-Hobbies- Hiking, camping, backpacking, mountain biking, swimming, gardening, computers, cars, rowing, traveling, skiing, driving, photography, grilling, cooking, and of course women.

I try to go on at least one overnight camping trip every month—preferably somewhere new. I prefer to backpack, but when visiting some new areas only car camping is permitted. I used to be an avid mountain biker but since I moved to Ohio, where there are no mountains, I've been doing more hiking than biking. To stay in shape I try to mountain bike or row three times a week—however, this doesn't always happen.

-Web of Trust- It is not hard to get added to my web of trust. You must have over 10 reviews, 90% of which must be rated very helpful. In turn you should also have a strong web of trust. You must write a new review at least every three months. I must also notice an effort in your writing. Writers who put their heart and soul into their writing are the writers I want on my web of trust. Writers who write reviews for money, plagiarize, or put no experience in their reviews will not be added to my web of trust. Epinions is about opinions and ultimately personal experience. It is not about taking the specs off of a product and writing a review. Keywords: personal experience. Also, I don't check my WOT very much. If you add me to your WOT please email me and let me know! Otherwise I might not see you on my list!

If you add me to your WOT send me an email or leave me a review comment to let me know. I will then look at your reviews and add you to my WOT if you meet the requirements above. I don't check my WOT everyday so if you add me and I don't immediately add you, give me some time to check your reviews! An email letting me know is always helpful.

If you remove me from your web of trust I may not notice but I would like to know why. Please send me an email.

-Want me to rate your reviews?- LEAVE A COMMENT on one of my reviews. This is the best way to get my attention and rate your reviews. If you take the time to read my reviews take the time and leave a short comment! I ALWAYS add an email alert for people who leave me comments.

-How I rate- I am a very picky rater. Now that I'm an Advisor in the Outdoor Gear section it's time to do some cleanup.

Very Helpful – You have included personal experience, specifications, features, and have covered most aspects of the topic. A mistake I notice in a lot of reviews is NOT explaining what it is that you are reviewing and what does the item/gadget/gizmo do? The use of bold and italics are also a plus but not required. Paragraphs are a must--they must also be spaced properly. I am not an English teacher so an attempt at proper grammar is also helpful at getting a very helpful rating. There is no excuse for a spelling mistake (well, maybe one or two but not a bunch!). A VH review should leave the reader with very few questions. They shouldn't have to check out another review when they are done with yours. Also, if I think that the gear being reviewed will be used by a hiker, backpacker, skier, angler, hunter or anyone else concerned with weight--the review must include the weight of the item.

Helpful – Overall content is great. Personal experience is included. No specs, features, or paragraphs. Anything that leaves me with a few questions about the product or service. No weight included.

Somewhat Helpful – Personal experience, some content, poor grammar, spelling, not describing the product or its intended use. Anything that leaves me with many questions about the product or service. Too short.

Not Helpful – CAPS, less than a paragraph, no effort at content, spelling, or grammar. No personal experience. Plagiarized or copied material.

-Outdoor gear reviews- I am very harsh with ratings when it comes to outdoor gear. I buy a lot of outdoor gear after reading recommendations from authors on this website. As a result I look for certain qualities and information in outdoor reviews. After I purchase outdoor gear recommended by authors on this site—I will come back and leave comments on the product and the accuracy of the reviews. On all other reviews I am quite lenient when rating so long as they meet the requirements stated above.

-Quarrels- If you have a problem with a rating I have given your review please email me. I will then go and post a comment on the review as to why I gave it what I did. You can then correct the problem and post a new comment. Once the new comment is posted I will get an email from Epinions and I will come back and possibly rerate. Revenge raters will immediately be added to my block list.

-Contact me- Feel free to email me using the email address listed above. Questions about backpacking, camping, and gear are okay. Questions about computers will be ignored. If you want to chat live feel free to IM me via AOL or AIM at wvabackpacker. I leave my screen name signed on all the time so if you IM me and I don't answer, leave a note telling me what you want to talk about and who you are and that you are from the epinions website. I will then add you to my buddy list and get back to you when I am online.

-Favorite Destinations- Yellowstone National Park Glady, WV (Camp) Any WV Park Myrtle Beach, SC The mountains

-Favorite TV Shows- Smallville Enterprise Family Guys Futurama That 70's Show King of the Hill The Simpsons Star Trek TNG and Voyager

-Favorite Movies- Star Trek Nemesis Moulin Rouge Bicentennial Man National Lampoon's Van Wilder Super Troopers The Back to the Future Trilogy X-Men