View Full Version : Journaling - Sketching on a thru-hike
wehamblin
10-19-2015, 11:14
Hello all! Whitney here - no trail name yet.
Planning a NOBO thru-hike March 2016.
I'm an artist and graphic designer by trade - but a writer through and through. Trying to take these loves with me along the trail so document my adventure.
I'm curious what other thru-hikers have found most convenient for journaling along the trail. I am a moleskin notebook lover and use them often. I am also an avid sketcher and plan on documenting along the way. Any suggestions about the best journal/notebook method?
I've considered taking two of these (http://www.moleskine.com/en/collections/model/product/set-of-3-plain-cahier-journals-kraft-brown-pocket) at the start of my thruhike and then dropping a few in the mail along the way.
Any ideas/suggestions/opinions/experiences?
Thanks y'all!
Water Rat
10-19-2015, 12:51
:welcome to White Blaze! The person who might be able to give you awesome answers is Postcard. He has hiked all over, while drawing and keeping a journal. Here is a link to his AT journal to give you an idea of what I am talking about. http://www.trailjournals.com/Postcard2006/
(http://www.trailjournals.com/Postcard2006/)
I am sure he can pass along some useful information on hiking with art supplies. On the "About" page of his journal, he does list an email address to contact him. Not sure if it still works, but definitely worth a try!
Good luck and have a wonderful hike!
The Moleskines are what I've used in the past, or a generic emulation of them. Cheap, light and free from the usual worries of screens or batteries. You can drop a notebook and it won't shatter! It never runs out of batteries! (Though it can run, if using ink...)
But if you desire to post your writing in that vast, dark abyss that is the World Wide Web, and perhaps add some relevant, concurrent pictures, well then, it's quite time consuming to (write by pen and then) transfer it to blog (et al). A tablet or phone might then be a better option. But if it's just a personal journal you're after, any old notebook will do. I'm always sure to carry a few pens, and a few Zip-Locs to protect the notepads from rain or my slobbering when food is nearby. The notepads are placed within reach, in a pocket or in a fanny pack, so I can jot thoughts as they come to me, if they come. If you care to get high-tech, you can also use a small voice recorder or your camera's video function to record thoughts even quicker. I tend to keep it simple, but it depends on the journey and the purpose of my recording it.
I've used Rite in the Rain field books and spiral notepads for my outdoor adventure journaling.
http://www.rainwriter.com/ - you can buy them in lots of places. I've found a pencil does a little better than a pen, but your mileage may vary.
Slo-go'en
10-19-2015, 21:50
I once followed behind a thru hiker who drew a 4 panel cartoon (in color) about the days hike in the shelter register everyday. Too bad this was way before the days of being able to instantly upload a photo of the art work as well.
rocketsocks
10-19-2015, 21:56
Hello all! Whitney here - no trail name yet.
Planning a NOBO thru-hike March 2016.
I'm an artist and graphic designer by trade - but a writer through and through. Trying to take these loves with me along the trail so document my adventure.
I'm curious what other thru-hikers have found most convenient for journaling along the trail. I am a moleskin notebook lover and use them often. I am also an avid sketcher and plan on documenting along the way. Any suggestions about the best journal/notebook method?
I've considered taking two of these (http://www.moleskine.com/en/collections/model/product/set-of-3-plain-cahier-journals-kraft-brown-pocket) at the start of my thruhike and then dropping a few in the mail along the way.
Any ideas/suggestions/opinions/experiences?
Thanks y'all!
Moleskine story board book is pretty cool to.
As far as I'm concerned I'm no sketch artist and there may be better ways. I carried a Right in the Rain WP Journal with WP paper WITH A WP INK SPACE PEN on my AT thru-hike to document every plant I didn't yet intimately know botanically and for journaling. I went through four of these books on this thru-hike. I also carried a small non WP sketch book to sketch these same plants with simple pencils. I went through two of these. I carried the sketch books in a Ziploc.
Don't make this mistake I did ruining one of my PCT Journals at the end of that thru-hike! Just because you have a WP journal writing on WP paper you need to use WP inks/pens as well or else the ink still bleeds on the WP paper!
wehamblin
10-20-2015, 13:24
I'm all about that story board! That is my daily go-to for journaling, doodling, sketching, etc. BUT its a bit heavier than the soft-cover moleskins. Every oz counts! Appreciate the suggestion!
wehamblin
10-20-2015, 13:24
Moleskine story board book is pretty cool to.
I'm all about that story board! That is my daily go-to for journaling, doodling, sketching, etc. BUT its a bit heavier than the soft-cover moleskins. Every oz counts! Appreciate the suggestion!
wehamblin
10-20-2015, 13:26
:welcome to White Blaze! The person who might be able to give you awesome answers is Postcard. He has hiked all over, while drawing and keeping a journal. Here is a link to his AT journal to give you an idea of what I am talking about. http://www.trailjournals.com/Postcard2006/
(http://www.trailjournals.com/Postcard2006/)
I am sure he can pass along some useful information on hiking with art supplies. On the "About" page of his journal, he does list an email address to contact him. Not sure if it still works, but definitely worth a try!
Good luck and have a wonderful hike!
Thanks so much for the suggestion! Checking out his site now! Happy trails!