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Craig's PCT Planning Program
History with useful and useless details:
For my 1996 PCT hike, I created a large Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file using the 1,938 datapoints
from both volumes of the PCT guidebooks. This planning program utilizes these data points for trip calculation and graph plots. If you would like printed copies of these datapoints, Ben Go has created these datasheets/cross section graphs and compiled them into the PCT Data Book which is available from the PCTA store.
Brick Robbins originally supplied me with the idea for a web-based PCT planning program in July of 1997. Since I had more time on my hands than he did, I decided writing a web-based PCT planning program would be a good way to get back into computer programming. The following month I wrote a large majority of the program at my Aunt and Uncle's cabin in Alaska. I didn't have a computer (or electricity), just 150 sheets of notebook paper and learning the Perl programming languagem, so development was "slow" to say the least. I spent the next six months (full of anti-social behavior and a playground load of potty-mouth language) working on the program and placed version 1.0 online on 12/16/97. This served as a historical day in that the world no longer had to rely on basic math and reading skills when planning a PCT hike. Now there was a web-based application that would do all of the dirty work with simple clicks of the mouse. Over the next few months I added a few new features, one of which was a cross section graph generator which nearly doubled the size of the Planning Program's code. For the next 2.5 years I put the program on the back burner while I finished up a computer science degree from Portland State University in sometimes cloudy Portland, OR. I began work on the new version of the PCT Planning Program in the summer of 2000.
REVISION HISTORY
4/15/01 - Version 3.0 placed online at http://pctplanner.com.
7/15/00 - Author removes outlandish comment from planning site stating that the new version of the planning
program would be online in July 1999.
6/20/99 - $21.8 million buyout offer turned down.
10/15/98 - Minor code change for new ISP
9/3/98 - Redesigned PCT Planning Program's webpages
6/22/98 - Added maps to post office section. Moved to newestindustry.com
1/29/98 - Added cross-section graph generator
1/6/98 - Pooh Corner added to post office / resupply section
1/3/98 - Added the option to hike at a slower pace for the first days of your hike
12/31/97 - Sonora Pass added as a resupply option
12/16/97 - Program placed online
Nitpicky FAQ:
- Where is the trail data from?
  
The 1,933 trail data points utilized by this program are derived from the two guidebooks of the PCT,
The Pacific Crest Trail.
The data was typed into a spreadsheet by yours truly during one very long weekend.
These guidebooks are availble from the PCTA Store and
can be ordered by most bookstores.
- What routes does the trail data use?
The data follows the standard PCT route as listed in the guidebooks. The only
exception is at Crater Lake, OR. This program uses the mileage for the
"official alternate route" up around the rim of Crater Lake. Most PCT
hikers take this route because of its scenic beauty and it adds another resupply option. I left out many alternate routes mentioned in the guidebook, such as the sidetrip to Mt. Whitney in California and Diamond Lake Resort in Oregon due to usability concernts. However, I did provide provisions so you can an extra distance to sections of trail to adjust your hike for these alternate routes.
- Your trail distance is off, why?
The length of the PCT is one of great debate. It was listed as 2,638 miles
for a long time. Along the PCT, the total distance listed on signs can be up to 300 miles off.
If you take the mileage on page 42 from both guidebooks,
it adds up to 2665.0 miles. When I compiled the data points
the distance added up to 2663.2 miles. Most of this was caused by a mileage descrepancy centered around Section H of the California Guidebook.
This program displays 2658.5 miles instead of 2663.2 miles is because this program uses the
"Official Crater Lake Alternate Route", which is 4.7 miles shorter.
- How long did it take you do write this program?
About 200-300 hours or so. This includes all of the countless changes to the design and code. I rewrote the code three times to the point where it is clean enough to eat off of.
- What took this release so damn long?
I put the intitial program online right before I went back to PSU to finish up a Computer Science degree. Life and pretty much everything was on hold until June of last year. After I graduated I made an online version of The Pacific Crest Trailway, which is a PCT guidebook from 1946.
- What programming languages did you use?
The current version of the planning program is written in a web scripting language called PHP. The saving of the hiking plans, message board, and useless statistics are handled with a database server package called MySQL. All of the code was written in unix text editor called Emacs.
Cool stuff:
- The Pacific Crest Trailway
This is an online version of a PCT guidebook from 1946. I placed this online during the summer of 2000.
- The Pacific Crest Trail Association
- Walking the West
A documentary about walking the PCT.
- Paul's Husker Du Pages
Doesn't really have anything to do with PCT hiking, but I thought I'd at least plug my favorite band here.
- Humanclock.com
Doesn't really have anything to do with PCT hiking either, but I do have photos of a couple PCT hikers on there. I built this site after writing the current version of the PCT program, which explains the lack of updates here. Wait, there are a few clock pictures taken on the PCT and I have clock pictures of a few thru-hikers...so I guess this site is somewhat related to this one!
- Lunky.com
Between February 2002 and March 2003 I rode my bicycle about 13,000 miles around the Australian continent. This is a day by day account of the trip with journal entries and about 12,000 photos for your viewing pleasure.
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