3 Helpful TIPS for Posting TRIPS

3 HELPFUL TIPS for POSTING TRIPS

Three tips for posting CMC trips at the new website

TIP #1

Using CMC Routes and Places.  When the new CMC website first started up, we wanted our trip leaders to post trips as easily as possible and where a proper Route and Place (R/P) did not already exist, to use a “TBD” R/P as a trip template.  Volunteers have been busy all year creating new R/Ps for the trips that used TDB,and then attaching the new R/P to your trip for future use. 

After over a year of creating R/P’s we have climbed from zero R/P’s at the website to now over 760 R/P’s, so it should be easier to find the correct R/P when you want to schedule a trip.  When searching for an R/P, sometimes fewer words are better than more words, at least to start.  Example:  “Woods” instead of “Woods Peak” or “Woods Mountain.”  We are hopeful that most trips now can be assigned to an existing R/P.  Of course, if necessary, we will continue to process any TBD’s as before. Please remember if you need to use “TBD” as a R/P, the summary in the trip setup will become the title for the trip.  Please keep the title to under 10 words if possible and use the Leader’s notes to more accurately describe the trip.

As a reminder, we suggest you review How to Schedule a Trip.  It assumes there is an appropriate R/P and includes info on how we decide whether a  location should be a R/P.

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TIP #2

Copying an Old Trip.  Unfortunately, the new website does not allow us to duplicate trips completely, but we can use old trips to help us describe new ones.  Sometimes viewing an old trip to the same place gives us helpful info -- stats, meet location, terrain observations, etc.  An R/P shows upcoming trips but not past trips. To find an old trip, yours or someone else’s, use the “Find Trips” (not “Trips”) pull-down menu and enter the trip name (the fewer words the better).  Usually, that shows upcoming trips, but if you need past trips, on the left side of the screen, go to the date selection to find the older trips. You can include past dates for, say one to two years, for your review. 

If you find an appropriate prior trip to use as an example, copy or bookmark that trip so it is available to you later in the process.  Next, check the old trip’s assigned route/place through the link above its trip map.  If you find one to match your desired trip, go there to set up a new trip.  You can cut and paste from the old trip text boxes as needed.  (Important note:  the R/P link may not work since some R/P’s have been superseded as part of the website R/P clean-up, but the R/P name in that title should work for a new R/P search.)  “TBD” is still available if a new R/P has not been updated on the trip that originally used “TBD”.

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TIP #3

Please keep your trip titles short!  Any explanatory information about the trip should be in the short Summary text box or in Leader’s Notes.  Putting more than minimum information in the title expands the CMC calendar day and makes it harder to navigate.  Also, please remember if you need to use “TBD” as a R/P, the summary in the trip setup will become the title for the trip.  Please keep the title to under 10 words if possible and use the Leader’s notes to more accurately describe the trip.

Here are some examples:

1. The following title should be “Basic Alpine Climb – Mt Sherman.” The rest (BOLD) can be in the Summary or (better) in Leader’s Notes.

BASIC ALPINE CLIMB – MT. SHERMAN SOUTH SLOPE - WINTER(ISH) ASCENT / COLD SHOULDER SEASON

2. In the following title, the BOLD, bracketed language should be in the Leader’s Notes. An abbreviated eligibility statement could be included the summary: “Must have completed ----- online course.”

HIKING – ------- FIELD DAY (---------) [PLEASE DO NOT SIGN-UP UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED ------- ONLINE COURSE. BE ADVISED: EVENT MAY BE CANCELLED OR RESCHEDULED IF STUDENT ENROLLMENT < 6.]

3. In the following title, use “RMNP” instead of spelled out name. Spell it out in the Leader Notes.

BASIC SNOWSHOE – (MOONLIGHT SNOWSHOE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK)

4. In the following title, after “Wilcox,” “Starting at…” (BOLD) should go in the Leader’s Notes.  The stats (BOLD / ITALICS) should go in the appropriate text boxes.

HIKING – PLACE HOLDER PLANNING TRIP. SQ TOP (13780FT) , ARGENTINE PK (13738 FT) , WILCOX STARTING AT GUANELLA PASS ENDING AT NAYLOR LAKE PARKING LOT. APPROX 4100 FT AND 12 MILES.

5. In the following title everything after “Bard Peak ’” could go in in the summary (BOLD) or in Leader ‘s Notes (BOLD/ITALICS).

ADVANCED SNOWSHOE – BARD PEAK 13642', SNOWSHOE AROUND HISTORIC LIMIT OF TWO AVALANCHE PATHS, CLIMB WINDSWEPT STEEP NW RIDGE OF ROBISON PEAK, PROCEED ON WINDSWEPT N RIDGE OF BARD PEAK. EXPECT EXTREME COLD WITH NO PROTECTION FROM WIND. 3840', 6.5 MILES. ICE AXE AND HELMET MANDATORY.

We appreciate your efforts to help us make our calendar as user friendly as possible!