Hey hikers! The weather is changing back to it's more "normal" course; wet, windy, cold, damp, icy and snowy. Many view the Pacific Northwest's winter months negatively, but most of us hikers here at portlandhikers.org view these long months as more of a challenge. Here's a couple of good websites to log your whereabouts in case any of us take a nasty fall from slippery treads, lose our headings in the fog or in the early darkness of evening.
http://www.iNeverSolo.com and
http://www.TrailNote.com. There's nothing like wandering over to the edge of a hill or cliff to get that beautiful photo for your sweet petunia at home, when, the water logged embankment gives way with you doing the downhill Kalabunga!
These two websites are free and after you log in you trip plans for the day(s), you're good to go. Then, should you not make it back by the deadline you provide, your loved ones (or anyone that you signify that you want contacted) will be contacted that you are late (missing
). I will be snowshoeing soon, so I'll definitely be using one of these.
Have fun out there, complete your challenges and most importantly, be extra safe.
Forestkeeper
