Website-related

Note the new tab at the top called "Hikes (map)".   I've been wanting to implement this before putting up the 30 or more backlogged hikes (with 100's of new photos).  So, the map navigation is now in place.  It was actually easier than I anticipated.  For those who are into websites, this was done with the Drupal Gmap module (for version 6.x), which basically provides a filter to turn basic map info into Google Maps code.  Maybe later I'll add popup photos and other features...  for now it provides a popup of the hike name/location and a link to the description and/or photos. 

Good navigation is a priority.  When someone first visits the site, its not immediately obvious that there are over 600 photos and other stuff here.   Suggestions welcome!   -jc

This site started as a simple journal of hikes and photos listed by date.  However, this structure quickly became unwieldy and a reorganization was needed.   I've been holding back from posting photos/descriptions of 30+ hikes until this was done.    As of tonight the site has been restructured and the backlogged hike descriptions and photos will be added soon.  The OT section especially has been restructured so that hikes are listed by trail section and segment.  In addition, the trail listings (see tabs at top) have been 'automated' to include new listings automatically as they are added.  Feel free to comment on any page or hike.  

What's here now?   At present, before adding the new backlogged hikes, there are about 25 hike listings with either hike descriptions, photos or both, over 650 hike photos and multiple maps.

So far this month, in the first 25 days of August, there have been 460 unique visitors, 1450 visits. 17,133 page views and 55,103 'hits'.   In July there were 629 unique visitors to this site.  I guess that's not too bad for an obscure Ouachita Mountain hiking website.   Feedback, as always, is welcome.  Look for some of those 30+ backlogged hikes to be added soon.  -jc  August 25, 2008

Sad reality:

It is sad and unfortunate, but these days a "legal disclaimer" for a website is necessary.    

Disclaimer of Warranty and Limitation of Liability:

There are two main "areas" of this website...   the text pages (where you are now) and the photo gallery.  Most of the "content" is in the photo galleries.

Text pages:     Mainly hike descriptions, all of which are linked to photo pages.  There are pages for the Ouachita Trail specifically, divided by section.  Anyone can add a comment.  There are external links and there's also a forum, recently activated, but rarely used (so far).  In the near future I hope to include GPS maps and other info of interest to hikers/backpackers.

Video capability has now been added to the photo gallery.   Click HERE for an example.   Most of the video is shot with a little Panasonic DMC-FX30 pocket snapshot camera.  The originals were converted to FLV (flash video) and have "film" lines on each side of the thumbnail to distinguish them from still photos.  -jc

OHJ has a new photo gallery as of March 26, 2008.   The old photo gallery program didn't easily allow for categories, subalbums and other features, so the software was changed.  The new photo gallery allows for categories, subcategories, cross links from each page back to the hike descriptions, photo tagging, video, etc. 

The new photo gallery has several upgrade features:

• Photos are categorized by topic such as Ouachita Trail, other hikes (divided into off-trail and on-trail), etc.
• Each photo album is linked to a detailed description page (when there is one)
• Search is much better.  Can search comments, titles, etc.
• Tags and tag cloud searching
• More photo size options.

Also, this page (the OHJ site home page) is due for an overhaul.   When I get a free minute I'm planning to reorganize this page in the same way, by categores, topics, etc...   all on one page.   Suggestions welcome.    -jc

Today (Feb 16, 2008) I upgraded the site CMS to Drupal 6.0 and changed the 'theme'.   Perhaps this new 'look' will be a bit more useful.  Also, the FORUM module was activated.   Several people have asked for a forum, so it may turn out to be of interest.   We'll see. 

Today's upgrade of the site will allow immediate posting (posts will not have to be pre-approved by a moderator)...   for comments and in the forum.      -jc

Ouachita Hiking Journal was started 1 year ago.   In that year (2007) this site received roughly 12,000 visits from about 1,400 unique visitors.  Most referrals came from the Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FOoT) website, which kindly provides a link to OHJ.  The next most popular referral source was Google.   I guess that's not bad for a little website about hiking in part of Arkansas.   It is probably worth restating that the purpose of OHJ is simply to provide a resource for hikers interested in the Ouachita Mountains.   The photos are intended to show what these various places look like in all seasons and under various conditions.   The hike descriptions (both here and in the photo captions) are intended to provide a rough idea of what the trail or hiking area is like.   As most hikers are always looking for new places to explore, OHJ provides a place to get ideas and suggestions.    I hope at least a few people have found it interesting and use

It's been a busy last few months and new hikes have not been added for a while.  I hope to find time soon to update with more hikes and photos. 

In the mean time, the OHJ Photo Gallery software and theme have been updated to the latest versions.   The "theme" I was previously using is no longer supported, so I switched to a new Zenphoto theme.   The advantages of all this are a) subalbums, b) tags, c) search capability and d) viewers can now leave a comment under any photo.   Search is implemented and the commenting feature is implemented.    The tags feature (not quite yet implemented) will allow tagging of photos and easy search by tag cloud.  The subalbum feature (also not yet enabled) will allow classification of hikes into categories like "Ouachita Trail" and make the Photo Gallery more easily accessible.   Anyway, I have many stored hike maps and photos...   just need time up upload.   -jc

A new feature has been added to this site...  Google Earth!     Starting with an OT hike on October 14th, the GPS track for the hike is also available as a KMZ file, which will open up in Google Earth and show the track on the map, on aerial photos and can even be viewed in a 3-dimensional, dyanamic view that allows you to "fly" over the terrain.   Of course, you have to have Google Earth loaded and working on your computer.    Screenshots are shown in the photo gallery.  

Google Earth is amazing. For those not familiar with it, the compass and bar in the upper right corner of the screen allows the viewpoint orientation to be changed as well as the 3-d perspective. After the direction and elevation perspective are chosen, the mouse can be used to move the 3-d map, simulating a "fly over" of the area.