Journals

[ducky189]

Does anyone have suggestions for carrying a journal and a writing utensil? I've seen water-proof journals and special pens, but how are these verses regular paper and pen in a ziplock or water-proof bag?

[RITBlake]

Hey Ducky

I used a small spiral notebook that you can find at any drugstore, then I tucked a simple bic pen in to the spiral. Dropped it in to a ziplock bag and thats how it went for 2000 miles. Now that I think about it I don't think it was even in a ziplock bag for half the trip. When I would finish a notebook I would send it home and pick up a new one in town.

Chances are that's all you need, I Know they sell a pad called 'write in the rain' that is supposdly waterproof but it's probably overkill IMO.

[RITBlake]

Also one simple tip that I picked up is to write important phone numbers, calling card info, insurancse card info, etc... on the inside back cover. That way you can leave some of those items at home and still have all your valuable information

[Blissful]

Same here, I just used a small spiral notebook from the store (tore off the front plastic cover to save weight, but it had a separate cover on the inside to protect the paper) and used regular pens - all in a ziploc bag.
Also, I wrote down passwords to Trail journals, White Blaze, e mail, bank account and other web links written in my notebook as well to have on hand whenever I had computer access. Some use one password for everything but I use a variety. Just be sure you keep that book with you at all times.

[Uncle Silly]

I love the Moleskine pocket journals (3.5" x 5.5") (mfg's website (http://www.moleskineus.com/pocket.html)). Shop around, you may find a better price on these at a local art-supply shop or bookstore. I usually carry one of these and two ball-point pens, and ziplock-bag the journal. The pens will do fine even if they get wet (tho a felt-tip pen may get waterlogged, and any ink pen may be susceptible to freezing).

[Spirit Walker]

I just used 10 sheets of xerox paper at a time in a ziplock. I kept more paper in the bounce box. Sometimes we cut the paper to fit the quart sized ziplock.
On the AT I used the cover of the data book as an address book - starting with a few essential phone numbers (i.e. REI and ATC) then adding in people I met along the way.

[Bearpaw]

I've used WriteInTheRain booklets in the past, in the Marine Corps and with NOLS, but found that unless you were required to break them out in rain and snow (like when on an observation post or in a field medical emergency), they weren't really necessary. The waterprood treatment actually makes many roller ball pens jam up, a real pain.

For my longer trails, like the AT or CT, I used "little fat" journals, which gave me a more personal feeling. One 3" x 5" book of about 60 pages covered a 4-6 week block nicely. I like that they are not subject to crushed spirals.

As for writing utensils, I carry a little 4-inch pen from K-mart and a little 4-inch mechanical pencil (my back-up for when ink runs out or freezes - yes, this has happenned to me in the Smokies on Christmas trips). It all packs easily and neatly into a quart Ziploc.