[pct-l] PCT-L wiki

[ryan at hack.net (Ryan Brooks)]

I've been researching this as well.  It seems like a logical step for 
both the AT-L and PCT-L.  I'll be glad to assist, provide server space, 
coding, bandwidth, etc.

I was working on something of my own, based on an SQL backend, but an 
off the shelf Wiki seems so logical.   I've already registered 
"traildata" for this purpose.

I'm CC:ing both the PCT and AT lists.

Your humble host,

Ryan Brooks


Ilja Friedel wrote:

> Hi,
>
> many readers on this list actively search and collect information for 
> coming hikes. While this email list provides first hand experience and 
> social interaction, it lacks two dominant features:
>
> 1) FAQ: many questions arise again and again. The answers don't really 
> change, but "elders" get bored and drop out. Most readers compile 
> their own FAQs for an upcoming hike - but sharing happens infrequently.
>
> 2) Seasonal information: the status of springs, locations of caches, 
> mailing addresses, phone numbers, forest status etc. change during the 
> years - and often even during the hike. It would be nice to permit 
> easy, immediate and collaborative updating at a central place.
>
> A wiki is a form of a dynamic web site that permits these operations. 
> Every visitor of a wiki is allowed to change the information posted on 
> that web site. Therefore the maintaining effort is shared on many 
> shoulders and information accumulates and stays up-to-date. (For 
> instance the first hiker reaching independence could post conditions 
> on Forester pass for everybody that follows to read. Status of caches 
> and springs could be updated on a daily basis. There would be no need 
> of searching through hundreds of emails.)
>
> For this reason I propose the creation (or use of) a wiki. The most 
> famous is the wikipedia at 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail
>
> Now I'm not sure wikipedia would want to essentially become a forum 
> with so specialized knowledge. (They might not mind on the other hand 
> - and they have awfully nice technology under the hood.) One could 
> also set up a simpler system like pmwiki http://www.pmwiki.org/, that 
> runs under php on most webservers.
>
> I believe it makes a lot of sense to have a wiki devoted to the most 
> current trail conditions, phone numbers, etc. One could add long 
> distance hiking advice to it on the long run - but this is more 
> ambitious. (On the other hand most people destill it anyways from this 
> list - so it is just a matter of formatting.)
>
> Opinions, experiences?
>
>
> Ilja.
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