2 the Outdoors: High-tech hiking

TILLAMOOK STATE FOREST - It’s a rare fall morning when the sun is shining bright across a clear blue sky. 

On a day this nice Jeff Black and Jeff Statt waste little time to head for the hills and stroll a trail they’ve never traveled.

Statt said the adventure near Gales Creek Campground in the Tillamook State Forest is his “homework.”

“You know, most of us go outdoors to get away from technology and computers and the buzz and all that stuff. But on the other hand, people who would never go out to a certain location, when we see them take that first step, it’s such reward to us; that we had some hand in that.”

The team had their hands in the hiking hobby for years before it turned into an obsession.

The avid backpackers combined their savvy high tech knowledge with a passion for hiking to create a local Web site called “PortlandHikers.com.”

The interactive site allows visitors to find a hike, read the latest “trip report” and learn the ups and downs of the trail before setting a foot on it.

Jeff Black told KATU,  “It’s not just people that are going backpacking or hiking every weekend; it's people who just moved here and have never gone hiking. They can come to the Web site and get suggestions.

There’s more too – each hiker who signs aboard, (the site is free but requires registration) gets a gallery that holds up to 250 photos.

According to Black, “Reading a trip report is one thing, but to be able to view the pictures along with it, really completes the story.”

Statt added, “Maybe it's just an excuse to be outdoors and get some great shots. Boy, we've got some great photographers onboard too.”

The site has hundreds of members and it’s growing each week. That’s good news for Statt, a former teacher who loves to help others learn about the northwest.

“It really is great to see how this Web site has exceeded our expectations so far. We’ll keep doing it as long as we can continue to help and be a service to the community.”