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Friday, February 17, 2012

The Benefits Of Backpacking Journals

By Amanda Kirby


A great way to escape the rate race and be one with nature is backpacking. Alas, your backpacking experiences can fade with time. Keeping a backpacking journal for your adventure is the best way you can prevent this.

Why You should Keep Backpacking Journals

You should take time to consider some of your most recent backpacking experience. What are the things that sticks out in your mind? Now think about the first time you ever went backpacking. You will undoubtedly remember a few things about the geography, people you went with, particular backpacking routes and spectacular views. But the experiences you have forgotten will be lost to time. If you had kept a backpacking journal, this won't be the case.

Throughout time, there are famous instances of people keeping journals. Anne Frank's Diary is, of course, 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. In order for you to avoid taking unnecessary space for other things, it should first be compact. Next, it should also have a case so that it will be protected from rain, spills, and so on. Third, the journal should contain blank areas to write your notes. Finally, cues should be contained in the journal to remind you to keep notes on specific things. Cues should include the following,

Include the people you went backpacking with,

Did you enjoy the place you backpacked and where was it?

Who were the people you met and what are their contact information?

What were the geographic and weather conditions?

What were the routes you tried and how far did you make it?

Any unique things that occurred while backpacking.

You should be able to get the following from your journal at the end of the trip:

For the other backpackers and people you met, you should have their contact information.

Enough detail to provide you or a friend with a guide if you backpack the location a second time.

Memories to reflect upon years later, and

Things that you can pass on to your children, grandchildren, and friends.

You should write in your backpacking journal during backpacking breaks or immediately after to get the most out of your backpacking journal. Even if just go out for a weekend, every trip is still special.

Backpacking is a great way to commune with nature. It's therefore important to preserve the experience.




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