Journaling Your Expedition Details

I carry a journal along when I backpack or camp and I would suggest that you do so, as well. I do not fool myself into thinking that I will ever compose essays in the manner of Edward Abbey, no matter how witty or profound my thoughts seem while hiking throughout the day. For me, the primary reason behind my journaling is to record the day’s events. This helps me in recounting tales of a specific trip, matching my photographs to my maps, and keeping accurate records of exactly which peak, pass, lake, or stream that I encountered. But when face to face with a blank page where does one begin?

I cannot claim that ‘my’ format is really even mine. I give all credit to Ed Garvey, who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1970, and wrote about his hike in Appalachian Hiker: Adventure of a Lifetime. Garvey kept notes in a 4x6 inch bound notebook but I find his real genius was in devising a format which captures the critical elements of each day's hike. Garvey actually had his format printed up on sheets separate from his journaling book; I am not so formal as that but use Garvey’s foundation as the base for what I record. Here is Garvey’s format that I have adopted... Continue reading...