re: VERY basic questions about keeping a trail journal

[DavidNH]

I want to maintain a diary during my upcoming AT thru hike and if possible I would like to do an online journal so family and relatives can follow along.

I will not have (and don't really want to have) any electronic gizmo with me where I can just type my journal and then upload all that to the web. So how do I get a journal written out long hand in a book on to an internet trail journal site? I know it is done as I have seen several journals at various sites. Does everything have to be retyped on a computer? I am hoping not but I can't currently see any other way.

If I have to re-write (or type the hand written jouranl) on a computer..then I may as well wait till I get home after the hike is done. Or perhaps mail pages along the way back to home base and have someone else type it.

I presume most hikers maintain some kind of hiking diary during an at th ru hike. Do many or most put their journal on the web? any idea what proportion may be?

I have no experience with on line journals and am looking for how to adivice..not advertizing of someones on line journal website.

Thanks,


David

[dje97001]

Hey David, I'm not sure how Trailjournals does it, but I think they have people who volunteer to be transcribers? Absent typing it out, I suppose you could always take pictures (digital or otherwise) of each page and then email (or snail mail) the picture back home... that way you could keep the integrity of the journal binding and either have someone back home re-type it, or just have them post the pictures. It would be pretty simple I think.

[freefall]

Hey David, I'm not sure how Trailjournals does it, but I think they have people who volunteer to be transcribers? Absent typing it out, I suppose you could always take pictures (digital or otherwise) of each page and then email (or snail mail) the picture back home... that way you could keep the integrity of the journal binding and either have someone back home re-type it, or just have them post the pictures. It would be pretty simple I think.

Once you join the site to have a journal posted, you have access to a list of people that have volunteered to transcribe. I am just having a family member do mine and I will be mailing back the pages about once a week or so( I am using a bound notebook but the pages are perforated and have binder holes in them so I can reassemble once I get home).
You could also use pocketmail, would still need a transcriber but would email entries to them when you get into towns. The service is kinda reasonable as well as the equipment.
If you try to update your entries yourself as you go, remember that some places charge by the minute for internet access and you will almost always have a bunch of hikers waiting in line to get on the computer.
I hadn't thought of the picture idea that dje97001 presented, that's another good idea.

Lot's of options, just have to decide which will work best for you.
Another site- http://www.appalachiantrailservices.com offers journal posting too but I'm not familiar with how there's works.

[hikerjohnd]

I don't know about a vehicle for posting, but you could also snail mail your journal home, and it could be scanned into a PDF and posted. Canon scanners come with all the necessary software and start at about $50 (Canon LiDE 25)

I have been scanning manuscripts at school and it couldn't be easier!

[SnackMan]

Recomend a moleskin diary. Stands up to water and abuse well.. plus a little pocket in the back for phonecard/id/whatever.

If your concern with electronics is battery/weight issues..... Is there an electronic pen that can store what you write? Hear that they may not be verry good, I have no experience. I think there is also a pen sized scanner that you move over lines of text.

[Wolfpaw]

Recomend a moleskin diary. Stands up to water and abuse well.. plus a little pocket in the back for phonecard/id/whatever.

If your concern with electronics is battery/weight issues..... Is there an electronic pen that can store what you write? Hear that they may not be verry good, I have no experience. I think there is also a pen sized scanner that you move over lines of text.

there is a new way to keep an on line journal www.maine2georgia.com it seems like they got it down pretty good however they make their thru hike sound like they are lewis and clark or something which it is a great thing however not to the degree it is made out. Aside from it being a little cheesy it is a great idea and family and friends can keep track of you on a map. I saw this earlier today on wb so view todays posts and yesterdays to find the other info. peace Paw

[Burn]

you might reconsider an online journal....itsa big ordeal to keep focused on writing everyday and you may just want to just hang and enjoy, and wtrite a note for yerself what ya think you will wanna remember....i still get hits on my journal....14 k last month....its kinda nostalgic, yet i found that i was spending a lot of time writing and posting online or emailing when i coulda enjoyed the solitude or companionship of my hiking buds more. something to think about....may be why most journals just don't continue all too well.....

one thing you can do is periodic web updates at libraries nad hostels that have net access....when time allows. i could keep up with folks who were just ahead or just behind me that way...and they had friends who enjoyed their progress just as much as the folks who read my BS too the hilt... if you write an online journal just for friends, very few will read it, other than to just check....if yer writing for clicks....you have to be creative or work the audience....some folks get pieved at little things like speeling and spelling, lol, some enjoy the mania, some what blow by blows of the day....and some don't want you to list you were hiking near them cause they are security conscious...after saying all this, i didn't write the complete truth about my hike....just representative clips, so i could remember some of the finer moments and relay to myself memories so i wouldn't forget them...i am glad i wrote it, and go back from time to time to recaint or recount the memories....hehehe....enjoy david

[Hammock Hanger]

you might reconsider an online journal....it's big ordeal to keep focused on writing everyday and you may just want to just hang and enjoy, and write a note for yourself what ya think you will wanna remember....i still get hits on my journal....14 k last month....its kinda nostalgic, yet i found that i was spending a lot of time writing and posting online or emailing when i could enjoyed the solitude or companionship of my hiking buds more. something to think about....may be why most journals just don't continue all too well.....

one thing you can do is periodic web updates at libraries and hostels that have net access....when time allows. i could keep up with folks who were just ahead or just behind me that way...and they had friends who enjoyed their progress just as much as the folks who read my BS too the hilt... if you write an online journal just for friends, very few will read it, other than to just check....if yer writing for clicks....you have to be creative or work the audience....some folks get pieved at little things like speeling and spelling, lol, some enjoy the mania, some what blow by blows of the day....and some don't want you to list you were hiking near them cause they are security conscious...after saying all this, i didn't write the complete truth about my hike....just representative clips, so i could remember some of the finer moments and relay to myself memories so i wouldn't forget them...i am glad i wrote it, and go back from time to time to recaint or recount the memories....hehehe....enjoy david

Keeping an online journal can be daunting on a daily basis. One could just do weekly updates if they are not concerned about the stats. Roni (from Israel) just post every once in awhile. It is all about what you want out of it.

I started my original journal for others to follow the journey. However, I find now that it is an avenue for me to hike down memory lane. I pick a random day every morning from one of my various journey's and read. I am immediately transported back in time I can almost smell the wilderness.

I tried a few new "gizmos" this year but found that the pocketmail was the best route. No need to charge it, just change batteries every once in a while.

I have been a transcriber in the past for a hiker who wrote down her thoughts on loose leaf paper and mailed it to me. I typed it all into her TJ account.

I will NOT be hiking or working at the summer camp this year and am willing to transcribe for a thru-hiker that wishes to keep a journal. Contact me by PM is you needed one.

[swift]

Keeping a journal and taking a lot of pictures is something I've come to appreciate more and more for too many reasons to go into here.

I used a digital recorder to log in entries last thing every night just before going to sleep. Also if something significant happened during the day I'd keep the recorder handy, pull it out and yap away.

The recorder I used was a Creative Muvo TX with 256 megs of memory, built-in FM radio and MP3 player although I didn't used the MP3 function to save space for the journal. This recorder is a little bigger than a Bic lighter, weighs about 2 ounces with AAA battery installed, has a capacity of 17 hours of voice in WAV format, runs on one battery for 12 hours. It has a USB 2.0 interface which means I could plug it directly into any computer along the trail running WINDOWS SE or higher and it would be immediately recognized without having to install any software. It simply shows up as a hard drive in Explorer. The WAV files can be attached to email, burned onto a CD, or copied onto the computer itself.

I used all three of these methods to get my entries to my transcriber. Some places I can remember sending them off like this are: the library at Hiawassee, Miss Janet's, Waynesboro, Pearisburg, Front Royal, Harper's Ferry......and so on. My transcriber would listen to the entries in Windows Media Player and type them up. I used a total of 3 lithium AAA's for the entire trip, and that because I would occasionly sleep with the radio on during those "noisy" nights.

What I have most come to value is that I have an oral record as well as a written record of my adventure. Last week I listened to and re-lived my hike while I drove to Asheville and back from Ft Lauderdale. Hearing at times the frustration, the weariness, joy, anger, wonder in my own voice took me back very vividly to that moment on the trail.

[Lonesome Polecat]

...I used a Creative Muvo TX with 256 megs of memory, built-in FM radio and MP3 player...little bigger than Bic lighter...weighs 2 oz. with AAA battery installed...a capacity of 17 hrs voice in WAV format, runs on one battery for 12 hours...has USB 2.0 interface to plug into a PC running WINDOWS SE, or higher, and be recognized, without software, in Explorer as a hard drive... attach WAV files to email, burned to a CD, or copy to the PC itself.

Like to hear more about this...where you bought it, how much, etc.

I'm 63, leaving on a NOBO Thru Hike in 2 wks. Want to record every aspect via voice and pictures, so in 20 or 30 yrs from now, I can enjoy them with my great-great-grand-kids.

Thanks Swift, appreciate your post very much.

[swift]

Walmart carries them in the electronics section, they have gotten much cheaper...about 60 bucks last time I looked. Also I just did a quick search online and Amazon sells them for $65, free shipping. Here is the link to it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=172282

Good luck on your hike Polecat!

[dje97001]

WOW. I had been eyeing the ipod nano (mainly because it looks incredible and was well-marketed). But then jumping off of your link, I found the Creative Zen Nano Plus 1 GB MP3 Player Black. Same capacity as the lowest end Ipod Nano (but $50 cheaper, .4 oz lighter!!) and it also comes with FM tuner, voice recorder and similarly runs on a AAA (which wasn't possible with the Ipod... you needed to buy a wall-adapter if you planned to charge it on anything other than a computer). I'm impressed. Granted they ripped off the ipod nano's name... but AAA and the price seems to do it for me.

[Chef2000]

I have finished more hikes than journals. Every year I tell myself I am gonna complete a journal and a hike. In 2000 I tried for a while but gave up. Last year for 50 bucks I bought, on Ebay, a brandnew Pocketmail with one year free service. What I do is email my daily writing to my hotmail account, among others. When I get to a library I can easliy copy from hotmail and paste it on my new website.No need to retype entry. The pocketmail device is real cool and along the AT you should have no problem with cell signal or payphones. In Colorado I went a week without a signal, so it was much harder.

[Rendezvous01]

David--
In 2001 I handwrote my journal, mailed pages weekly to my brother, who transcribed (not easy, with my handwriting!) and created and maintained my personal website, which was intended primarily for my family and friends. He was better at keeping up his end than I was mine, at least for the first couple months. I missed days, got behind so that I was trying to write a journal entry for last Wednesday and so forth. It got to a point, however, that I started to keep a journal for my own sake, rather than for others, and in doing so I became more diligent at recording my thoughts and observations. I then developed a system for my brother on what parts of the journal entries should not be put on the website, so I could keep some things private, because many of my emotions and thoughts I wasn't ready to share with others.

As HH and others have mentioned above, I too return occasionally to my journal to reflect on that time in my life, and to compare thoughts then with thoughts now. If you can be dedicated to the task for yourself, not just for others, your journal will become an important piece of your own personal history and you will not regret the time spent to do it.

If I were to do it again, I think I would try to get some electonic gizmo so that I could occasionally walk and talk. I found that keeping my paper journal accessible--in my pocket rather than buried in my pack--made it easier for me to make spontaneous entries, so many of my later writings were made not by headlamp late in the evening but sitting on a bridge or a mountaintop.

[LongIslandBob]

David,
I thruhiked last year and kept a small looseleaf journal with me, which I then transcribed onto trailjournals.com when in towns, or at hostels/motels with internet. Usually it was only a few days between internet access and it was easy to put it in, not that hard to get access and a nice diversion. I started grouping days in each entry, but then changed to a daily entry format so that it wouldn't be too confusing and would give me the statistics. Dozens of family & friends told me how much they enjoyed reading my journal and "experiencing" the hike with me. And it gave me pleasure and inspiration to share it with them. Loking back, I'm glad I kept both and I still refer to the written one from time to time, as it carries more meaning to me to see the words/writing each day. Good luck with your hike! "Five-0"