Anyone else keep a personal journal??

N

NO F-Bdy Bs

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May 3, 2007
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I have been beating around this idea for a while, and I think one of my new years resolutions is to start a journal.
Nothing extensive, just basic goings on from day to day, or week to week. No real set schedule of when I "must" write in it.
My grandfather kept one for 40yrs. We still have all of them in a shoebox at my parents house, and they were very interesting to read.He is the reason I had a chance at experiencing the outdoors, as he bought the land that is still in our family today. He loved the outdoors, and would spend hours in his woods every week.He jotted down quick and simple thoughts. Such as how the timber was doing,if the family dog had puppies, days that the ponds froze over, ect.He also did little sketches of his land, how the creeks ran, and so forth. Nothing groundbreaking, but cool nontheless.
Im not a writer at all, and have no amazing experiences to date, but I THINK that my decendents may appreciate this one day.


Anyone else do this??
 
I've relaxed a little on this. I was taught at a very early age to only write something down if you want anyone else to read it. Then there's the problem of tidiness and how best to file away scraps of paper. Last, I've always thought of diary keeping as a thing young girls do as they come to terms with maturation.

Digital has changed that a bit for me. It solved the bits of paper problem and convenience made it inevitable there would be some spill from the digital Post It Note. Now I do find myself adding the occasional scribble in the free version of EssentialPIM. That said, as a matter of principle it is tucked under a couple of layers of encryption and kept where it isn't obvious.


...
Residents of England should note that Part 3 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act can get you 2yrs jail for failing to roll over and give up your cryptographic keys, and 5yrs if they can spin a terror angle. Some bloke got 9mnths for that back in November. So, lose your keys or forget them, but don't refuse.
 
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I keep a travel journal for when I take motorcycle camping trips, but I wasn't very faithful about it this past year. My habit is to get it out after dinner and write in it by the fire. I record events/thoughts/observations from the day, routes taken, campsites used, equipment notes, etc. Oddly, I've never extended the habit of journaling to other parts of my life.
 
I've kept a journal for more than twenty-five years. I always document trips, but it also serves as a daily workout log.

Jeff
 
Another daily journal keeper here. Have been using Moleskines for the past decade. Easy to keep with me, etc. Always nice to capture ideas and learnings (including powerful questions) for later musings. Some great things have come from these bits years after pen was put to paper.

AJ
 
Ive got a small calendar, where i write down how my health is, when i work out, all sort of purchases, knife wishlist, birthdays etc....thats the closest to a diary i have. I dont write anything down about feelings and stuff like that.

When i go hiking ive got a small moleskine that i pull out every night by the fire or inside the tent. In that i write how many kilometers ive covered, type of terrain traversed, weather-conditions, notes on anything i could have done better, how my gear performed, etc. It makes for good reading next time im prepping for a trip.
 
I know I am glad Fred Bear did, his book field notes from his hunting journals is one of the best reads I have found
Roy
 
I take a journal on extended trips (anything over three days), and make daily entries. They cover the geography I have crossed, impressions about my surroundings, thoughts on flora and fauna, impromptu recipes for fish, considerations on gear and skills, etc. It's always nice to look back at a memorable trip and read about how you experienced it in the moment.

All the best,

- Mike
 
I kept one for large trips and such but never really made any entries in between. Recenlty I have been making entries about once a week about nothing inparticular. I hope to keep this up and maybe in 20 years or so it will be a good read or at least a way to remember some of the things I have accomplished and people I've met.
 
NO F-Bdy Bs

i've kept journals for thirty years.
fascinating to read after a lapse of time.
excellent idea.
document everyday occurrences, these will be of value. the things you take for granted , mundane everyday seemingly boring tasks are the real nuggets
buzz
 
Since 1983, I've kept a "notebook" of things to remember, investigate, or look into.

It started out as a wadded up sheet of letter-sized scratch paper, graduated to a clipboard, and now resides in a two-inch three-ring binder.

If I see a neat idea, I sketch it out in there. Later, I'll go back and formalize it or move it somewhere else. I keep notes and formulas and equations in there, all on one page. If it's something to check out, and I do later, I tear out the page and throw it away.

As a result, it's probably never more than 50 pages at a given time.

Not what I'd call a journal.

But if you ARE planning on keeping a journal, keep two things in mind:

- Reading it years later will prove to be incredibly entertaining and funny to you. But promise yourself: no matter how dumb you sounded 10 years ago, NEVER throw out that page. You'll be sorry you did in another 10 years when you realize you were right all along!

- When your kids and grand kids read your journal 50+ years later, it will be pure gold to them. No matter how cool or important or smart you think you are reading your own stuff, they will think you are 100 times cooler, more important, and smarter for writing it down. I wish I had stuff from my grandparents, who wrote nothing down and died early in life. What a treasure that would be for me today.
 
I started up 2 weeks ago, not everyday, but most days. It is mostly about skills I'm working on, weather and things of the like. There is nothing in there that if posted on the net would be an issue for me. I plan to leave it that way.
 
I have written something in a journal nearly everyday for almost 20 years.

For the last 5 years I have been using Moleskines as well. Functional & rugged.
 
I keep a running log, finally having started about 6 months ago (roughly 1 year after starting running). I just write down the mileage and the time, and make a note about what shoes I was wearing (good to keep track of how many miles I have on them). I also write down if I notice any sort of pain that could relate to an injury-good if I end up needing to see someone about it.

It's really neat to look back and compare my mileage, as far back as when I started or even the total of last week's mileage.

Since I joined AmeriCorps NCCC about 3 months ago I started writing down quick notes in a journal every couple of days. Just simple things, like what we've been doing or how the group dynamic changed, or whatever else I feel like writing down about how I'm feeling.

I tried to keep a journal about my hiking and other outdoors trips, but that fell apart really quickly because I'm simply not in the habit of writing things down frequently.

If you make a habit of it, I think it could be a cool thing to do.
 
Besides a trip journal (in a Moleskine), I always carry a pocket-sized Miquelrius in my pants pocket with a small pencil clipped to it. I just use it to copy down lists, numbers, and all the random stuff that I need to remember during the course of my day-to-day activities.

Since this is W&SS, I'll mention that I have a book of matches tucked into the back of it.;)
 
I use a program on my phone that lets me organize files into folders and create text files for them. I like to write down dreams, things I'd like to do or purchase, general thoughts etc. I keep a policy of not writing down anything I wouldn't be comfortable with others knowing, just in case. Password protected, but I don't trust that to keep the determined out.

I do like the idea of writing down nature observations. I've always mentally noted how trails evolve over the years, or how previous campsites get overrun by certain species of plants etc., but it would be cool to be able to read over those thoughts.
 
I started one a few years ago to keep track of hiking times, distances, weather etc.. but I converted them to audio journal and eventually added music, sound clips, live recording from the field and uploaded the whole damn thing to the World Wide Web for all to enjoy. Check it out !

www.anthonysaudiojournal.com
AAJ_Icon.jpg
 
I don't I just store my adventures and experiences in my head. Hopefully I won't get Alzheimer's when I'm older :D
 
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