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About This Website
Anyone who really knows me understands my attention is best kept if you can entertain me, or if you allow me to entertain you! My attention span is narrow at best, and if we’re not having fun, then I lose interest quickly.
I can’t tell a good joke, sing or play a musical instrument. I find that telling stories may be the only way to offer my friends a little entertainment.
So, like many other bloggers around the world, I’m compelled to share the story of my adventure with others. For those interested in hiking the AT, the Lucky Cowboy Chronicles will provide access to all I’ve learned an will learn. For others, those who’d rather be here than there, may they find a splinter of adventure in my daily ramblings. And finally, for those simply looking for a bit of amusement, hopefully, these chronicles will satisfy you, as I’ll try to make every entry an amusement of words and images.
The Team
Initially, I set up this site so that I could manage everything from the Trail. However, in the weeks prior to my departure, an opportuntiy to enlist local high school students has emerged. A team of students at Carencro High's Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) will compose the information and photos I send them into daily journal logs. It will include a wealth of information; some of it usual and some of it not so usual. Students will collect & compose the information and enter it using the Website Gadget content management tools. Prior, they will process photos to the proper size and resolution, they will generate the topo maps and 3D map animations. MapTech's Appalachian Trail map set is an awesome package. The team will simply enter my starting and ending coordinates each day and the map section is loaded. With a few clicks they can generate the maps and animations. They will use Macromedia Flash and Fireworks to finish these tasks. (See News section for Press Release and local newspaper article for more details.)
The Technology
Is it a BLOG, a website or an adventure journal? Well, web hipsters will say BLOG, and old-schoolers will say website. I prefer to think of it as an adventure journal. No matter the semantics, what I hope to achieve is an extensive documentation of my journey, including physical, psychological, geographic and anecdotal details.
BLOG Tools
This site is powered by the Website Gadget® system, a suite of easy to use website editing and content management tools created by Firefly Digital.. The suite makes adding and editing journal entries and web pages as easy as using a word processor. Especially in this case, the goal is to spend the very least amount of time behind the computer, and as much time on the trail.
Knowledgebase
Additionally, we are testing a revolutionary new web application Firefly designed to capture and share information about the Appalachian Trail. MIND!SHARE® is a search-engine styled knowledgebase. Results will provide available information. If you don’t find the results you’re seeking, then use the “Questions” tab and ask for an answer. The ultimate goal is to create an Appalachian Trail Encyclopedia.
No Promises
I am making no promises, though. I don’t know what will happen, really, and that’s the way I prefer it. Otherwise, I suppose it wouldn’t be much of an adventure. The only rule I’ve set for myself is that there are no rules. So, if this adventure journal runs dry, then it’s because I’ve fallen into the hands of Mother Nature, and she’s refuse to let me loose. In any case, during or following my trip, I plan to build this website and build the knowledgebase as a resource for those interested the AT and hiking it.
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