Article Travel Leisure Tip

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 you’ve forgotten are lost to time. If you had kept a backpacking journal
this won’t be the case.

There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout time. Of course
Anne Frank’s 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 don’t 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.