County highpoint trip reports should provide valuable information to the reader intent on visiting the corresponding highpoints. Although personal anecdotes of unique experiences provide interesting reading, they are considered additional material in a report, i.e. not as a replacement for key content.

Key content includes, but is not restricted to the following -

• Trip report author, date(s) of ascent (not the date of writing), and the county name with state. These items must be included.

• Explicit instructions for approach to the highpoint area, generally by road navigation. Specific road junctions should be cited, along with distances to the tenth-mile, between these and other significant navigational waypoints. Such a road log is easily prepared upon return from the highpoint.

• Explicit description of the trailhead location and all subsequent key locations on the hiking / climbing route to the highpoint(s). Hyperlink(s) to Acme.com-derived chart(s) may be provided to clarify key feature(s).

• When applicable, a description of difficult, strenuous, or possibly technical route sections. Estimation of total hiking distance, total elevation gain (including uphill sections on return to the trailhead), and total hiking time is desirable.

• When applicable, a description of access issues - preferably with landowner contact information such as address and telephone number.

• When applicable, a description of seasonal issues, i.e. the advantages and/or disadvantages of visiting the given highpoint(s) at the chosen time. Every part of the country has a preferred hiking/climbing season depending upon such factors as temperature, snowpack, water availability, dense foliage, insects, hunting season, and "open dates".

For any of the above instructions the following principle applies:

Provided conditions have not changed markedly from a previously submitted report, an author may cite said report in preference to a redundant repetition of instructions.

The same considerations apply if a well-known guidebook provides adequate information. This is often the case if the county highpoint is also a state highpoint. Here, it is generally sufficient to cite published reference(s), so leaving the author free to describe his personal experiences if desired.

Every person has a unique writing style. It is hoped that the above recommendations will not straightjacket authors in such a fashion as to preclude individual styles from display. If you enjoy describing the celebratory meal or beer bust, please do so. If you enjoy describing the local color and history of the highpoint area, by all means. However these items are "extra credit" that should not displace the valuable information described above.

Although this author is clearly biased in the choice, he (not so humbly!) offers this trip report as conforming to all recommendations set forth here.