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Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing

Recently I was talking to a friend who hiked on the Appalachian Trail with me years ago. He was mentioning how he wished he had kept a better journal. Time has robbed some of those memories from him. When it comes to whether one keeps a journal or not, the decision is a personal one. Some people keep a journal and some don’t. If you do choose to keep a journal, these Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing will help you craft a journal that will keep the memory of your hike alive.

Throughout my adventures I have always kept a journal on longer trips and wish I had for more of my shorter ones. As I pointed out not everyone does. Good journal writing isn’t hard. Here are some Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing that will help you keep what’s important from your adventures alive and organized, so you and others can enjoy them for years to come.

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Everyone has their own reason for keeping a journal. Sometimes it’s personal, sometimes it’s for others, or a combination of both. Some want to record their thoughts, others want to document their daily journey. Whatever the reason, your journal is going to be better if it has structure, consistency, and is descriptive.

Structure

I find structure to be very important in good journal writing. Having structure makes the process of writing your daily journal easier. There’s less to think about and most importantly it makes reading, following, and finding certain entries in your journal in the future easier.

No matter what type of adventure you’re on, if it’s long enough, the days will start to meld together. Over time this only gets worse as our memory starts to fail us. My friend (the one I mentioned at the start of the post) told me that each journal entry he made was different. His journal lacked consistency and continuity, which now after all the years, makes it hard to find certain dates or locations and also follow his thru-hike.

The easiest way to prevent this is to add structure to your journal. The next step is to use it everyday without exception.

My journal entries always start with a header like this:

6/9/17 Day 1
113.3 Miles, 113.3 Total
Banff, AB to Trail Side Camp (Koko Pass) 6000′
40’s overcast and lots of rain
Days of Rain: 1

The beauty of the above is that it’s super easy to search and find locations, dates, mileage and more when you go back to your journal. If you’re posting to a blog the extra information will improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings too. Even without saying what I saw and did that day, it’s a perfect snapshot of my day. Think about the things you think are important to you and create your own structured header.

Your header can be detailed like mine or simple. Some might not feel the need for the weather or counting days of rain. Find out what works for you and use it everyday.

agatha and scatman journaling - Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing

Consistency

Adding consistency to your journal can be as easy as including the structure mention above. In the end, the most important thing to journaling is to journal everyday! Falling behind is bad for many reasons. As we talked about, days meld together, so getting memories down while they’re fresh in your mind is much easier than doing so days later.

Most adventures mean long days and sometimes just writing one days entry is hard enough without falling asleep before you finish. Trying to do more than one means you’ll probably compromise and your entries will suffer.

The other issue with falling behind is there is always a chance that the idea of catching up becomes overwhelming and one stops journaling all together. This is the last thing you want to happen.

Consistency can also be added to your journal through descriptions as well. See the Descriptive section below for more.

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Descriptive

Remember when you were a kid and you were first learning to write stories? There were five simple words the teacher wrote on the board.

Who
What
When
Where
Why

They’re called the Five W’s. Some add “How” to the list. These Five W’s are the building blocks of any story and serve the propose of painting a picture for the reader. The reason I mention these is to encourage you to think about using as many details as possible.

As I mentioned above in the Consistency section your descriptions can do more than just help describe your journey, they can add consistency. When and Where are the easiest descriptions to add consistency. Using “When” and “Where” in the Structure section of your journal can make it easy for you and others to follow your journey from entry to entry.

WHO: Names and Places

The thing that I have a hard time recalling is names and places. If you’re hiking you only see locations once. It’s easy to forget them and even easier to forget their names. Some people you see once like locations, others you might see for a few days or months. The result is you’ll remember some but not all of the people you meet.

Make a conscious effort to document the people you meet and also the places you saw/visited. There are trail angels who opened their homes to me, and I can’t remember their names. Not only will adding names add depth to your journal, they will help your recall long lost stories for years to come.

WHAT: Describe Your Day in Detail

“What” is the meat of your entry. What did you see, what did you do, what was the landscape like, what was the weather, what were your thoughts, and so on. The more detail you can put in your journal the better it will be.

There are many ways to tell your story with good journal writing. You can write a blow by blow chronological description of your day, or a scant and brief recap, or something in between. Whatever you do make it work for you. But make sure that whatever you do writ enough so in 10 or 20 years it can bring you back.

WHEN: Include the Date

When is one of the most important items you can included in your journal entries. As we mentioned above it adds consistency but it also lets you search by the date to find a certain time during your adventure.

WHERE: Include Locations

If you use a structured header like suggested at the beginning of this article then, you already have your starting and ending points. Use your maps, or the Guthook app, to include the places you saw and hiked through. Things like names of Wilderness areas, National Forests, rivers, trail names, passes, and lakes.

Including “Where” in your journal will not only add colorful descriptions to your journal but also help paint a picture for the reader of where you were during your hike or bike ride.

Why: Give insight

The “Why” of an adventure is personal and it’s up to you whether you want to discuss it in your journal. If you do add it, it possibly will help the reader understand you better and help them see the trip more through your eyes rather than their own.

POST TRIP

If you either journal electronically or hand write it, then enter your journal into your computer when you get home, you might consider adding names, places, and other details you failed to the first time.

I like to go back with my maps, photos, and Guthook, and as I read each entry I add descriptions and names of others I forgot to enter. I also will add my thoughts about the day in italics, as a kind of retrospective. The result is a much richer story, with more detail that is fun to read.

Conclusion

As pointed out, journaling is a personal decision. If you choose to keep one, keep one that is worth the effort. Find a system that works for you and be sure to add Structure, Consistency, and be Descriptive. The effort you put into your journal now will prove worth it in 20 years when you go back and read it again.

Hopefully these Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing will help you with your own journal writing and keep your memories alive.

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Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing

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Structure

Consistency

Descriptive

Conclusion

MORE RESOURCES

MY PROVEN GEAR LISTS FROM THE TRIPLE CROWN

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Keys to Good Trail Journal Writing

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Structure

Consistency

Descriptive

Conclusion

MORE RESOURCES

MY PROVEN GEAR LISTS FROM THE TRIPLE CROWN

APPALACHAIN TRAIL

PCT

CDT

“IF I HIKED…” SERIES

APPALACHAIN TRAIL

PACIFIC CREST TRAIL

CDT

LT

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What’s New in Our Store

OB Sucks

Class of ____

R.E.S.R AZTR

Support the Project