View Full Version : Journal Entries Question - Online
Hi
For those of you that have hiked and posted journals online......what was the best way to do it ?
Did you post them yourself when you got to internet access, did someone else do it for you (and if so, what was the best way to get them the info)? Or is it best not to do an online jounal at all ?
Thanks
When I posted my journal, I did it myself where I could find Internet access. It wasn't too difficult until I got to Va.
Footslogger
10-05-2007, 18:44
Can't claim it's the best ...but I hand wrote mine and sent them home whenever I had post office/mailbox access (about every week and a half - two weeks). My wife typed out the entries and uploaded them to Trailjournals.com.
I occasionally logged on and created an entry but during my hike I really didn't like to/have that much time to spend at a terminal on the internet.
'Slogger
mixinmaster
10-05-2007, 21:09
I cannot see how anyone would post a good one without a transcriber or, better yet, a Pocketmail. Although people here seem to have a love/hate with PMail, it seemed that most of the good online journalers used one. I cannot speak from experience, although I did purchase one that is now in with all my other unused gear. However, experience earlier this year did prove to me that it is a PAIN to try to post a decent one without a transcriber or some type of unit like PMail. Blackberries or PDA's might work, but I am convinced you must have a QWERTY board to have a reasonable journal. The simple, fool proof (almost) way is pen and paper technology. Then sent it to a loved one and have them post it. They will tire of it, and by the time it hits the internet it is never close to being real time, but......................... its a journal:o.
Puppy,
Greetings from a fellow Tar Heel!
For online journals, I'm planning to use the following palmtop:
http://www.dynamism.com/everun/main.shtml
I've been kicking the tires on it for the past week and it does seem to deliver the goods, especially battery life (about 6 hours with the standard battery and 11-12 with the extended battery). I'm also testing a small folding solar panel which should allow me to keep the battery alive (I hope) during the hike. Yeah, the whole setup will cost me 4.8 pounds, but testing the viability of solar power will be interesting. I'm planning a four day shakedown hike in November
I prefer this unit to a PDA, since it runs Windows XP, as opposed to Windows Mobile, and is a reasonable trade-off weight wise. Most of my apps run (albeit slower) on the unit.
My plan is to pack a folding keyboard as are used with PDAs and just upload entries in batch when I get to a wi-fi hotspot. I'm using one of the blogging sites (Blogger) instead of trailjournals at the moment, since I can use any one of several shareware blog clients to batch the entries. We'll see how it goes. Of course, if you see a solar panel and the palmtop lying somewhere on the approach trail, you'll have a pretty good idea :)
docKaos
Downunda
10-09-2007, 03:40
I hand wrote mine into a notebook and mailed them off about once per week to a former thru-hiker that kindly offered to transcribe them for me... and a fine job he did!
I'm sure if you asked for a volunteer on this forum you will get a few offers.
SGT Rock
10-09-2007, 08:33
I hand wrote mine into a notebook and mailed them off about once per week to a former thru-hiker that kindly offered to transcribe them for me... and a fine job he did!
I'm sure if you asked for a volunteer on this forum you will get a few offers.
That is what I did.
I decided to go for as close to realtime as I could on my thru of the LT in August. Using a Blackberry and photos from my camera via a micro SD card, I was usually able to send daily updates with photos to TrailJournals.com. When possible, I sent information or a photo from the same time as the journal was being typed, making it almost a virtual hike for the reader.
SGT Rock
10-09-2007, 08:40
Well as far as real time goes - You can make updates from town as you go along - and there are cell phone/cameras that can mail images, some are over 2 MegaPixel so you get good shots.
But as to mailing back your journal I looked at it this way: My journal weighs about 1.3 ounces with paper and pen. It doesn't run out of batteries and doesn't rely on a signal, and I don't have to thumb type like I do with my Crackberry at work - I hate Crackberrys. I mail them home at towns and my wife can clean up my spelling and grammar before posting them with the images I either e-mail back or send in a data-card with the pages. Then, for my house and for all my non-Internet enabled family and friends, we can put those real paper pages together with photos and other items into a scrap book to sit on the coffee table. A little authentic trail dirt and coffee stains right on the paper. I'm trying to figure out how to capture hiker funk to go in there too.
Footslogger
10-09-2007, 09:29
Might sound crazy ...and the LAST thing I need is something else to carry - BUT, I am considering a micro digital voice recorder for my next hike (in addition to a small notebook). Reason being is that often things happen during the day that I would like to capture and by the time I hit camp at night I forget them.
Then again ...I could just bump my Ginko dose and work on the memory thing !!
'Slogger
Blissful
10-09-2007, 10:03
I kept a written journal in a small notebook then updated when I got Internet access (which was actually fairly frequent, with towns, hostels and motels). The longest stretch I think I went without updating was a week.
Paul Bunyan had one of those voice recorders in the beginning of the hike. He used it for about eight weeks off and on then sent it home.
Footslogger
10-09-2007, 10:08
Paul Bunyan had one of those voice recorders in the beginning of the hike. He used it for about eight weeks off and on then sent it home.
================================
Thanks for that ...I'll give him a shout and get his feedback.
'Slogger
SGT Rock
10-09-2007, 10:11
Again, back to the cell phone/camera thing. I own a camera that also serves as an Mp3 player and a voice recorder, and I think my cell phone also does that (the one that is a 2.2MP camera). You could probably forgo having a special voice recorder if you look for the right single device electronic.
Footslogger
10-09-2007, 10:22
You could probably forgo having a special voice recorder if you look for the right single device electronic.
=======================================
Thought about that Rock. Problem is (at least for me) that I already own a small digital camera and a really tiny MP3 that I carry with me on all hikes. What would work best for me is a REALLY tiny voice recorder that runs on AAA batts that I could keep really handy.
I just as soon not use my camera (and batteries) for recording thoughts during the day and my MP3, while small and AAA operated isn't the easiest thing to use as a voice recorder ...eventhough it has that feature built-in.
'Slogger
Pacific Tortuga
10-09-2007, 10:40
It depends on how many words per min. you keyboard, hunt and peckers like me take way too long. I saw almost every way possible this year (and they all worked) but was always having 'speed envy' of the other journaling hikers.
SGT Rock
10-09-2007, 10:42
Yes, which gets back to thumb-typing. If you have never tried it you may want to before thiking a Crackberry or Crackberry like item is going to be good for journaling. I say too much in my journals to want to thumb type that much stuff.
garyhebert
11-16-2007, 00:07
did the trailjournals thing. worked well but very time consuming to type in town, especially the further north.
Sent 2 MB pics home via cell phone with 2 Gig mini SD card for a while. got tough to send with marginal signal. quit sending.
sometimes posted pics in town.
would prefer better option for future. spent too many hours typing not enough chillin in town. considered a friend at home option. maybe could ramble to voice mail and they could edit and type. not perfect but efficient.
uploading pics is slow thru trail journal though...one at a time. intentional to discourage big uploads & take us server space (its free) which is too bad. it would be much better site if pics were easier.
Ideally would type/record each nite on trail and
garyhebert
11-16-2007, 00:10
ideally would type or record each nite on trail while still remember then upload quickly in town and RELAX. Journal became a hassle, task in town rather than just fun of updating back home.
Easier is better.
Jan LiteShoe
11-16-2007, 00:20
I cannot see how anyone would post a good one without a transcriber or, better yet, a Pocketmail. Although people here seem to have a love/hate with PMail, it seemed that most of the good online journalers used one. I cannot speak from experience, although I did purchase one that is now in with all my other unused gear. However, experience earlier this year did prove to me that it is a PAIN to try to post a decent one without a transcriber or some type of unit like PMail. Blackberries or PDA's might work, but I am convinced you must have a QWERTY board to have a reasonable journal. The simple, fool proof (almost) way is pen and paper technology. Then sent it to a loved one and have them post it. They will tire of it, and by the time it hits the internet it is never close to being real time, but......................... its a journal:o.
I second all these main points - transcriber, pocketmail, and the curses of the long-suffering loved one who must decipher the writing before re-typing.
:D