Trail Journals

[Lesley]

Matt and I are soon headed out for a thru hike of the Alabama portion of the Pinhoti. I was wanting to carry a small journal for note taking, doodles, other minor journaling desires so I could remember some details that aren't necessarily kodak moments. My question is: who else journals on the trail? Why do you do it? Do you have a specific method or something? This is my first attempt at journaling in general and I know it's impossible to screw up, but I always am interested in other people's experiences. Thanks in advance. 

[PastorLarryT]

Hi Lesley,

I have been journaling for years and never hit the trail without mine.  IMO the best journal to use is one that you WILL USE and you feel comfortable using.  That being said, I opt for the Moleskine small journal.  The one I use is bound, 3 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches, with ruled pages, a place-holder ribbon, and I really like the sewn-in elastic band to hold it together.  I like the feel of the fabric cover but it is not water-proof.  (I always carry my journal in a small Ziploc baggie if rain is expected or if I'm Kayaking.)  My journal also includes a small pocket attached inside back cover to hold loose slips of paper, etc.  While I do sometimes use ball-point pen for my journaling, I personally prefer mechanical pencil.  (Writing with a pencil just "feels good" to me - maybe I'm weird.) 

I journal my thoughts, observations, and prayers along with certain details of my hike or backpack.  (I transfer pertinent info later to my blog.  My journal helps make sure I don't forget important details.) 

You are right -- there's no way you can go wrong in your journaling.  Experiment until you find the right journal and style for you.

One of the greatest things about Journaling is the ability to go back in time -- years later you can experience that wonderful feeling from that special backpack, campout, or hike.

I wish you all the best Lesley.

[Rob]

   I too, often journal. The little black book I use sounds very similar to Pastor Larry's, I buy mine at Target, they are small, light weight, inexpensive and I like the band that keeps it closed when not in use ( no tattered pages, it's an OCD thing). I like using these small "note books" as opposed to an actual journal because they don't contain a lot of pages and I can keep Field notes for different areas/hikes in their own separate book so I don't have to dig through tons of notes to archive information, I just label the front of each book. I use a regular pencil to write with, easy to sharpen with a knife. Pens have proven to be too unreliable, freeze in cold weather.
   Aside from regular trail experiences I usually tend to make notes of seasonal weather conditions to facilitate future hikes along with points of interest that I may want to revisit and further research or investigate on a return trip. I don't use a GPS as of yet so I include basic trail descriptions of that particular area including degree of difficulty, which I find to be a bit subjective and apply mostly to my own abilities. One of the most useable notations I have started to add is gear info. Things to add, leave behind, problems in functionality etc. These notes can be particularly helpful when upgrading equipment and planning trips.

[SmokeDiver]

Same here, I keep a journal. Inside I will draw maps, mark interesting things, and the best thing for me is making a note of those I have met and talked to. (Not always positive so don't go snooping!) I picked up a really spiffy leather bound journal at Barnes and Noble, looks very old school naturalist. It's pretty rugged too. It's the size of a large print novel. I like having the larger space on the page. I have big hands though.

[Mountain Dog]

I set a schedule for journaling.  I set my watch and journal every hour, making notes of both the interesting things I've seen and the mundane, such as trail condition, trail difficulty, water sited, and the possibility of camping, I've passed during the most recent hour.  This serves three purposes, first, I pay more attention to what I am seeing and only have to remember it for an hour before I start anew. Second, it makes me slow down and take more breaks.  I have a tendency of overdoing it so this keeps me in a better state both physically and mentally.  Third, the recollections are much more time line oriented so after the hike, I can go back and almost follow the hike as if I were doing it over again from the comfort of my easy chair.  If I take my notes and pull out a map my journey is even more vivid.

[Jackalope]

I think what I keep is more of a log than a journal.

Primarily, I record information that relates to the trip such as the date, who was along, where we went, how far we hiked, how long it took, day hike vs overnight etc. I also record weather conditions trail conditions, conditions of features such as the flow of waterfalls and what flowers were in bloom and so forth.

I usually record a few other points I'd like to remember such as where we stopped and what we ate or talked about or even energy levels. Also, I will usually record if we met any interesting people out on the trail. Two years in a row we met the same family of five on the trail up to the big tree for example.

I keep it by year and keep a running tally of day hikes, overnighters, total trips and miles for the year which is the main point of it all as I'm a bit neurotic about counting things.

I have used the Circa system from Levenger for years for my notebooks because it is easy to organize. Here is a link:
Levenger - Circa
They used to make waterproof pages for outdoor use.

[WolfVanZandt]

I tell people that my brain has two lobes. One is in my back pocket (Daytimer notebook-wallet) and the other is in my office on my desk (my computer). I carry my Daytimer with me and, so, there's no excuse for me not keeping a journal except that I'm just to disorganized and never get around to it.

By the way, I like the Daytimer Pocket sized notebook because the filler sets come with a stack of insertable special pages that can be placed in the spiral bound calendar book.

[AlabamaDan]

Same here, I keep a journal. Inside I will draw maps, mark interesting things, and the best thing for me is making a note of those I have met and talked to. (Not always positive so don't go snooping!) I picked up a really spiffy leather bound journal at Barnes and Noble, looks very old school naturalist. It's pretty rugged too. It's the size of a large print novel. I like having the larger space on the page. I have big hands though.

I use a similar journal.  It's like a leather bound book.  I keep a big rubber band around it and my pen fits right beside the edge under the band.  I buy those archival pens that scrapbookers use.  Ink fades if it's not archival quality.  I also keep it in a zip lock.

I've been journaling for 11 years off and on.  Most of my writing actually takes place when I'm camping. I cut out things, post pictures, draw, just about anything.  The format is like a letter to the reader, my kids or grandkids some day.  Not now.  It's not exactly rated PG.  Sometimes my temper flares.  Sometimes the material is for me to reference later.  Sometimes it's just a cool story.

I started the day I found out my wife was pregnant with our first child. 

[PastorLarryT]

So Lesley... how did your Trail Journaling experiment go???