For a long time, we've used SurveyMonkey.com to create simple online questionnaires.  But from the beginning there was one gotcha that always bugged me... SurveyMonkey.com does not offer any means of notification--no e-mail, no RSS, no API, nothing.  As a results, we were continually logging into SurveyMonkey.com to see if we had any new submissions.

Well, a couple weeks ago, we went a few days without checking and, as Murphy would suggest, we failed to notice a new RSS feed order for a few days.  That was the straw the broke the camel's back.  I went looking for an alternative solution--and I found a great one in Google Docs spreadsheets.

As it turns out, its is very easy to create a web form to that captures results into a Google Docs spreadsheet.  And since Google Docs provides a flexible mechanism for e-mail notification, sharing access with other users, online backup, access to data in multiple formats, this turned out to be a much better solution than SurveyMonkey.com.

So, with very little effort, I replaced the MyST Enterprise RSS Setup Questionnaire with a form that feeds into a secure Google Docs spreadsheet.  Now, the right folks within MyST get e-mail notification the moment a new submission occurs.

If you're looking for an easy-to-use form capture mechanism, take a look at Google Docs spreadsheets.

Two weeks ago today (Aug 6), I was at one of my (very many) favorite places on the Wonderland Trail--crossing the very impressive suspension bridge over the Tahoma Creek.

I had left Klapatche Park that morning en route for Devil's Dream camp and on the way down from Emerald Ridge, not long before arriving at the Tahoma Creek bridge, I was overtaken by first year backcountry ranger Scott Dekkers whom I had met two days before a Golden lakes.  Scott had left that morning from Golden Lakes and by ealy afternoon had caught up with me!  (For those of you unfamiliar with the terrain in that area, that's a heck of a haul covering on the order of 10,000 feet of climb, 12,000 feet of descent, and almost 20 miles.)

Anyway, Scott and I got to talking and I mentioned that I had crossed the old Tahoma Creek swinging bridge the first time I hiked the Wonderland back in 1993.  That conversation motivated me to assemble my collection of photos taken at the bride over the years.  The years 1993, 1994, and 1995 are particularly interesting as they show the transition from the old swinging bridge to a more substantial (and way less scary) suspension bridge.

Click any image below to see a larger image or browse the complete Tahoma Creek Bridge: 1993-2008 photo album.

1993: My first time around the Wonderland Trail turned out to be the last season for the old swinging bridge. I met John and Carolyn Russi the day before on the trail from Longmire to Devil's Dream. This is Carolyn coming across the bridge.

1994: A new bridge has been erected right over the old swinging bridge which now carries the ominous warning: DO NOT CROSS / EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS

1994: A nice view of both bridges spanning the Tahoma Glacier moraine. Here you can really see hou much more substantial the new new bridge is than the old one.

1995: In 1995 I hiked the "reverse loop" for the first time and approached the bridge from the Emerald Ridge side. By this time, the old bridge had been completely removed.

View from Panhandle Gap

Well, it was another great trip; 94 miles, 30,000 ft. of climb (and descent), 8 nights in the Mt. Rainier back country.  I snapped the shot shown here from my iPhone (Twittered it directly to the web) at a place called Panhandle Gap, the highest pass on on the Wonderland Trail, where I had lunch on the penultimate day of the hike.

The snow was heavier than usual this year (although way less than 1999) but did not create any real challenges.  I did carry ice ax and crampons (small ones) but only needed them once to climb 400 feet or so over a series of switchbacks that I lost under a snowfield on the (just below Klapatche Park).

With all the snow, all the lakes were in good shape (even those that often go dry in the summer) but the flowers were slightly below average.  Don't get me wrong, there were millions of flowers and the scents were intoxicating, but not at the peak levels I've seen in some years.

Overall, the weather was great.  It was a little colder than usual the first two days, then really quite warm (above average).  I had rain a few times, but needed the rain gear only a couple hours total.  There was just enough fog and low, swirling clouds to be interesting (and sometime, surrealistic) but never enough to hamper route finding.

I saw more bear than I normally do, including 4 (or maybe 5) new cubs.  All were from a safe distance except one which I noticed a little later than optimal.  Above the treeline on Cowlitz Divide, about a mile or so from the top, I encountered a solo bear just off the trail about 50 feet ahead of me.  I backed up a hundred feet or so, unhooked my ice ax from my pack and used it to tap against my hiking staff as I slowly resumed walking forward.  That was sufficiently annoying, I guess, as the bear strolled down the side of the ridge into the trees.

There's plenty more I could say about the trip, but I'll spare you for now.  (Be warned though, if I see you in person I'd be happy to walk you through a tour with the 401 photos I snapped. <g>)