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Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:39 pm
by Wollv
Aight, well this is probably a very commonly asked question but i can't find it. Do you guys keep climbing journals? And if so what do you put in them. I have recently started mountaineering and am trying to keep track of the peaks I have done. Any info is much appreciated! Thanks Guys!!!!! :D

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:23 am
by Sarah Simon
Good luck with your new focus on climbing.

Me peronsonally, I "journal" my climbs in three places:

1. Here on SP
2. On Lists of John
3. In Excel (low-tech, but effective)

Cheers,

Sarah

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:47 am
by CSUMarmot
Welcome to summitpost
I like to use excel
my list includes the name of the destination, date climbed, elevation of the destination, elevation gain, one way mileage, and comments for snow depth fishing ect.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:50 am
by Hotfeet
I keep a journal on most mountains I climb. I don't include dayhikes/training. I try to write a brief report on the trip. I like to list the relevent facts and some general sediment about the trip... How I was doing? feeling? what the climb was like? Something my son may want to read someday.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 3:28 am
by Scott
I keep a written journal and since 2008 I've been summarizing it on SP (still need to catch up the past few weeks):

http://www.summitpost.org/2010-trip-log/590857

http://www.summitpost.org/2009-trip-log/477971

http://www.summitpost.org/2008-trip-log/375607

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 4:16 am
by Dave Dinnell
I started out keeping track with just a note book. Then when I bought my first guide book (Roper's guide to the High Sierra) I started noting in it. Now I primarily jot notes in my guidebooks, as well as noting stuff in my training journal and have added stuff to SP.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:37 am
by EJBean
I use an excel spreadsheet, and have just started tracking peaks at
http://www.peakbagger.com
You can track as much or as little as you like, and it has great reporting features that show your accomplishments in different ways.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:33 pm
by Stu Brandel
I started keeping a personal journal from the early 1980s that I mostly used for spiritual reflections in my daily 'quiet time'. When I started hiking in 1984, it was natural to record date, destination and route each day. I have been very glad to have this lately - sometime I have forgotten whole mountains!

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:48 pm
by Sierra Ledge Rat
I've kept a climbing journal since the 1970s. For the most part it's just been peak, route, date and partners.

Mostly for the sole purpose of keeping track of who and what are in my pictures.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:56 pm
by simonov
I used Flickr. Each hike or climb gets a set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonov/co ... 589474033/

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 4:10 pm
by rhyang
I've kept a daily training journal since I broke my neck about 3.5 years ago. Nothing fancy, just windows notepad -- date and what I did. It's helped me realize how far I've come in my recovery.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 12:52 am
by Lolli
I don't keep track.
I mostly don't remember the name of whatever I climbed, nor the height.
It doesn't matter , what should I do with a list like that?

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:51 am
by mvs
I make a trip report for each trip on my website. Sometimes I make a TR here on summitpost if I think others would be interested. I like to record what I was thinking, funny things I learned, snippets of interesting conversation, as well as details of the climb. Practical benefit? It made me a fast typist. :D

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:03 am
by RobSC
I've kept a notebook since 1976. It has every peak that I've climbed, the technical climbs, and a few long endurance races. I have usually included the peak, elevation, partners and whether the summit was tree covered or bare for the Eastern peaks. For technical climbs it includes the number of pitches, the YDS difficulty and the grade. For really meaningful ascents I have included other editorial comments, and on a few I've noted first ascents where applicable.

It is on the extra pages of my third grade math spiral notebook and has a duck stamp that I got for getting a problem set entirely right. It also has a partial list of my Presidential Physical Fitness results from 4th and 5th grade.

There are a lot of memories in that book...

Best of luck in your own efforts.

Re: Hiking Journal?

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:14 am
by Wollv
Thanks a ton guys! I learned alot! and plan on putting some of it into practice. thanks again.