A Sierra Club Trip Website;
Not how to do it, but Why
by Frank R. Leslie
6/13/98
Introduction
Many of the Sierra Club volunteers have access to
the World Wide Web (WWW). Aside from those with
home access, others may reach the net through
libraries, schools, or at work. Since websites offer a
choice of what you select to read, they differ from
email, where you must read it all to be certain you
saw all the items of interest. A website may present
information that you look at only occasionally, a
status page of high importance, and possibly lists.
The organization of a website thus can be tailored to
those who will look at it.
Website Basics
Website files are “hosted” on a distant computer
(server) where you “upload” your webpages. The site
address that you provide allows a user to read the
files without your intervention. A sequence of
“page-size” pages include underlined jump point
words (hypertext) that will jump to a different page.
This choice is what makes a website “interactive”.
Website Availability
Websites are often provided by Internet Service
Providers (ISP), but are also available from
Geocities, Anchor, and others. I like Geocities
because they have free sites and a very good editor.
your site is password protected (your choice) so only
you can change it. There is truly a virtual community
here, with lots of help in generating good webpages.
Construction
Websites use Hyper Text Markup Language
(HTML). You can make a webpage with the
commands directly in Microsoft “Word” ,
Notepad, etc., or use a translator program like
newer “Word”, or buy a webpage-making program
like Microsoft “Front Page”. There are also
freeware programs like ”BB Lite”  or others. I use
“Arachnophilia” , which is “careware”. You can use
it for free if you agree to care about people and make
life better for them. As examples, “<P>“ makes a new
paragraph, and “<BR>” is a break without a line
space. Don’t forget to draw out a map of what your
site will include and what will be linked to what before
you start creating the pages. Often, a “webmaster”
will create a set of dummy pages with only titles and
the links. This is where you will see the infamous
construction sign, which should be placed at the
hypertext link to warn viewers.
General Information
I originally had created a general website on Sierra
Club service trips and solar energy in remote areas.
As it developed, I shifted the focus from solar energy
to service trips. When I started leading trips, I
realized that this web approach was a way to extend
communications beyond the usual “welcome” and
“last instructions” snail mail letters. Since the details
are not particularly interesting to hikers in general, I
used a hyperlinked icon as link to the trip member
page. It’s also easy to pass this info to potential trip
members, relatives, and others.
Trip Member Communications
I include a welcome to the trip section with
updated information. There is a list of members’
cities and states with their initials and status. Do not
use their names on the website. (I use a separate
email list to advise that the website has been
updated and which section sometimes including the
substance of the change in the email. I also
distribute their names and addresses, etc., to them
so that they can contact each other.)
Since members vary from first-timers to the very
experienced, I include pages on field working safety,
trail maintenance in general, lightning safety, bridge
construction, etc. I also provide a generalized idea of
what will happen when during the trip. Some of these
are accessible from the main front page as they are
of general interest.
The most important section is a last-item-first
status list. As I learn more about the trail location,
camp, and work project from the ranger district, I
update the list to keep the members up to date. I try
to update this status about once a week as required.
Lists
There are a lot of lists that may be modified
occasionally. An equipment list is a good example. A
list may be printed and used as a check-off sheet
while you are packing. Other frequently used lists are
“Frequently Asked Questions”, known as “FAQs”.
Many trip members want the same question
answered, and this is the place to put the Q&As for
all.
Aside from the FAQs, there are other lists of links
that I accumulate that assist trip members in finding
lodging and transportation. You can also use a
search engine like “Metacrawler” to find others.
I’ve included some Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
for some lists. There is a GPS (Global Positioning
System) benchmark list for the Bears Ears Trail, WY.
This spreadsheet provides estimates of distance,
directions, and times for the hike in. It extends the
usual trail guide by providing topo map UTM
coordinates of the trail, turning points, and features.
Enter these benchmarks into a GPS receiver route
map, and the direction to the next “waypoint”, and
your receiver will display the direction and distance
to each waypoint in turn.
Maps
Maps provide immediate orientation to a
geographical subject. Various map services exist,
and allow you to construct the map on their website.
When you are satisfied with the size, centering, and
content, the map generator code will be emailed to
you to include (paste) into your website at the proper
place. This means that when the basic map is
improved by the mapping service, your readers will
see the latest version. Use a large scale map for
local details, but also provide a small scale map to
orient them to the whole area.
Copyright Considerations
Avoid the use of copyrighted material without
permission. Follow the same rules as with book or
magazines. Give photo credits. Even if not marked or
registered, documents are inherently copyrighted by
the generator or author. State at the end of your site
in what instances others may reproduce the page or
information.
Conclusion
A trip website allows ready publication of
information to most trip members. In certain
instances, the information may be mailed to those
who don’t have access, but this is better deferred to
the pretrip letter. The costs of postage limit the
weight and number of mailings, but a website permits
posting “the information buffet” for the reader to
choose. I’ve found this approach to be useful in
keeping the trip members up to date, and also in
marketing the trip to others.
References
Here are a few starting books:
Engst, Adam C.. Internet Starter Kit. Hayden
Books, Inc., Indianapolis, 640 pp., 1993 (with disk).
My first plunge into the Internet. [Macintosh]
Fox, David and Troy Browning. HTML Web
Publisher‘s Construction Kit. Waite Group Press,
Corte Madera CA, 693 pp., 1995 (with disk). [Mac &
PC, Unix]
Websites
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1270 for my
trip website. About halfway down the front page, click
on the green hiker icon next to the words “Guide
Lists” to jump to the my trip members’ somewhat
hidden page.
http://www.geocities.com for an excellent hosting
site
http://www.metacrawler.com for a good search
engine
http://www.proximus.com for map generator
Copyright Notice
Page copyrighted 1998 by Frank R. Leslie.
Sierra Club and its volunteers may freely reproduce
and distribute this material free of charge. Send
comments, recommendations, and updates to
fleslie@palmnet.net. This will also appear on my
Yosemite/1270 website for your downloading
convenience. (407) 768-6629.
A Sierra Club Trip Website;
Not how to do it, but Why
by Frank R. Leslie
6/13/98