View Full Version : On-line Trail Journal
Wolf - 23000
03-12-2010, 02:59
Over the last couple of years on-line Trail Journal have been talked about from time to time. A friend of mind suggested recently that I place one of my hiking trips on-line but I don't know how popular it would be. Most stories I hear about seem to be of hikers hiking with someone were I tend to hike alone. I know some people stories are more interesting than others but I'm curious are they really all that popular?
Wolf
Trail Journals serve several purposes:
1) Friends and family can follow someone's hike. This sort of TJ consists of entries like, "Hi, honey! Hi, Mom! I'm in Duncannon now. I'm hiking with Rat and Squirrel. Love you and miss you. Got to go."
2) People read TJs for trails they're considering hiking, to see what people have encountered there, and how they handled it.
3) People follow well-known hikers to see what they're doing and how.
4) Hikers who are raising money for a cause try to get people involved in their cause through their TJ.
5) Some TJs are entertaining because the hikers write well.
I'm sure people would follow your journal because you are well known for hiking light and fast. And a lot. My question for you is whether having a public journal with a large following would influence your hike in a way you would come to regret.
Cookerhiker
03-12-2010, 08:03
Are they popular? Just look at the number of hits many TJs have and the number of guest comments.
I'd encourage you to post your TJs unless you're excesively shy. I suspect you have some interesting experiences. Of course, you want to redact any personal private content.
I love trail journals that are about solo hikes. I hike solo and can totally relate to other solo journals more than the other ones. Solo journals tend to be more contemplative and more in depth about the experience.
The solo thing was one of the things people have been most curious about. Most people have never been alone without some kind of distraction for very long in their lives and to know that it's possible to be alone in the wilderness for months and be safe and happy is fascinating to some people.
Popular? Yeah. Check out Certain's from 2008 and 2009. 600,000 some-odd reads!
white_russian
03-12-2010, 11:30
I don't read them unless I know the person and then it is only sporadic and mostly to see where they are at. It seems like a lot of the time what could be summed up as "it rained this morning, I walked 15 miles today, camped at X mountain" gets turned into a novel.
garlic08
03-12-2010, 12:09
...but I don't know how popular it would be. ...I'm curious are they really all that popular?
Wolf
Don't be concerned about "popular". On-line journaling is a good way to share your trip even with just friends and family, without having to tell the stories over and over again. If you gain a wider audience, that's OK, too. Sure, lots of entries are "hiked all day and didn't see anyone, couldn't get the Brady Bunch theme song out of my head", but even that gives an idea of what the hike is like, at least to you.
I was skeptical of it to start with, too, but quickly realized a lot of benefits. It was weird the first time I met a "fan" on the PCT--someone actually came out hiking SOBO for a few days just to meet some NOBO thru hikers he was following on-line. That person has become one of my better friends over the last five years and we've hiked a lot together. Another trail angel set up some juice and fruit caches on the Hat Creek Rim (35 miles with no water) later on, and met me at Old Station and gave me a map to them. On the AT, I got a personal invitation for a home stay from a trail angel in NY because of the journal. That's just a few examples of the type of people who read journals.
Some people suggest that solo female hikers, or others concerned about stalkers, to delay their journal by a week or so. Real-time broadcasting to the world of your exact location may not be the best idea all the time. I saw something about a site called "Rob Me", or something like that, that piggy-backs off Facebook and broadcasts when you're not home. Just something else to consider.
bulldog49
03-12-2010, 13:52
I love trail journals that are about solo hikes. I hike solo and can totally relate to other solo journals more than the other ones. Solo journals tend to be more contemplative and more in depth about the experience.
The solo thing was one of the things people have been most curious about. Most people have never been alone without some kind of distraction for very long in their lives and to know that it's possible to be alone in the wilderness for months and be safe and happy is fascinating to some people.
Totally agree. Journals of people hiking with others tend to be more about the social aspects of the trip, solo journals as you said tend to be more about the experience.
Blissful
03-12-2010, 14:05
Trail journals is great = has worked well for me and had a number of people following.
Sleepy the Arab
03-12-2010, 19:36
I think about this every so often, and I'm at odds with it too. Journals for the most part are repetitive and boring. I can't fathom why someone other than myself (and I include family in this appraisal) would find my personal record worth a read.
You'd be surprised. My mom printed out every one of my posts for a neighbor of hers who doesn't do computers and was my biggest fan.
Cookerhiker
03-12-2010, 23:23
I believe there are trail journal junkies out there, a lot of whom never hike themselves but get their kicks reading TJs. Attending Trail Days a few years ago, some guy I had never seen before came up to me, said "Hi Cookerhiker." Me: "hi, have we met?" Him: "No, I've been reading your trail journal." And then there's my TrailJournal Guestbook which at only 6 pages is obviously not extensive but includes comments from people I've never heard of. And mind you, I'm not even a thruhiker!
Wolf - 23000
03-14-2010, 02:30
Thank you all for responding. I know there are many TJ on-line but I had no ideas how many people really read them on a daily basic.
Marta asked some excellent questions. The first would change my hike. Well my hiking style is normal staying as much time on trail hiking and less time in towns. Writing a TJ, I could see it requiring me to spend more time to keep it updated. It could be a good and bad thing depending on where I'm hiking.
The second, some people read them to see what people have encountered there and how they handle it. That something I never really thought about. Most of my summer hikes I always look at as pretty easy. Many of the things that I encounter, I don't even think about it. My winter hikes, I can't do for a couple of years.
People following a well-known hiker, well I don't think I'm too well-known any more. I had my 15 minutes of fame years ago. Most hikers on the trail have never heard of me and that is fine with me. Sometimes reading about someone for months can give you a different picture of what someone is like compare to finally meeting them in person.
Hikers raising money for a cause, I could see a TJ being very popular. I just wouldn't know how to set something like that up myself but I respect those that do.
It still up in the air. I guess I have to see where I hike next.
Wolf
Wolf - 23000
03-14-2010, 02:45
Don't be concerned about "popular". On-line journaling is a good way to share your trip even with just friends and family, without having to tell the stories over and over again. If you gain a wider audience, that's OK, too. Sure, lots of entries are "hiked all day and didn't see anyone, couldn't get the Brady Bunch theme song out of my head", but even that gives an idea of what the hike is like, at least to you.
I was skeptical of it to start with, too, but quickly realized a lot of benefits. It was weird the first time I met a "fan" on the PCT--someone actually came out hiking SOBO for a few days just to meet some NOBO thru hikers he was following on-line. That person has become one of my better friends over the last five years and we've hiked a lot together. Another trail angel set up some juice and fruit caches on the Hat Creek Rim (35 miles with no water) later on, and met me at Old Station and gave me a map to them. On the AT, I got a personal invitation for a home stay from a trail angel in NY because of the journal. That's just a few examples of the type of people who read journals.
Some people suggest that solo female hikers, or others concerned about stalkers, to delay their journal by a week or so. Real-time broadcasting to the world of your exact location may not be the best idea all the time. I saw something about a site called "Rob Me", or something like that, that piggy-backs off Facebook and broadcasts when you're not home. Just something else to consider.
garlic08,
I've run into a few "fans" from a couple books/video that I was in. It was ok but never ran into someone who came out just to hike with me. Even my hiking friends won't do that. I've even had a few tell me that I was crazy for asking.
As for solo female hikers, I could see your point. I could also see them being a lot more popular than a single guy hiking alone.
Wolf
SawnieRobertson
03-14-2010, 19:23
Wolf, I hope that you decide to become a journalist from every trail you hike, especially, of course, the AT. It would be "boring" at times to those who are boring, but even they would learn a lot about where you are and how you handled it (even though, poor dears, they were bored). You have much to share. I learned so much in one hour from you at a talk you gave at a Gathering in the late 1990s that I have used as guidelines ever since. Point is, I used them with confidence because they worked for you. Please don't bottle it up. Share your insights and your experiences. About town stops being messed up with having to take care of the journal, that can certainly be true. There are those though who carry a Blackberry nowadays that takes pictures. They send out their texts from whatever spot on the trail they can. All you need is a dedicated transcriber who knows the trail so well, whether through reading about it or hiking it, that he/she can make sense of the texting mistakes. Nothing needs to be done in town other than recharging. Later, any mistakes that bother you can be corrected by you. Forget popular. You will be. But most of all you are a great teacher.--Kinnickinic
Snowleopard
03-14-2010, 20:13
Wolf, if you have many photos as good as those on your WB gallery you should definitely do some sort of Trail Journal, even if the text is short.
I'd say start out by keeping a diary on your hikes, and put them online when you want to, even after the hike is over.
Some people like trailphone where you call in your journal, chefrich is popular: http://trailphone.net/hiker/24337424/#map
Wolf - 23000
03-16-2010, 02:21
Thank you everyone for the encouragement. It maybe a while before I get back out there on anything long distance but you never know. Kinnickinic I really surprise that my talk back over 10 years ago had that much influence on your hiking style. I'm glad at least someone got something out of it. I know my hiking style is a little different than most but hey it works for me. I might try it.
Snowleopard. I never heard of trailphone but it sounds like a great idea. I sure I can find someone to scribe on line for me. I might depending on how long of a hike I'm doing. If I'm doing a week hike, I can't see it being worth it.
I guest time will tell.
Wolf