Trip Report Form filling help/guidance

General

This is the file to provide some guidance in filling out the trip report page. Explaining the used of each of the fields and what should be entered.

The resulting report will be broken down into two sections. The first section is the Summary. The in intent of the summary is to provide a good Technical summary. This will allow the reader to get an ideal of the trip route. It will be generated from many of the questions asked. The second part of the Trip report is the report for the day . This is expected to be a anecdotal expression of you experience on the trip.

This form is currently in a draft format. It hopes to be generic enough to allow entry of all different types. There may be areas that are report type (hike vs Canoe, etc) specific.

Sending a report may also be accomplished with Email. It is acceptable, that the reports follow any format desired by the sender. However, it should not contain frames, nor should it result in pop up windows. If the reports are emailed in it may take some time before they are included in the TrailCafe web page, due to other priorities. .

Regarding Advertisements. The reports may not have advertisements with in the main body, Banners, and graphical advertisements will be stripped, and the poster's IP address will be denied entry access. However, reference to outfitters, or guides that provided service are acceptable. At the bottom of the page please feel free to put in contact information if so inclined. The form has a section for adding an company contact for a single company, if more than one are required you may put them at the end of the document in the report field.

I'm currently not soliciting advertisements for revenue. If this changes in the future I'll try to keep them off the individual report pages, and I'll not allow pop-up advertisements.

Type of Trip:

The type of trip should be kept to one type. For example if you went on a 2 week canoe trip, that included some side trips hiking up a mountain. Then the trip type is Canoe trip. Within the canoe trip a paragraph or two about each hike is acceptable.

If a detailed trip report is done for the hikes, then it should be a separate trip report. This report can then be linked to the canoe trip report.

OTHER: If the check box for other is selected, then please include the other type the report is for, for example "Mountain Climbing", or Travel, or whatever it is. The trip will be logged in a "other" section on the web site. Once several reports of the same other type are collected, a new category will be added to the web site.

Maps

Ideally your trip report will include a map. hopefully annotated, so that events within the trip report are marked.

Please note the map will be oriented based on it's geometry, as square, or tall skinny map will be placed at the side portion of the summary, a 'panorama' map will be placed at the bottom of the summary. It will help if you try to have your maps at a reasonable size, they will be scaled otherwise. If the map file is reduced, it can make it difficult to read, so please try to ensure it is 50k or less.

Future upgrade: I hope to have a 'two' map system, where the first will be displayed on the page, and be a link to a second map. This will allow entries to have two layers of informations. For example the second map may be larger, annotated, a different scale, etc.

There are 'free' on-line sources for maps. For Canada http://toporama.cits.rncan.gc.ca/toporama_en.html is one site where you may find maps and modify and incorporate. These are maps for Canada.

Map Copy Right info

There are several sources of Maps on the Internet. If you are allowed to use them then there is often a copyright notice that must be retained. If so select from the list if you are using one of these map sources, or type it in the place provided. If you actually made the map yourself, select Author.

the Copy right information will be included with the map on the web page.

Uploading Files (maps and pictures)

The easiest way (on this site) to upload a file, is to ensure all your maps and pictures are in one directory, and use the "Browse" button to go to that directory. Once one is uploaded, the button will default to that same directory for the rest of the pictures.

*NOTE*: The contents of the Browse buttons are fogotten if you go back, you will have to reselect the files.

GPS files

The trip reports generated optionally allow the inclusion of GPS data Including the data will allow other users to then download it and use it as a resource for their own trips.

We are currenlty adding the capability to use the track from a trip to automatically generate a map for the trip, for inclusion in the trip report. A second feature that we are working on providing is the ability to have POI, Waypoints, shown on the same map. An the final benifit, is that when a GPS track is provided, which includes time, and photos are uploaded with time, an offset may be set to have links to photos included on the map. Each link is provided in the location where the photo was taken.

Upload Files: Track (or combined): Select the file from your local computer usign teh browse button to the side. Then please indicate the type of file it is, from the pull down menu. Currerently only GPS, Ozi Explorer, Fungawi, and mapsource file types are supported. The track file will be used as the core information in generating a map for the trip report

Upload Files: Waypoint files: Same input as for the track file above. The Waypoint information allows each way point to be placed on the generated map. For example, trail heads, parking lots, hazards, and the like.

Time Offset Camera relative to GPS: , This is used to allow determine the time, and hence the location on the track where uploaded pictures were taken. This is used to place a marker on the map for the pictures taken in the report.

Title

Required. The Title, should indicate the location of the trip. For example:
(canoing or kayaking): Bow River: Calgary To Carsland, Ghost Lake: North side
(Hiking): Temple Mtn., The tourist hwy.

Summary

This is a few sentences to summarise the trip, and the river or lake on which the trip occurred.This should expand on the title some what. For example: An easy float down this grade I section of the Bow river, allowing for lots of bird viewing, fantastic fishing.

This information is placed in the summary section.

Author's Name

Optional. This is placed in the summary section

The copyright for the work will be placed under the name provided here.

Todo: setup a profile for authors? allow pseudonyms?

Date of Trip

Optional.

Location

Required. The location is broken down to different levels. This is so that the trip reports can be grouped by location.

The minimum required resolution in the location field is to the province/state level. If no country is entered it is assumed to be Canada.

For the City/park/county/etc field please indicate what it is. example "Banff National Park" or "City of Calgary"

For Water way (river/lakes) please indicate which it is examples "Bow River, Barkley Sound, Pigeon lake, etc". for a multi water way trip, please use commas.

Distance

Required The distance of the hike, paddle etc, is considered key to the report's technical data please fill it in. Please indicate if km or Miles.

If the distance is an estimate (not from a book, map or GPS log) please indicate so with an "(est)" after the distance value. for example "20km (est.)"

Time Taken

The on trail time it took, feel free to add caveates like 'going fast', 'including lunch', etc.

Weather conditions

Optional. To give a feel for the conditions of the trip.

How to get to the set in/ Trail head.

Required. This is considered key technical data for the trip. This is to allow other people to run the same trip. Please start from a point that is well known, or marked on a map.

How to get to the take out / end point

Required. This is considered key technical data for the trip. This is for other people to work the logistics of running the same trip. If the trip is a 'loop', please indicate this here.

Trip partners

Optional. List of the people on your trip. Please get permission to put there names up. Include a number of people on the trip, if you don't put up the names.

Group Experience

Optional, but highly desired. An indication of the overall experience level of the group.

Author's Experience

Optional but highly desired. The intent is to get a reference point for the opinions on the trip.

Water Flow

Canoing only. Please give the water flow rate if known and units. for example 15 cms. Alternately, if you do not know the flow, but have a good feel for what is 'normal' on this river, please estimate the flow as Very High, High, Average, Low.

Rapids

As Applicable. List of rapids (named), including location/start indicators, rating, length, and preferred route if possible, portage side if applicable. Ather Hazard types should be listed here too, clarifying in the name field.

River/trail Grade

River Grade. River grade is an estimate of the river's level of difficulty, and danger. Typically it is given with the same description as the rapids (TBV). That is grade I - VI. I've added I+ and II+.

A grade II river may or may not have rapids of higher grade. If so, the + plus will indicate this. Please indicate any rapids of higher grade that the river grade in the "Rapids" section.

For hiking trails this will be grade from easy, moderate, difficult, easy scramble, moderate scramble, hard scramble.

Boat Style

Canoe, Sea Kayak, WW kayak, ... model

Trip Rating

Excellent, Very Good, good, average, fair poor, abysmal.

justification for the rating is provided in the two following fields. Please try to be objective.

Good Points

Some justification for the trip rating.

Bad Points

Some justification for the trip rating.

Author's E-mail

Optional. If provided the trip report will be sent to this email address. This address will be stored on the server. By default it will not appear on the web page, due to spam. You may select the "display Email" button, or the "display munged email" to have it displayed.

The munged email will replace all "."'s with the word "dot", and the "@" with "at", it will also add "munged" to the name, just prior to the the "@". thus johns@darkstar.space would become jonesmungedatdarkstardotspace. this should prevent spyders from pulling the email address off this site.

Please note, that any time you send you email on a non secure site (like this one) it may be intercepted by others. Thus feel free to 'munge' it yourself, and print as display normal.

The Report

Required. This is the guts of the report. I suggest typing it into an application that has spell check capabilities. once complete cut and past it in here.