I would like to thank Don Myers. Over and above his duties as my "mail-drop guy", he helped with this website by transcribing many of my journal entries during my trip.
Paul Toth posted those journal entries to his website, along with my email updates, and Rick's Story.
Phil Poirier created a page on our hiking club's website and posted my email updates there. He also created the map graphic of my route, and has given me early feedback on load times and browser compatibility.
Lauren Post, Information Assistant at the ATC, has been quite helpful in supplying some statistical information. She also identified for me the name of the Walt Whitman poem quoted by his statue in Bear Mountain Trailside Zoo, NY.
This was my first attempt at creating a website. In order to teach myself HTML, I made use of a web-based tutorial at Pagetutor.com , which I highly recommend for beginners like myself.
In the design of this site I have avoided using frames, because I dislike them. I have tried to keep my graphics small in size in order to speed page-loading time.
I also needed help in making the best use of my scanner, and I found a great source of instruction at Scanning Tips.
I used a text-based HTML editor. The one I used is the older, freeware version of Homesite, because that is what I had. It seemed quite functional, although I assume the newer, shareware version is much improved.
All of my photos were taken with a very compact, point-and-shoot camera, the Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80. I scanned in the 4x6 prints using an HP ScanJet 6200. I used Adobe Photodeluxe to cleanup, sharpen, resize, and convert the image files to JPGs. My emphasis was less on quality and more on making the files small so they would download quickly.
I've also made use of the excellent freeware graphics editor, IrfanView.
The search tool on the Writings page is courtesy of Freefind.
The hit counter I am currently using for this website is provided by Site Meter.
Although all of the photos on this website are my work, some of the graphics I have used are the intellectual property of others. I hope they wont mind as this is a non-commercial site meant only to entertain or inform. In particular, my use of various AT symbols does not indicate any official endorsement on the part of the ATC, the NPS, or any other organization. While I am currently a member of the ATC, the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I will promptly remove any graphic image I have borrowed at the request of the author.
