HikeLosAngeles

[branch]

Hi All

I've been a lurker in here and a Los Padres explorer for awhile now. Recently, I noticed that my home forest (Angeles) doesn't have nearly as good of resources as Los Padres does, which is paradoxical. The thing I noticed the most is the lack of an equivalent website of HikeLosPadres. That's why I set out to build one for Los Angeles, starting in August. It's quite a task.
The first thing I noticed is the Forest Service data is... inadequate.... So, I'm pulling from OpenStreetMap data defined by the Angeles National Forest range, which at least had a good amount of user-contributed changes. Backcountry Camps I'm pulling from a Caltopo map (unprofessional, I know, yet surprisingly official-looking). Spring & Peak data USGS has good records for the county as a whole.
Now the biggest obstacle after getting all the map functions working more or less, is writing solid descriptions for each trail, campsite, peak, etc. My experienced is confined to my section of the San Gabriels. If anyone has traversed many sites and trails and would be willing to help me write some descriptions, I would deeply appreciate it.
This is a labor of love, mostly because so many trails go untraveled these days, I wanted to make the knowledge of their existence more readily available. While stealing AllTrails descriptions is always a possibility, I would appreciate the generosity of anyone on here to help go beyond that data.

If you would like to help out, please Private Message me what area of the forest you're most experienced with and I could give you a list of some descriptions to make. Or, even PM me if you'd like to see my prototype of the website so far and offer advice. Thank you all very very much.

Peace! -Branch

[Taco]

Howdy!

I have but one small bit to share. I hope that a lot of the range remains a mystery, and that less information is available. We have a lot of information on our site, which one must dig through like a big book. As I’ve grown older I’ve left more out and let those who wish to learn more do so on their feet instead of the internet. I have a great deal of experience in the hardest parts of the range to access in all weather. I have written much on these places, though I often leave many things rather vague so that future visitors must have an adventure to reach them.

I do not want more unprepared people visiting the range, especially considering humanity’s propensity towards reliance on technology, the weakness and lack of intestinal fortitude it brings, and the calls for more closures of places such as Baldy due to the ‘instagram effect’. Perhaps your site will not be this way or promote these things, but I worry.

Please do not take this wrong. I mean no disrespect. I do not like the effect the proliferation of information on natural places has had due to more modern internet information sources.

Cheers.

[David R]

I look at it the opposite way, there is so little about the Los Padres that many post on that site because there is nothing else. Much of what is on that site is also quite old and not really relevant. Most trails in the Angeles on the other hand are trafficked significantly more and can be found on AllTrails with regular updates. There is also significant social media presence for lesser known routes and xcountry routes. The Angeles by and large is widely documented compared to the Los Padres and there is not much of a need for a one size fits all repository even though AllTrails is getting pretty close to that already.