Backpacking Journals - Preserve Your Backpacking Experiences
by Rick Chapo
Backpacking is a great way to escape the rat race and be one with
nature. Alas, your backpacking experiences can fade with time. The best
way to prevent this is to keep a backpacking journal for your adventures.
Backpacking Journals
Take a minute to give some
consideration to your most recent backpacking experience. What sticks out
in your mind? Now think about the first time you ever went backpacking.
Undoubtedly, you remember few things about the geography, people you went
with, particular backpacking routes and spectacular views. The experiences
youve forgotten are lost to time. If you had kept a backpacking journal,
this wont be the case.
There are famous instances of people
keeping journals throughout time. Of course, Anne Franks Diary is the best
example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her
family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your backpacking experiences
better be more lighthearted, keeping a journal will let you remember them
as the years pass.
A good backpacking journal combines a number of
characteristics. First, it should be compact so you dont have to take up
unnecessary space for other things. Second, it should have a case to
protect it from rain, spills and so on. Third, the journal should contain
blank areas to write your notes. Fourth, the journal should contain cue
spaces to remind you to keep notes on specific things. Cues should
include:
1. Who you went backpacking with,
2. Where you
backpacked and if you enjoyed it,
3. Who you met and contact
information for them,
4. The geographic and weather conditions,
5. Routes you tried and how far you made it, and
6. Any
unique things that occurred while backpacking.
At the end of the
trip, you should be able to get the following from your journal:
1.
Contact information for other backpackers and people you met,
2.
Enough detail to provide you or a friend with a guide if you backpack the
location a second time.
3. Memories to reflect upon years later,
and
4. Something to pass on to your friends, children and
grandchildren.
To get the most out of your backpacking journal, you
should write in it during backpacking breaks or immediately after. Every
trip is special, even if you just go out for a weekend.
Backpacking is a great way to commune with nature. Make sure to
preserve the experience.
Rick Chapo is with Nomad Journals - Preserve the experience with
writing journals for your travels. Read more articles and travelogues on
NomadJournalTrips.com.
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