other nearby hikes (perhaps use GPS co-ords assigned to each trailhead?)

-T

[riverc0il]

as much as i love skiing and love snow and love winter... i can't WAIT for the hiking trails to clear up from the snow pack and hiking season to begin (i know that's blasphemy to winter hikers, but eh, i'm a fair weather hiker only ).

i would be happy to contribute to the dayhike catagory.

i could envision such suggested hiking resources would be best listed as dayhike, basecamp, and backpack as greg listed out. and then further broken down into easy, moderate, and difficult (i know these types of ratings are subjective; however i think most hikes could be easily classified and will make it easier for people to find the "suggested hike" they want. perhaps add waterfalls and great views for minimumal effort too).

for the actual hike profile, starting off with bulletted stats is a good idea (distance, vert gain, trail names, book time, etc) then a few paragraphs describing the hike (NOT a trail guide - i.e. not written in the style of AMC Guide or 4000-footers - but rather an aesthetic walk through with special points of interest, etc. more of painting a picture and/or image rather than describing the hike.

follow the description with in depth details such as those that the8re listed (water sources, camping areas, possible loop additions, links to other suggested hikes nearby, off trail activities, lodging, food, GPS, etc.).

i think this is a great idea. most hiking resources seem to list a few "suggested hikes" but there's no comprehensive list online of suggested hikes. i think most people don't need a list, as they tend to do what i do: pull out a map and say "oooooooh, that looks interesting... what if i loop this trail with..." etc. or "i read this one on VFTT or AZ or AMC or whatever. but i bet a list would answer a lot of questions from people looking for certain hikes.

another thought: suggested hikes should almost always not be just suggesting a single trail to a single summit (with a few exceptions) but rather focusing on interesting ways to go, interesting things to see, interesting loops, interesting views (especially non-summit views), etc. easy hikes will primarily focus on summits by a single direct and short trail though of course. okay, i'm done rambling, those are my thoughts.

[salida]

I'm not sure how this would work. But how about if someone were to hike a trail in the summer, how about posting on the feasability of skiing that same trail in the winter. What the slope would look like and what not. This would be especially interesting to those hike-to-ski people. Thanks.

porter

[Greg]

Awesome suggestions. You guys rock. I agree, riverc0il. If we could put a large comprehensive list of Suggested Hikes together, for specifically the Northeast/New England, we would certainly offer something unique. Perhaps we can start with the "classics", Franc Ridge Loop, Jewel/Ammo, etc., but it would be great to have a list of literally hundreds of different hikes eventually.

the8re - any thoughts on a back-end for this? With the description component, it may be time to develop something with a mySQL back-end as oppsed to a text file, like the ski resort profiles. Any interest in undertaking that? The goal would be something very similar to the ski resort profiles, except pulling the data from a mySQL database. It might also be nice to store a few images (pics or maps - TopoZone?) in the database. It would also be great to have this searchable, based on Hike Type, Difficulty, State, maybe length/vert.

So, here's the information I think we should include:

• Hike Title
• Location/State
• Hike Type (Dayhike, Basecamp, Backpack)
• Difficulty (Difficult, Moderate, Easy) - again, purely subjective so no sense in getting too detailed here
• Trail List
• Trail Distances
• Vertical Gains
• WMG (or other guide) Page References
• Trail Map/Cell references
• WMG (or other guide) Book Times
• AZ Member Summary
• Water Sources
• Nearby Campgrounds
• GPS Coordinates
• Waterfalls
• Views
• Hike Variations

That's a pretty comprehensive list. My only concern would be getting enough interest in writing these to include all the above information. I think it's also important to automate this. Perhaps, we can create an online form for entering this information into a database which will sit in a "Pending" state before it's reviewed by an AZ "Editor", and perhaps only give contributing writers access to the form?

Any other thoughts?

[SilentCal]

I'd like to help out on this. Starting out with the "classics" would be the way to go. Would this section be strictly a White Mountain section or would there be perhaps sub-sections pertaining to state or region? I would definately include hikes for all ranges of ability as well. Sometimes a nice flat hike to a spot like Franconia Falls or Lowe's Bald Spot is just as nice as the higher peaks. I think it would be a great resource for beginners and maybe get some odd-ball hikes that one would never think of. Great overall idea!

[Stephen]

Greg,

That's all possible, including the admin approved form. I can also create an interface where admin can make edits.

Will need some ramp-up time to get the MySQL stuff down, and I have to finish my current project, which is an online roster/statistics management system for our church softball teams (we have 3 from my church). That is 75% done, should be another 2 weeks.

Plus don't forget we've still got the automated signups for FOT48.

Just throwing out a few numbers here:

complete current project: 2 weeks (ETA: April 8th)
Complete infrastructure and registration scripts for hikes: 2 months (ETA: June 8th)
automated registrations for FOT48: 1 month (July 4)
Display and search functions for hikes, 1.5 month (ETA August 18th)


To be honest, I'm thinking we can do either Campgrounds or Hikes, but probably not both this summer... unless I quit may dayjob and do this only. Hmmm.. perhaps it's time to setup a contracting position...

-T

[riverc0il]

perhaps sub-devide further between the essential hikes (e.g. the one's that always get suggested by everysite and everbody franc ridge, welch dickey, tucks/boott spur, etc), recommended hikes (these would involve lesser utilized one's special from AZ members), and finally odd ball hikes (including traverses, odd trail combos, etc).

maybe that's a bit much. i think a seperate section for the "essentials" would be a good idea though.

[Stephen]

Are we reproducing a lot of what's on Mohamed's Peakbagging the 4000 Footer Mountains of New England? Will we have anything different? Perhaps that we would potentially branch out to other hikes than just 4000 footers? Just something to consider...

-T

[Greg]

Originally Posted by SilentCal

I'd like to help out on this. Starting out with the "classics" would be the way to go. Would this section be strictly a White Mountain section or would there be perhaps sub-sections pertaining to state or region? I would definately include hikes for all ranges of ability as well. Sometimes a nice flat hike to a spot like Franconia Falls or Lowe's Bald Spot is just as nice as the higher peaks. I think it would be a great resource for beginners and maybe get some odd-ball hikes that one would never think of. Great overall idea!

Thanks SilentCal. I suppose initially there will be a lot of New Hampshire/Whites info, but I can envision this covering all of the Northeast (New England, NY, NJ, PA, ?). Basically the same coverage area as the skiing section now has. And yes, starter/novice hikes should be included.

Originally Posted by the8re

That's all possible, including the admin approved form. I can also create an interface where admin can make edits.

Will need some ramp-up time to get the MySQL stuff down, and I have to finish my current project, which is an online roster/statistics management system for our church softball teams (we have 3 from my church). That is 75% done, should be another 2 weeks.

Great! No problem.

Originally Posted by the8re

Plus don't forget we've still got the automated signups for FOT48.

Of course - but again, this could be text file-based.

Originally Posted by the8re

Just throwing out a few numbers here:

complete current project: 2 weeks (ETA: April 8th)
Complete infrastructure and registration scripts for hikes: 2 months (ETA: June 8th)
automated registrations for FOT48: 1 month (July 4)
Display and search functions for hikes, 1.5 month (ETA August 18th)

Great. I'll hold you to these dates then... I would like to start collecting data asap, however. Perhaps we can start with a simple form to do this (even if the data is put in a text file) for now? We should pin the field definitions (i.e. what will be included) down soon. Any additions/modifications to the above list?

Originally Posted by the8re

To be honest, I'm thinking we can do either Campgrounds or Hikes, but probably not both this summer... unless I quit may dayjob and do this only. Hmmm.. perhaps it's time to setup a contracting position...

I could easily pull off the campgrounds script based on the ski resort profiles script. No problem there. I think this is a slightly higher priority.

If this site was making me a lot of money, I would definitely contract you. For now, a thank you will have to do...

Originally Posted by riverc0il

perhaps sub-devide further between the essential hikes (e.g. the one's that always get suggested by everysite and everbody franc ridge, welch dickey, tucks/boott spur, etc), recommended hikes (these would involve lesser utilized one's special from AZ members), and finally odd ball hikes (including traverses, odd trail combos, etc).

maybe that's a bit much. i think a seperate section for the "essentials" would be a good idea though.

Agreed. Perhaps a simple "top pick" or "essential" icon, or something could suffice.

Originally Posted by the8re

Are we reproducing a lot of what's on Mohamed's Peakbagging the 4000 Footer Mountains of New England? Will we have anything different? Perhaps that we would potentially branch out to other hikes than just 4000 footers? Just something to consider...

Oh...absolutely. See above. I would like to extend this to all of New England/Northeast, most likely from the get-go. Perhaps, Mo would contribute to some of the "essential" hikes? I think what could make this different is a simple standard template that could be applied to all the hike suggestions. I think the Day Hike/Base Camp/Backpack designation is also unique. Also, Mo's site is geared towards peakbagging. This resource doesn't necessarily have to do just that.