February 13, 2025 • 47 mins
Ever wished you could relive a past hike, remember exactly what made a certain trail so special (or challenging), or track your progress as a hiker? In this episode of Shawn & Mike Take A Hike, we dive into the art of journaling and documenting your backpacking adventures. Whether you’re jotting down notes in a weatherproof notebook, keeping a digital hiking log, or capturing moments through photos and videos, recording your hikes can enhance your experience, improve future trips, and create lasting memories.
We’ll break down different types of hiking journals - traditional written logs, digital tracking apps, and even video diaries - exploring the pros and cons of each method. We’ll discuss what details are worth documenting, from trail conditions and weather to personal reflections and gear performance. Plus, we’ll share tips on making journaling a fun and effortless habit rather than a chore, even if you’re not a writer.
But it’s not just about words - there are plenty of creative ways to document your adventures! Some hikers sketch trail maps, take before-and-after photos of their campsites, or record voice memos on the go. We’ll also talk about how journaling can help with goal setting, gear improvements, and even mental health benefits by reflecting on time spent outdoors.
Whether you want to track your personal growth as a hiker, keep a detailed log for future reference, or simply create a scrapbook of your best outdoor adventures, this episode will help you find the best method for you.
Hit play on this episode of Shawn & Mike Take a Hike and start documenting your adventures - your future self will thank you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'm Shawn and I'm Mike and you're listening to Shawn and Mike take a hike.
(00:17):
Welcome to another episode of Shawn and Mike take a hike.
What do you want to talk about today, Shawn?
Today I would like to talk about journaling, which sounds nerdy.
I am well aware.
But the topic came up kind of for two reasons.
(00:39):
One, we are starting to look ahead to 2025 now that we're in the year of our Lord 2025.
We're in the middle of the winter.
We are trying to have something to look forward to like we talked about in our mental health
episode.
So we are getting to the point we are starting to look forward to like, what are we going
(01:01):
to do this year?
In conjunction or in addition to that, I got a super cool gift from my work wife for Christmas
that kind of sparked me to think about this topic at all and full disclosure, I don't
think we've done a superb job of journaling our trips for the last couple of years.
(01:30):
I feel like we should have done a better job.
So I am officially giving the advice to new people, if you are starting your hiking backpacking
or journey in life, start journaling from day one.
You will be so glad that you did.
(01:50):
So I thought we could talk about journaling, like what to journal, what to keep track of,
what to make note of, how to go about it, that sort of stuff.
I thought we could roll all of that into today's conversation.
So I mean, when we first started, I didn't have an idea of like, I've never been a journaler.
I've never like kept a diary or a journal.
(02:12):
I don't tally my day at the end of every day or whatever.
When we did first start doing this though, I am a spreadsheet nerd.
So I created a spreadsheet of the trails that we were doing, the mileage and all that kind
of stuff.
(02:33):
And then it's kind of spiraled.
I haven't updated it in a little while, but I have all of our trips marked down or written
and saved so I can easily go back and add to this spreadsheet.
But it keeps track of like, how many miles we're on the North Country trail, how many
we're on the Manistee River trail, how many we're on this.
So I have my own way of journaling without, it's just keeping like where, when, and what
(02:59):
trail and what mile markers.
It's not keeping track of the weather, the, you know, what were the conditions like, what,
you know, all that kind of stuff, what mood was I in?
All of that kind of stuff.
I really think that coming down to it, I wish we would have been keeping track of a few
(03:22):
more of those details.
Okay.
And that's kind of where I'm coming to it.
I kind of, I like our spreadsheet, don't get me wrong.
I'm like, I'm super happy that you have kept track of that part of what we have done.
Now that we are a little more experienced, I really wish we would have kept better track
of other things other than just mileage.
(03:42):
Like when we started, mileage was really our thing.
Right.
And we wanted to make sure we were keeping track of like, these are the mile markers
of this trail that we have done so that we didn't redo those miles.
Yeah.
Not necessarily that redoing miles is a bad thing.
It's just we are more of the mindset of we want to see new things and do new things.
(04:06):
Correct.
Right.
And I'm not saying that we have done anything wrong.
I just think we maybe should have kept track of a few more things than we did.
So like just as a piece of advice for new hikers or new backpackers, like if you are
just getting into it, this is more of a reflection on, I wish I would have done this.
(04:27):
Not so much we did this and this is what we are recommending, but more of like a, we fucked
up.
Like do this, don't screw up the same way that we screwed up.
Like really keep track of some of this stuff.
Because now that we are in it a bit, there is some stuff I wish that we had logged from
those first few trips so that I could remember.
(04:49):
Because I am already forgetting, where were we when this happened?
Where, what did we do?
What happened?
Why did we wind up in this situation or whatever?
And we don't have a log of that for us to look back on.
At the time you think, well I'm always going to remember this.
I'm never going to forget it.
(05:10):
And it's like, okay yeah I do remember that thing.
I don't remember the surrounding situation of that thing or when it was or what led up
to it.
That's the part that my brain is not remembering.
Right.
And I mean it's just nice to be able to go back.
I mean everybody has, well not everybody.
(05:30):
Those of us that are in a little bit of the older crowd have the shoebox full of old photos.
They're not just on your phone.
So like you open that up and everyone's wanting you to just kind of thumb through some of
these pictures.
And you're like, oh man, it's like just put you right back in that situation and everything.
It would be nice to like.
That's funny.
Do all of us have our pictures in shoeboxes?
Like is that where everybody's pictures are?
(05:52):
Because I totally have a shoebox full of pictures.
Our parents' generation did albums, we did shoeboxes, and now they're on phones.
We had to wait two weeks for them to develop them at a store.
But yeah, so I don't know.
(06:13):
It's just like that nostalgia.
It just kind of takes you back to like right to that experience, right to that place of
like oh yeah.
I do remember that.
I really wish we had more of that, especially for our first trip.
Yeah.
So let's talk about first like before we talk about what you're journaling, let's talk about
(06:38):
methods to journal.
So you and I have a spreadsheet because you and I are technology nerds and we've made
no bones about that in any of our episodes.
So like we have a shared online spreadsheet that we keep track of.
We keep track of way too much stuff, like just everything in our personal lives.
(07:00):
Mike and I, if there's coordination that is between Mike and I, we have an online spreadsheet
that we share.
We coordinate things through because we are nerds.
But that is totally an option.
So like one of your options is whether it's like an iCloud spreadsheet, whether it's a
Google Doc, whether it's like just an Excel spreadsheet that you're sharing with a friend,
(07:24):
or if you're just doing it on your own, like maybe it's just for your own personal stuff.
So you've got your own personal spreadsheet or whatever.
Totally an option.
Absolutely.
You can do like the old school way, pen and paper, you know, like three ring bound notebook
college rule.
Keep it.
Keep track of it on paper.
Totally an option.
(07:46):
The thing that I now have in my life that prompted this conversation or one of the things
that prompted this conversation is I got a gift.
Like I said, from my work wife, she got me an actual hikers journal, which is a bound
book with a place to record all of your hiking related things.
(08:10):
Like it's but it's a specific bound journal with like pre printed things inside it, which
we'll get to in a minute.
So like that's an option.
If none of those sound like your cup of tea, there are a myriad of apps that you can get
on your phone or your tablet or your Kindle or whatever that will do basically the same
(08:35):
things but in digital form for you.
So those are kind of like your things, right?
Like that's the ways that you can do it.
I'm not going to say one's better than the other.
I mean, do you Mike have a personal you like spreadsheets?
You're a spreadsheet guy in your daily life.
I like spreadsheets, but like the the hiking journal that that your work wife got you,
(08:57):
I really like the concept of that because I think the reason why I've never really journaled
in my entire life is because I don't know what to put.
And that journal has a list of things and it's just like, okay, that's it's like filling
out like a little worksheet or whatever.
(09:17):
It's like, okay, this is the date.
This is the location.
This is, you know, where we did how many miles like all that kind of stuff kind of like guides
you with what to put.
Then it has an open forum thing on the back or whatever.
So you can just write whatever you're feeling.
But like it at least gives you a starting point of like what to do.
So I really enjoyed that about the pre prefab things.
(09:39):
I've never been like a creative writer or any of that kind of thing.
So like when it's just that people are just like, just go right.
That's like about what?
This reminds me of like this is a larger like physical size larger than what I'm used to.
But what it really reminds me of is so like in my daily life, I for years worked in network
(10:05):
construction and one of the things they teach you in network construction as an employee
is to keep a daily log of like, this is your footage.
This was the weather.
This is what you did that day.
This was something weird that happened just as a like cover your own ass.
If a boss ever comes and asks you like, oh, where were you last Tuesday?
(10:26):
What did you do?
You can go back to your like daily log book and be like, okay, well last Tuesday, yeah,
that was the day that it was 62 and raining and yeah, we only did, you know, a half a
mile of underground or whatever, but this is why and yada yada yada.
So this like hiking journal that I got really reminds me of a daily log that you would keep
(10:48):
in the construction industry.
I imagine other industries do it too, but that's what it reminds me of like from something
from real life, you know, similar sort of thing.
But yeah, I mean, just as a way to you forget, I mean, it's so crazy how fast you forget
things.
And even though this like printed one doesn't specifically have spots for it, like some
(11:15):
of the things that I wish that you and I had kept track of were we're to the point now
where we're like getting new gear and things like that.
Oh, true.
Yeah.
And then I wish I wish we had kept a log of like, I tried this brand and I liked it.
I liked it for X, Y, Z reasons.
Right.
Or my whatever broke on this trip and I would or wouldn't buy it again because ABC happened
(11:42):
with it.
Right.
Or I remedied that break by doing this.
Like, you know, exactly.
Yeah.
Or you mentioned before, one of the brands that you worked with, you had something that
broke out on the trail.
When you got back to Civilization, you got a hold of their customer service.
They sent you a new whatever piece.
(12:07):
No questions asked.
Super easy would get them again.
Absolutely.
Yep.
OK, so that so now here it is.
I'm going to pretend like it's a year later.
I don't remember exactly when that happened.
A year later, I remember you telling me that story could not tell you what brand that was
or what piece of gear that was that that happened.
(12:29):
Yeah.
Like, I remember you being super happy with the interaction that you had with their customer
service.
I don't know what it was or what brand or whatever.
Like, I feel like that is good stuff.
We should be logging that because like 10 years from now, if we haven't bought anything
else from that brand and we're looking for a new sleeping bag or a new tent or a new
(12:52):
pad or whatever, if it's between option A and option B and option B, we can look back
in our notes and be like, well, that was the one option B is the same brand as that company
I dealt with 10 years ago and their customer service was awesome.
Well, I'm buying option B then.
Yeah.
Yeah, 100 percent.
That's an amazing idea to have to keep track of.
(13:16):
You know, that's an easy back to my spreadsheets.
That's an easy new column to add.
Nerd.
It is an easy new column to add, but it's a column that we don't have and it's not something
we've been tracking.
So like, this is what I'm saying.
I'm recommending like, don't do as we did, do as we recommend.
(13:39):
Do as we regret.
Right.
Like I'm saying to if you are new, these are the types of things.
Like if you are going to go on one backing trip, backpacking trip, that's the only time
you're ever going to do it.
You're never going to do it again.
It's like a one off experience.
OK, keep a journal just for your memories.
(13:59):
Right.
Right.
If you're going to be doing this for the next 10, 15, 20, 50 years, maybe keep track
of some of these things because it really will come back to.
It might make a difference in your gear picks or even.
OK, so let's say let's say maybe not even gear picks.
(14:20):
Let's say you're keeping track of like Mike and I went and we did the Manistee River Trail
and we loved the trail because it was all hard packed dirt, no sand and fairly level.
(14:40):
And 10 years from now, we're like Mike and I are still talking about, man, I really love
that Manistee River Trail.
Well now we can look back and say, why did we love that trail so much?
Well, it was all hard packed dirt.
There was no sand and it was fairly level.
So let's plan another trip that looks like it's going to be same sort of terrain, not
(15:02):
all ups and downs.
You know, you can almost develop that pattern if you have multiple entries like that, where
it's like, OK, all the ones that we rated five stars out of five stars or whatever our
rating system is.
All of the ones we rated five stars out of five stars say that they were hard packed
dirt and minimal elevation gain.
(15:23):
Yeah, those are the ones that we apparently like.
Or maybe you're the opposite.
Maybe you're the ones that's like, oh, I had huge peaks and then super low valleys and we
love that one and maybe every time you mark one as a five out of five, maybe it's high
peaks and low valleys, you know, where you look.
Maybe you are the type of person that likes that elevation gain.
(15:44):
Yeah, you've got a record and you go back and look at that.
We like to call that bullshit, but we like to call it bullshit because it is bullshit
because I hate it.
Like I was going to say, you kind of gave yourself a teller, like told everybody a tell
years when you said it was hard packed dirt, no sand and fairly level.
Like that's like Shawn.
(16:05):
I know I said it multiple times.
Shawn, sweet spot on the trail.
It is my sweet spot.
I want a nice, wide groomed trail with no elevation gain.
He wants it to look like people have been out there, but he doesn't want to see anybody
out there.
I would like to create the illusion of elevation gain by holding my camera in such a way that
(16:29):
makes it look like the mountain.
Right.
OK, gotcha.
That's what I would like.
I would like to tell people that we worked really hard for this amazing view when really
you could have rolled up and walked a quarter mile.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, you definitely you sold yourself out there, buddy.
All right.
All right.
(16:49):
Fair enough.
Yeah, I like a little bit of sand.
I mean, you know, a little bit, a little.
We got into two buses here.
So anyway, so I kind of I kind of went on a little tangent there, but like those are
your methods.
Now let's talk about like, what do we recommend people keep track of?
(17:09):
Like, what are what are the things that you might wish we would have kept track of in
this spreadsheet or journal or whatever?
So the one thing that came to mind when you were on your little tangent there was like
this past trip, it was raining, so I really didn't get to try it.
(17:31):
But I'm really hoping I get to try it again in the future.
Like we found some I've always heard as a scout back in the days and in my adult life
doing some outdoorsy like.
Tours that I believe it's white birch.
(17:52):
I don't remember.
It's white or yellow, but I'm pretty sure what we found in the in the woods was white
birch and that if you are in a pinch and need a fire starter, white birch will just the
bark, whether it's wet or dry, will catch on fire.
And I tested that and it worked like I was able to.
(18:17):
I was right.
The people were right.
They weren't just feed me a bunch of bullshit.
I was always like one up for the Internet.
Right.
I was like, I'm going to try this.
Granted, like it's raining and like we got to a little dry.
Like it wasn't raining so bad.
I was like, OK, I can find some dry wood.
It was all too wet to actually catch fire.
(18:38):
But the bark went up.
No problem.
So I was like, OK, like I would I would like to start an actual fire with it, just using
that as the fire starting method.
Like I would like to like note that like, OK, on this day, like I actually I tried something
new.
I went out of my comfort zone of like, hey, we've got a fire starter in our backpack.
(19:02):
Like in a pinch, like if you run out of fire starter or your fire starter is soaked and
won't light, there's options out there.
You know, like and I tried it.
So I was happy about that.
OK, so bringing it back to journaling.
Well, I'm going to say I wish I would have journaled that it's in my mind, but I'll forget
that next year.
(19:23):
OK, so would you say what I am hearing you say?
OK, that way, what I am hearing you say is that's like a fun personal story that you
wanted to share about that trip.
I could have said that you want to remember.
I could have said it that way.
(19:44):
So I mean, like, well, so like you're talking about things.
So you would incorporate things like.
I'm going to take from my personal experience.
So in that same category, I went and stripped down to my skivvies and jumped in Lake Superior
and immediately got a leg cramp and immediately got a leg cramp and thought I was going to
(20:06):
have to call the lifeguard, which was not on duty.
But that sort of stuff, right?
Like personal, like these are things or we were on one.
Trying to remember this was our last most recent one where we were on, I believe it
was the North Country Trail.
(20:28):
We came across that giant tree that was like the biggest tree.
Oh, yeah.
See, now I'm forgetting.
I wish I had it journaled down.
Right.
I don't remember.
It was like the biggest or oldest tree in.
To Kwan on National Park.
(20:48):
I don't even remember Michigan or it like what or something.
Right.
Yeah.
And I don't have it written down, so I'm not going to be able to remember.
I have a picture of it somewhere and I took a picture of the plaque so I can go back and
look at it.
But what I would incorporate all of those things into that story that you're talking
about, like so you're saying like, OK, this is something from my childhood that I had
always heard.
(21:09):
It turns out I got a chance in real life to try it on such and such date.
And this is where I was when I tried it and it worked.
Right.
I think all that stuff would be super great to write down.
Like just from a truly in the in the purest sense of it, journaling sense, you're not
(21:29):
going to remember forever.
Even though you're going to think you're going to think to yourself, I'm never going to forget
this.
This was great.
Or this was awful.
Or this was this or this was that.
I'm never going to forget this.
You're not going to forget the big picture of it, probably.
But the details that you want to remember, you're going to forget.
Yeah, 100 percent.
I totally agree.
(21:49):
Yeah, that it like I mean, I was just trying to come up with something like other than
like the date, you know, like, obviously, you're going to want to keep track of your
date, your location, the weather, how many miles, those types of things that are going
to be in there.
So something that like I guess something that's going to like bring you back to that moment
(22:10):
is like one of those like personal stories, one of those little additives that's going
to do it for you.
Well, and honestly, I mean, not to gloss over either, like your date, time, distance, weather.
Like I know we're kind of glossing over that sort of stuff, but it's important.
(22:31):
I feel like that's important stuff to put like eventually.
I'm going to want to remember like I might remember, you know, this last trip, which
we keep shitting on because it rained for two days and it was freezing cold.
Like you and I keep shitting on it.
It's an experience.
It is an experience.
And I'm never going to forget that time that you and I went hiking and it was 50 degrees
(22:54):
and rained for two days.
And we thought it was going to be the middle of August.
So we thought it was going to be 80 degrees outside and it's going to be nice and warm
and we're going to have a great time.
And we packed tank tops and short shorts.
Not literally, but right.
I'm never going to forget that that happened.
I am going to forget probably where we were, what year that happened.
Yep.
(23:15):
What was the situation around that and like what, how did we get out of it?
And did we quit that time or did we finish it?
Like some of that stuff, those details are going to be lost to time.
And I maybe while it's kind of fresh in my memory, maybe I should write it in this new
journal.
I was just going to say we should probably make an attempt to get together and actually
(23:38):
put some of our trips in there just so it's in there.
I'll have to maybe like notate it like this was put in retroactively and then just continue
from there.
So not to kind of make your gift mine too, but in all fairness, when she gave it to me,
(24:00):
she said this is for you and Mike when you go on hikes.
OK, so I guess let me just let me read down the list.
This is, you know, an actual this is made by not a sponsor company called Journals Unlimited,
apparently from Bay City, Michigan.
No shit.
That's what it says at the bottom.
(24:21):
So shout out to them.
Love your book.
Not a sponsor.
But so let me just read down what it has on their like your city cheat sheet.
So this has got city and state date who you hiked with, which I think is a good one to
put down.
Like you and I typically hike with each other, but we've already been in talks about incorporating
(24:45):
other people into a little hiking group.
So I feel like that would be a good one to write down.
It's also got location.
So I think instead of just city and state, that would be like your Manistee River Trail
or North Country Trail or North Country Trail or whatever.
Toquamonon River area, whatever.
(25:05):
And then it's got route slash trail.
So I assume in there you'd put things like we took the north loop right to, you know,
the blue line or whatever, you know, then it does have a spot for weather.
It's got trip duration.
I assume that means time, but it could also mean distance.
(25:27):
Then it's got multiple lines where you can put altitudes, elevations, conditions, et
cetera.
Hardpack dirt, not a lot of elevation gain, minimal sand.
Right there.
Then this is one line that I super like.
It's got multiple lines where you can put sightings and terrain.
(25:48):
And then it's got in parentheses, suggestions, wildlife, nature, scenic views, et cetera.
Isn't it all nature?
It's all nature.
OK.
I don't think that's what it means.
I think it means like I saw a birch tree or, you know, I saw I was out in nature.
(26:12):
There was a cactus.
There was a scorpion or whatever.
But you know, we've talked about before how we stopped during our hikes for, you know,
come to this scenic overlook or you're walking along, you know, when we were up in where
we pictured rocks, National Lakeshore, and we went to we stop and I think we took our
(26:34):
packs off even and did a little detour up to log slide.
Is it log slide?
Is that what that was called?
Yep.
That was super cool.
Like, I am super pumped that we took that minor detour up to that.
And like, I'm also more pumped that we both had it in our mind to not go down the log
(26:57):
slide.
I know I kind of really wanted to go down.
The sign said don't because it was very hard to get back up.
It's something like it takes 30 seconds to get down.
It takes upwards of four hours to get back up.
Yeah.
Something like that.
Yeah.
I so I have been to that separately from when you and I hiked to it.
I was up in the UP for work and took a little detour to have a lunch break because I was
(27:22):
in the area and went there.
And I talked to some people that had just finished hiking up it.
Bread in the face, panting, never again, I believe was the comment that I got.
But it's a story.
(27:43):
But it's a story.
OK, so back to journaling.
Yep, sorry.
So then the next thing that's on this little book that I've got is gear, comma, food and
beverages.
So I think it's wanting you to like outline, you know, what kind of gear did you have?
Would you eat and drink?
So I think that's you brought that up earlier and I'm still kind of my mind is kind of there.
(28:08):
It's like, what a wonderful idea.
What a great idea is just like keeping tabs on like either a what gear you had, but like
how it performed and what you like to did like and all that stuff.
That's such a good idea.
I never thought of that.
OK, but even take it one step further and in kind of the totally opposite direction,
(28:30):
you and I have made no secret about the fact that you and I like to take booze when we
go on the trail.
Yeah.
We probably should be keeping better track of like what booze worked good at room temperature
and what booze didn't work good at room temperature.
Yeah.
Drink responsibly, everybody.
Don't do it.
Don't get yourself into dangerous territory.
But you know, if you're going to take booze, we know which ones you liked and which ones
(28:56):
you didn't.
Right.
And that's that's a valid point, too, because we've always said we're going to keep it.
I think I do have a spreadsheet on that.
I don't think it's a spreadsheet.
Right.
We have a spreadsheet, but we don't keep up on it.
It's true.
That's very true.
Yeah, we don't.
I mean, it was a great idea when we started.
It was probably drinking when I started it.
Probably.
(29:17):
Well, yeah, I mean, true.
The next line in here is physically and emotionally, I felt, which kind of goes back to our previous
episode about, you know, mental health aspects of our outfits of hiking.
I think that's a great one to put.
I think especially, you know, not to keep poo pooing on the hiking in the rain.
(29:40):
But certainly when we were hiking in the rain, my answer to that would be different than
when it was like seventy five and sunny.
Absolutely.
Now, and I think maybe while we were hiking in the rain, I might have uttered those words
never again.
I mean, to be completely honest, now looking back on it, I would I think I just need to
(30:08):
make some gear gear choice changes.
I mean, to be transparent with the listener, when Mike and I were hiking in the rain multiple
times, we had to talk each other out of quitting and calling for a ride.
Yeah, because there was a road like 100 yards from us.
Yeah, yeah.
(30:29):
We we had we had we were so soaked that we crossed a road at one point.
People slammed on their brakes.
Very, very nice people from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan slammed on their brakes and backed
up, rolled down the window and asked if we needed assistance because I can only imagine
(30:52):
how drowned we were soaked through and through in the middle of August in 50 degree weather,
which I agree 50 degree is not like terrible.
I'm not saying 50 degree is the worst weather you can have.
I mean, especially it was what like a high of 12 today or some nonsense.
(31:16):
So I get it.
50 degrees is not the worst, but when you are soaked to the bone and you plan your trip,
assuming it would be in the 70s and 80s, 50 degrees is hard.
Right.
Me.
Oh, small caveat to that is that it did say it was going to rain.
We did plan for rain when we left.
(31:39):
It said it was going to rain, I think, for an hour.
I thought it was like an hour.
And then it was like going to be all sunshine and rainbows.
And then it turned into just two days of rain.
And then the last day was finally sunny and we're dry now.
(32:00):
But yes.
But the first day was gorgeous.
The first day was like perfect hiking weather.
Oh, yeah.
And we set off and it's like, oh, it's going to be the best trip.
Anyway, that's getting a little off topic.
So and then the last line in here is overall rating for your trip.
So four stars would recommend.
Right would recommend.
(32:20):
Right.
Exactly.
But so those are the things in the actual printed journal I have.
I think they're all great.
That's perfect because it even incorporates the gear thing.
And yeah, like I said, I've never been a creative writer.
I've never really put any forethought of like, oh, would I want to write this down to remember
it in the future?
Because like I'm like I'm that dumbass kid in school is just like it was fun.
(32:44):
I liked it.
That's all I'm going to do.
Right.
Like and right.
It's I just but like that gives you kind of like a little bit of a guide.
And then to incorporate the gear thing, the nerd is coming out in me and just feel like
I've got the Elb's Mountaineering Coda one no leaks.
(33:05):
It rained for two days like.
OK, but the no leaks thing, like I think that's legit.
I think we should be notating stuff like that.
Yeah, your tent your tent pole broke.
So like what did we do to remedy that?
Like we had some duct tape and a stick or whatever.
And yeah, that worked fine.
Like OK, these are things to know in the future that it works and you can do it and also to
(33:29):
remember in the future, like 20 or 30 years down the road, like, oh, yeah, like fricking
tent pole broke or even 20 to 30 years down the road.
You know, like I don't I don't assume you and I are going to stop doing this anytime
soon.
You know, when we started out, it was like we were we're going to do this one time and
(33:50):
see how it goes.
That's how we started out.
And I would assume a lot of people start out that way, where it's you're not necessarily
committing to a 30 year hobby, right?
You're going to say like, let me go try this one time and see how it goes.
Maybe you have a good experience that first time.
So you do it again.
Well, now suddenly you're Mike and Shawn and we're five years in and we didn't keep track
(34:11):
of all this sort of stuff that I wish we would have kept track of now.
But OK, so then fast forward another 15 years from now or 20 years from now, it might be
funny to have some stuff written down to look back and be like, can you imagine we started
out with single person tents?
Oh, right.
Like we started out with that camp.
(34:32):
So like, oh, my gosh, we were such amateurs.
You know, like that sort of stuff might be fun to have written down somewhere.
Right.
Where we're raving and like we rave about like most of our gear these days.
Like we have some that we're just like, but most of it is just like, yeah, I actually
love this and the weight and like all that kind of stuff.
But we had like even the dehydrated meals we take like full disclosure, Mike and I have
(34:58):
not tried every brand of dehydrated food or backpacking meal that's out there.
And we sit here and rant and rave about like, I just like the mountain house and I like
backpackers pantry.
And that's like where our comfort zone is.
There might be people we might come across a brand that's like, oh, my God, this is like
gourmet food.
Right.
I would never go back to that.
(35:20):
Sorry if you're listening backpackers pantry or else.
Right.
I would never.
I'm never going back to that shit again.
Right.
You know, like it would be funny to know that stuff, to be able to look at it and like,
you know, I mean, to this day, like, I don't know, I still like me some mountain house
cream and macaroni and cheese like you like your mac and cheese and you like your biscuits
(35:40):
and gravy.
I mean, yep.
Yeah.
Am I am I chicken Alfredo?
And your chicken.
Mike is a very predictable.
Oh, yeah.
But it works.
And but well, that's the thing.
We'll get what you like.
Yeah.
Why deviate from it if you're going to be out there miserable?
(36:01):
I'm just hungry.
Well, no, I mean, like if you got let's pretend you got one that you don't like.
Right.
Why?
Why deviate from the ones that you know you like?
Well, you could get one that you don't know if you like.
And now you're going hungry.
Well, and people may not have listened to like the first episodes about the food and
all that stuff.
(36:21):
I'm just a meat and potatoes, no veggies, like very picky eater.
So if you have kids or you know a child, if they're at the age of like six to eight years
old, like that's that's my diet.
Nuggets and macaroni and cheese.
Perfect.
(36:42):
So that's if if I can find something that's if there was a thing that was just like plain
rice or like a seasoned rice without any veggies in it and some steak like mountain house, if
you're listening, make something like that.
So but they might make something like that.
There might be a different brand that there might be a different brand that makes up any.
(37:06):
Realistically, I am not the norm.
Most people will tolerate some veggies or whatever.
So they'll throw some carrots or some celery or whatever in their green crap that I don't
know what it's called.
And most most people are OK with that.
Turns out I am not so much so.
(37:29):
I'm not going to ask them to cater to me specifically unless they want to.
I could create some child friendly dishes with Mountain House or whoever.
So contact me at Shawn Mike Hike dot com.
Shameless self promotion.
(37:50):
I am willing to put myself out there for a cause.
So and I guess another way you could journal to.
So this is kind of a way that Mike and I are currently journaling.
I don't love this way, but like this is another way there's have you ever heard of like photo
journaling?
(38:11):
So one of the things you can do, like with with this like printed out journal that I
have, one of the tips that I read online when I was reading about like actually journaling,
you're hiking one of the tips of the quote unquote the Internet recommends you do if
you're actually doing like the printed book version of journaling is you're like, get
(38:32):
some photos from your trip, actually printed out and paste them into your book or actually
like clip on a map of your trip or clip on something like that.
Keep that in the book with your stuff.
So that is an option or that's almost like turning it into like a journaling slash scrapbook.
(38:55):
But yeah, almost like scrapbooking.
Yeah.
However, another way you can do it, same sort of concept, but like you can just so again,
we all take our phones with us everywhere because everybody on the planet is addicted
to your smartphone.
One of the ways that you can record things is just taking a photo journal of your trip.
(39:16):
Now what I don't like about just photo journaling and like digital photo journaling.
Yes, it tells us where we were.
You and I Mike, we were talking about like, you know, I can't remember, you know, 20 years
from now, am I going to remember where I was when it was raining?
Right.
It turns out I can look back into my iCloud photos and be like, okay, this was our hiking
(39:37):
trip and we're wearing rain gear and everything's wet.
Everything's wet.
This must be the trip.
But it doesn't really let you add notes in there along with it.
So yeah, you've got pictures of all your stuff, but it doesn't let you in the current phone
situation that I've got going on right now.
Right.
Doesn't really let you, okay, yeah, you took a picture and yeah, you can remember it, but
(40:00):
like I don't have a way to add notes to it.
There's no notes.
There's no caption.
There's no.
I don't have a way to say like, okay, see this rain jacket in this photo.
This rain jacket sucks.
Never buy this brand again.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Like all the more reason again to keep.
I understand people take photos with their phone and I think that that's going to help
(40:20):
them remember things forever.
And it does don't get me wrong, but it doesn't tell you the whole story.
So I am not personally putting my stamp of recommendation on doing just taking pictures
as your way to remember all the details about your trip.
I don't think it provides the full story.
Right.
And the just, just a picture or just, I mean, really the combo of the two works.
(40:46):
I think the description or the journal, the physical, like verbal journaling is the better
way to go.
If you're only going to do one or you could, you know, do your verbal, whatever, write
(41:06):
down journaling and then you could say, see photos in whatever from the.
Sure.
Yeah.
You could do that.
Sure.
I mean, that'd be an option, but tons of options out there, but I am excited to start using
this like write down journal.
I think that is going to be the way to go.
I think that that will my only concern and this is why I'm a fricking tech gadget guy
(41:33):
and love technology is my concern is, okay, we're going to put everything in this book
and then what if the house burns down?
You know, like it is your.
Well, like, well, I was going to say also it's heavy and you're not going to take it
with you.
So that's a good point.
I, you're, and you're absolutely right.
I am not going to take it out on the trail with me.
Like it is big and heavy enough that I'm not putting it in my backpacks.
(41:56):
Well, I mean, cause having for bed, like it's, it's a book.
If you have it in your pack and your packet soaked or ruined or whatever, your books were
ruined too.
So my idea was before we started recording this was take a picture of the page.
So you know, the stuff you want to put in there, put those notes on your phone and then
(42:16):
take it back and put that in the, I don't know.
And then when it's at home, if your husband's don't put it in a fireproof safe, like, I
know what I actually think I might do is I might use the actual book to be like what
it's meant to be is an actual book and actual log of our trip.
And then I think when I fill out a page, I'm probably going to take a picture of that page
(42:37):
and put it in the cloud.
Yeah.
Just so that I have like a backup scanned quote unquote copy of it.
Yeah.
That's not a bad idea.
Cloud somewhere just in case I could always rewrite it or I'd have a reference to it.
I mean, they are memories frozen at times.
So they are memories frozen in time people.
(42:57):
But yeah, I mean, I guess all of that to say, if I could sum up this conversation, just
to reiterate what I said at the beginning of this episode, do as we recommend and not
as we have done.
Like I really do.
(43:18):
Yeah.
Looking over the last five years, I wish we had done a better job at keeping track of
some of this stuff.
Yeah.
I think we can kind of go back and like piecemeal it back together fairly accurately.
I look forward to trying.
But I'm already forgetting stuff.
Yeah.
I look forward to trying.
Right.
(43:38):
The gear stuff, I already we've gone through how many sleeping pads and how many.
Oh, exactly.
You know, like so.
Yeah.
Most of the gear we know, but some of the gear is going to be a little bit different.
So I look forward to going back in that challenge and seeing what we remember.
(43:59):
It's better to do it now than five years out from now.
So for sure.
Right.
Well, and if you don't know, you don't know.
So like, hopefully by us even mentioning this, hopefully this will help somebody that is
new to this.
Think it is worthwhile to do from the very beginning or darn near the very beginning.
Absolutely.
Because waiting as long as we have waited and then wishing we had.
(44:23):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, this whole episode, I've just kind of been thinking like, man, I really wish
we would have thought even thought that it was like a thing like I never even thought
to like keep track of stuff in my everyday life.
Like, I just don't think to keep track of shit other than spreadsheets that I do keep
track of.
Well, and the things that we kept track of, it's like the nerdy stuff.
(44:46):
It's like, oh, we did this mile marker to this mile marker.
Right.
Was this many miles and like that stuff's important.
Don't get me wrong.
The percentage of our trips has been on the this percentage is on the North Country Trail
and this percent like I've got high charts.
I got this pivot table going on.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Nerd.
Yeah.
(45:06):
But yeah, I mean, so that's that's what I got.
Do you have anything else before we wrap up?
No.
I just like I said, I keep reiterating.
If you feel like it's not necessary and you don't think you're going to enjoy journaling,
give it a shot because I really wish that we would have started in the in the past.
So yeah, but yeah.
(45:29):
But if you if you have other methods that that we haven't mentioned or like something
that works for you to like how you remember where and when and what gear and all that
stuff, let us know.
We're happy to hear it.
Or is there like a category that Mike and I haven't thought of that you do journal and
has been handy or you're super glad you did?
Because clearly Mike and I had a blind spot to the whole journaling thing to begin with.
(45:54):
There are probably things that people journal about regarding backpacking that we haven't
even hasn't crossed our minds even.
Oh, you got a category or something that you keep in your journal that we haven't thought
of.
And I'm asking you on a personal level, please share so that I can start keeping track.
Right.
(46:15):
Right.
We're new to this journaling thing.
We need ideas and all of them.
So yeah, if you have any of those ideas, you can send us send those to us in our email,
which is Shawn Mike Hike at gmail.com or you can send them to us via social media.
We're on all the major socials at Shawn Mike Hike or directly on our website, Shawn Mike
(46:36):
Hike dot com.
If you've enjoyed this episode or any episode, please share them with a friend.
It certainly helps.
And until next time, go take a hike and journal it.
There you go.
Thanks, everybody.
We'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Thanks, Shawn.
I'm Shawn and I'm Mike and you're listening to Shawn and Mike take a hike.
(00:17):
Welcome to another episode of Shawn and Mike take a hike.
What do you want to talk about today, Shawn?
Today I would like to talk about journaling, which sounds nerdy.
I am well aware.
But the topic came up kind of for two reasons.
(00:39):
One, we are starting to look ahead to 2025 now that we're in the year of our Lord 2025.
We're in the middle of the winter.
We are trying to have something to look forward to like we talked about in our mental health
episode.
So we are getting to the point we are starting to look forward to like, what are we going
(01:01):
to do this year?
In conjunction or in addition to that, I got a super cool gift from my work wife for Christmas
that kind of sparked me to think about this topic at all and full disclosure, I don't
think we've done a superb job of journaling our trips for the last couple of years.
(01:30):
I feel like we should have done a better job.
So I am officially giving the advice to new people, if you are starting your hiking backpacking
or journey in life, start journaling from day one.
You will be so glad that you did.
(01:50):
So I thought we could talk about journaling, like what to journal, what to keep track of,
what to make note of, how to go about it, that sort of stuff.
I thought we could roll all of that into today's conversation.
So I mean, when we first started, I didn't have an idea of like, I've never been a journaler.
I've never like kept a diary or a journal.
(02:12):
I don't tally my day at the end of every day or whatever.
When we did first start doing this though, I am a spreadsheet nerd.
So I created a spreadsheet of the trails that we were doing, the mileage and all that kind
of stuff.
(02:33):
And then it's kind of spiraled.
I haven't updated it in a little while, but I have all of our trips marked down or written
and saved so I can easily go back and add to this spreadsheet.
But it keeps track of like, how many miles we're on the North Country trail, how many
we're on the Manistee River trail, how many we're on this.
So I have my own way of journaling without, it's just keeping like where, when, and what
(02:59):
trail and what mile markers.
It's not keeping track of the weather, the, you know, what were the conditions like, what,
you know, all that kind of stuff, what mood was I in?
All of that kind of stuff.
I really think that coming down to it, I wish we would have been keeping track of a few
(03:22):
more of those details.
Okay.
And that's kind of where I'm coming to it.
I kind of, I like our spreadsheet, don't get me wrong.
I'm like, I'm super happy that you have kept track of that part of what we have done.
Now that we are a little more experienced, I really wish we would have kept better track
of other things other than just mileage.
(03:42):
Like when we started, mileage was really our thing.
Right.
And we wanted to make sure we were keeping track of like, these are the mile markers
of this trail that we have done so that we didn't redo those miles.
Yeah.
Not necessarily that redoing miles is a bad thing.
It's just we are more of the mindset of we want to see new things and do new things.
(04:06):
Correct.
Right.
And I'm not saying that we have done anything wrong.
I just think we maybe should have kept track of a few more things than we did.
So like just as a piece of advice for new hikers or new backpackers, like if you are
just getting into it, this is more of a reflection on, I wish I would have done this.
(04:27):
Not so much we did this and this is what we are recommending, but more of like a, we fucked
up.
Like do this, don't screw up the same way that we screwed up.
Like really keep track of some of this stuff.
Because now that we are in it a bit, there is some stuff I wish that we had logged from
those first few trips so that I could remember.
(04:49):
Because I am already forgetting, where were we when this happened?
Where, what did we do?
What happened?
Why did we wind up in this situation or whatever?
And we don't have a log of that for us to look back on.
At the time you think, well I'm always going to remember this.
I'm never going to forget it.
(05:10):
And it's like, okay yeah I do remember that thing.
I don't remember the surrounding situation of that thing or when it was or what led up
to it.
That's the part that my brain is not remembering.
Right.
And I mean it's just nice to be able to go back.
I mean everybody has, well not everybody.
(05:30):
Those of us that are in a little bit of the older crowd have the shoebox full of old photos.
They're not just on your phone.
So like you open that up and everyone's wanting you to just kind of thumb through some of
these pictures.
And you're like, oh man, it's like just put you right back in that situation and everything.
It would be nice to like.
That's funny.
Do all of us have our pictures in shoeboxes?
Like is that where everybody's pictures are?
(05:52):
Because I totally have a shoebox full of pictures.
Our parents' generation did albums, we did shoeboxes, and now they're on phones.
We had to wait two weeks for them to develop them at a store.
But yeah, so I don't know.
(06:13):
It's just like that nostalgia.
It just kind of takes you back to like right to that experience, right to that place of
like oh yeah.
I do remember that.
I really wish we had more of that, especially for our first trip.
Yeah.
So let's talk about first like before we talk about what you're journaling, let's talk about
(06:38):
methods to journal.
So you and I have a spreadsheet because you and I are technology nerds and we've made
no bones about that in any of our episodes.
So like we have a shared online spreadsheet that we keep track of.
We keep track of way too much stuff, like just everything in our personal lives.
(07:00):
Mike and I, if there's coordination that is between Mike and I, we have an online spreadsheet
that we share.
We coordinate things through because we are nerds.
But that is totally an option.
So like one of your options is whether it's like an iCloud spreadsheet, whether it's a
Google Doc, whether it's like just an Excel spreadsheet that you're sharing with a friend,
(07:24):
or if you're just doing it on your own, like maybe it's just for your own personal stuff.
So you've got your own personal spreadsheet or whatever.
Totally an option.
Absolutely.
You can do like the old school way, pen and paper, you know, like three ring bound notebook
college rule.
Keep it.
Keep track of it on paper.
Totally an option.
(07:46):
The thing that I now have in my life that prompted this conversation or one of the things
that prompted this conversation is I got a gift.
Like I said, from my work wife, she got me an actual hikers journal, which is a bound
book with a place to record all of your hiking related things.
(08:10):
Like it's but it's a specific bound journal with like pre printed things inside it, which
we'll get to in a minute.
So like that's an option.
If none of those sound like your cup of tea, there are a myriad of apps that you can get
on your phone or your tablet or your Kindle or whatever that will do basically the same
(08:35):
things but in digital form for you.
So those are kind of like your things, right?
Like that's the ways that you can do it.
I'm not going to say one's better than the other.
I mean, do you Mike have a personal you like spreadsheets?
You're a spreadsheet guy in your daily life.
I like spreadsheets, but like the the hiking journal that that your work wife got you,
(08:57):
I really like the concept of that because I think the reason why I've never really journaled
in my entire life is because I don't know what to put.
And that journal has a list of things and it's just like, okay, that's it's like filling
out like a little worksheet or whatever.
(09:17):
It's like, okay, this is the date.
This is the location.
This is, you know, where we did how many miles like all that kind of stuff kind of like guides
you with what to put.
Then it has an open forum thing on the back or whatever.
So you can just write whatever you're feeling.
But like it at least gives you a starting point of like what to do.
So I really enjoyed that about the pre prefab things.
(09:39):
I've never been like a creative writer or any of that kind of thing.
So like when it's just that people are just like, just go right.
That's like about what?
This reminds me of like this is a larger like physical size larger than what I'm used to.
But what it really reminds me of is so like in my daily life, I for years worked in network
(10:05):
construction and one of the things they teach you in network construction as an employee
is to keep a daily log of like, this is your footage.
This was the weather.
This is what you did that day.
This was something weird that happened just as a like cover your own ass.
If a boss ever comes and asks you like, oh, where were you last Tuesday?
(10:26):
What did you do?
You can go back to your like daily log book and be like, okay, well last Tuesday, yeah,
that was the day that it was 62 and raining and yeah, we only did, you know, a half a
mile of underground or whatever, but this is why and yada yada yada.
So this like hiking journal that I got really reminds me of a daily log that you would keep
(10:48):
in the construction industry.
I imagine other industries do it too, but that's what it reminds me of like from something
from real life, you know, similar sort of thing.
But yeah, I mean, just as a way to you forget, I mean, it's so crazy how fast you forget
things.
And even though this like printed one doesn't specifically have spots for it, like some
(11:15):
of the things that I wish that you and I had kept track of were we're to the point now
where we're like getting new gear and things like that.
Oh, true.
Yeah.
And then I wish I wish we had kept a log of like, I tried this brand and I liked it.
I liked it for X, Y, Z reasons.
Right.
Or my whatever broke on this trip and I would or wouldn't buy it again because ABC happened
(11:42):
with it.
Right.
Or I remedied that break by doing this.
Like, you know, exactly.
Yeah.
Or you mentioned before, one of the brands that you worked with, you had something that
broke out on the trail.
When you got back to Civilization, you got a hold of their customer service.
They sent you a new whatever piece.
(12:07):
No questions asked.
Super easy would get them again.
Absolutely.
Yep.
OK, so that so now here it is.
I'm going to pretend like it's a year later.
I don't remember exactly when that happened.
A year later, I remember you telling me that story could not tell you what brand that was
or what piece of gear that was that that happened.
(12:29):
Yeah.
Like, I remember you being super happy with the interaction that you had with their customer
service.
I don't know what it was or what brand or whatever.
Like, I feel like that is good stuff.
We should be logging that because like 10 years from now, if we haven't bought anything
else from that brand and we're looking for a new sleeping bag or a new tent or a new
(12:52):
pad or whatever, if it's between option A and option B and option B, we can look back
in our notes and be like, well, that was the one option B is the same brand as that company
I dealt with 10 years ago and their customer service was awesome.
Well, I'm buying option B then.
Yeah.
Yeah, 100 percent.
That's an amazing idea to have to keep track of.
(13:16):
You know, that's an easy back to my spreadsheets.
That's an easy new column to add.
Nerd.
It is an easy new column to add, but it's a column that we don't have and it's not something
we've been tracking.
So like, this is what I'm saying.
I'm recommending like, don't do as we did, do as we recommend.
(13:39):
Do as we regret.
Right.
Like I'm saying to if you are new, these are the types of things.
Like if you are going to go on one backing trip, backpacking trip, that's the only time
you're ever going to do it.
You're never going to do it again.
It's like a one off experience.
OK, keep a journal just for your memories.
(13:59):
Right.
Right.
If you're going to be doing this for the next 10, 15, 20, 50 years, maybe keep track
of some of these things because it really will come back to.
It might make a difference in your gear picks or even.
OK, so let's say let's say maybe not even gear picks.
(14:20):
Let's say you're keeping track of like Mike and I went and we did the Manistee River Trail
and we loved the trail because it was all hard packed dirt, no sand and fairly level.
(14:40):
And 10 years from now, we're like Mike and I are still talking about, man, I really love
that Manistee River Trail.
Well now we can look back and say, why did we love that trail so much?
Well, it was all hard packed dirt.
There was no sand and it was fairly level.
So let's plan another trip that looks like it's going to be same sort of terrain, not
(15:02):
all ups and downs.
You know, you can almost develop that pattern if you have multiple entries like that, where
it's like, OK, all the ones that we rated five stars out of five stars or whatever our
rating system is.
All of the ones we rated five stars out of five stars say that they were hard packed
dirt and minimal elevation gain.
(15:23):
Yeah, those are the ones that we apparently like.
Or maybe you're the opposite.
Maybe you're the ones that's like, oh, I had huge peaks and then super low valleys and we
love that one and maybe every time you mark one as a five out of five, maybe it's high
peaks and low valleys, you know, where you look.
Maybe you are the type of person that likes that elevation gain.
(15:44):
Yeah, you've got a record and you go back and look at that.
We like to call that bullshit, but we like to call it bullshit because it is bullshit
because I hate it.
Like I was going to say, you kind of gave yourself a teller, like told everybody a tell
years when you said it was hard packed dirt, no sand and fairly level.
Like that's like Shawn.
(16:05):
I know I said it multiple times.
Shawn, sweet spot on the trail.
It is my sweet spot.
I want a nice, wide groomed trail with no elevation gain.
He wants it to look like people have been out there, but he doesn't want to see anybody
out there.
I would like to create the illusion of elevation gain by holding my camera in such a way that
(16:29):
makes it look like the mountain.
Right.
OK, gotcha.
That's what I would like.
I would like to tell people that we worked really hard for this amazing view when really
you could have rolled up and walked a quarter mile.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, you definitely you sold yourself out there, buddy.
All right.
All right.
(16:49):
Fair enough.
Yeah, I like a little bit of sand.
I mean, you know, a little bit, a little.
We got into two buses here.
So anyway, so I kind of I kind of went on a little tangent there, but like those are
your methods.
Now let's talk about like, what do we recommend people keep track of?
(17:09):
Like, what are what are the things that you might wish we would have kept track of in
this spreadsheet or journal or whatever?
So the one thing that came to mind when you were on your little tangent there was like
this past trip, it was raining, so I really didn't get to try it.
(17:31):
But I'm really hoping I get to try it again in the future.
Like we found some I've always heard as a scout back in the days and in my adult life
doing some outdoorsy like.
Tours that I believe it's white birch.
(17:52):
I don't remember.
It's white or yellow, but I'm pretty sure what we found in the in the woods was white
birch and that if you are in a pinch and need a fire starter, white birch will just the
bark, whether it's wet or dry, will catch on fire.
And I tested that and it worked like I was able to.
(18:17):
I was right.
The people were right.
They weren't just feed me a bunch of bullshit.
I was always like one up for the Internet.
Right.
I was like, I'm going to try this.
Granted, like it's raining and like we got to a little dry.
Like it wasn't raining so bad.
I was like, OK, I can find some dry wood.
It was all too wet to actually catch fire.
(18:38):
But the bark went up.
No problem.
So I was like, OK, like I would I would like to start an actual fire with it, just using
that as the fire starting method.
Like I would like to like note that like, OK, on this day, like I actually I tried something
new.
I went out of my comfort zone of like, hey, we've got a fire starter in our backpack.
(19:02):
Like in a pinch, like if you run out of fire starter or your fire starter is soaked and
won't light, there's options out there.
You know, like and I tried it.
So I was happy about that.
OK, so bringing it back to journaling.
Well, I'm going to say I wish I would have journaled that it's in my mind, but I'll forget
that next year.
(19:23):
OK, so would you say what I am hearing you say?
OK, that way, what I am hearing you say is that's like a fun personal story that you
wanted to share about that trip.
I could have said that you want to remember.
I could have said it that way.
(19:44):
So I mean, like, well, so like you're talking about things.
So you would incorporate things like.
I'm going to take from my personal experience.
So in that same category, I went and stripped down to my skivvies and jumped in Lake Superior
and immediately got a leg cramp and immediately got a leg cramp and thought I was going to
(20:06):
have to call the lifeguard, which was not on duty.
But that sort of stuff, right?
Like personal, like these are things or we were on one.
Trying to remember this was our last most recent one where we were on, I believe it
was the North Country Trail.
(20:28):
We came across that giant tree that was like the biggest tree.
Oh, yeah.
See, now I'm forgetting.
I wish I had it journaled down.
Right.
I don't remember.
It was like the biggest or oldest tree in.
To Kwan on National Park.
(20:48):
I don't even remember Michigan or it like what or something.
Right.
Yeah.
And I don't have it written down, so I'm not going to be able to remember.
I have a picture of it somewhere and I took a picture of the plaque so I can go back and
look at it.
But what I would incorporate all of those things into that story that you're talking
about, like so you're saying like, OK, this is something from my childhood that I had
always heard.
(21:09):
It turns out I got a chance in real life to try it on such and such date.
And this is where I was when I tried it and it worked.
Right.
I think all that stuff would be super great to write down.
Like just from a truly in the in the purest sense of it, journaling sense, you're not
(21:29):
going to remember forever.
Even though you're going to think you're going to think to yourself, I'm never going to forget
this.
This was great.
Or this was awful.
Or this was this or this was that.
I'm never going to forget this.
You're not going to forget the big picture of it, probably.
But the details that you want to remember, you're going to forget.
Yeah, 100 percent.
I totally agree.
(21:49):
Yeah, that it like I mean, I was just trying to come up with something like other than
like the date, you know, like, obviously, you're going to want to keep track of your
date, your location, the weather, how many miles, those types of things that are going
to be in there.
So something that like I guess something that's going to like bring you back to that moment
(22:10):
is like one of those like personal stories, one of those little additives that's going
to do it for you.
Well, and honestly, I mean, not to gloss over either, like your date, time, distance, weather.
Like I know we're kind of glossing over that sort of stuff, but it's important.
(22:31):
I feel like that's important stuff to put like eventually.
I'm going to want to remember like I might remember, you know, this last trip, which
we keep shitting on because it rained for two days and it was freezing cold.
Like you and I keep shitting on it.
It's an experience.
It is an experience.
And I'm never going to forget that time that you and I went hiking and it was 50 degrees
(22:54):
and rained for two days.
And we thought it was going to be the middle of August.
So we thought it was going to be 80 degrees outside and it's going to be nice and warm
and we're going to have a great time.
And we packed tank tops and short shorts.
Not literally, but right.
I'm never going to forget that that happened.
I am going to forget probably where we were, what year that happened.
Yep.
(23:15):
What was the situation around that and like what, how did we get out of it?
And did we quit that time or did we finish it?
Like some of that stuff, those details are going to be lost to time.
And I maybe while it's kind of fresh in my memory, maybe I should write it in this new
journal.
I was just going to say we should probably make an attempt to get together and actually
(23:38):
put some of our trips in there just so it's in there.
I'll have to maybe like notate it like this was put in retroactively and then just continue
from there.
So not to kind of make your gift mine too, but in all fairness, when she gave it to me,
(24:00):
she said this is for you and Mike when you go on hikes.
OK, so I guess let me just let me read down the list.
This is, you know, an actual this is made by not a sponsor company called Journals Unlimited,
apparently from Bay City, Michigan.
No shit.
That's what it says at the bottom.
(24:21):
So shout out to them.
Love your book.
Not a sponsor.
But so let me just read down what it has on their like your city cheat sheet.
So this has got city and state date who you hiked with, which I think is a good one to
put down.
Like you and I typically hike with each other, but we've already been in talks about incorporating
(24:45):
other people into a little hiking group.
So I feel like that would be a good one to write down.
It's also got location.
So I think instead of just city and state, that would be like your Manistee River Trail
or North Country Trail or North Country Trail or whatever.
Toquamonon River area, whatever.
(25:05):
And then it's got route slash trail.
So I assume in there you'd put things like we took the north loop right to, you know,
the blue line or whatever, you know, then it does have a spot for weather.
It's got trip duration.
I assume that means time, but it could also mean distance.
(25:27):
Then it's got multiple lines where you can put altitudes, elevations, conditions, et
cetera.
Hardpack dirt, not a lot of elevation gain, minimal sand.
Right there.
Then this is one line that I super like.
It's got multiple lines where you can put sightings and terrain.
(25:48):
And then it's got in parentheses, suggestions, wildlife, nature, scenic views, et cetera.
Isn't it all nature?
It's all nature.
OK.
I don't think that's what it means.
I think it means like I saw a birch tree or, you know, I saw I was out in nature.
(26:12):
There was a cactus.
There was a scorpion or whatever.
But you know, we've talked about before how we stopped during our hikes for, you know,
come to this scenic overlook or you're walking along, you know, when we were up in where
we pictured rocks, National Lakeshore, and we went to we stop and I think we took our
(26:34):
packs off even and did a little detour up to log slide.
Is it log slide?
Is that what that was called?
Yep.
That was super cool.
Like, I am super pumped that we took that minor detour up to that.
And like, I'm also more pumped that we both had it in our mind to not go down the log
(26:57):
slide.
I know I kind of really wanted to go down.
The sign said don't because it was very hard to get back up.
It's something like it takes 30 seconds to get down.
It takes upwards of four hours to get back up.
Yeah.
Something like that.
Yeah.
I so I have been to that separately from when you and I hiked to it.
I was up in the UP for work and took a little detour to have a lunch break because I was
(27:22):
in the area and went there.
And I talked to some people that had just finished hiking up it.
Bread in the face, panting, never again, I believe was the comment that I got.
But it's a story.
(27:43):
But it's a story.
OK, so back to journaling.
Yep, sorry.
So then the next thing that's on this little book that I've got is gear, comma, food and
beverages.
So I think it's wanting you to like outline, you know, what kind of gear did you have?
Would you eat and drink?
So I think that's you brought that up earlier and I'm still kind of my mind is kind of there.
(28:08):
It's like, what a wonderful idea.
What a great idea is just like keeping tabs on like either a what gear you had, but like
how it performed and what you like to did like and all that stuff.
That's such a good idea.
I never thought of that.
OK, but even take it one step further and in kind of the totally opposite direction,
(28:30):
you and I have made no secret about the fact that you and I like to take booze when we
go on the trail.
Yeah.
We probably should be keeping better track of like what booze worked good at room temperature
and what booze didn't work good at room temperature.
Yeah.
Drink responsibly, everybody.
Don't do it.
Don't get yourself into dangerous territory.
But you know, if you're going to take booze, we know which ones you liked and which ones
(28:56):
you didn't.
Right.
And that's that's a valid point, too, because we've always said we're going to keep it.
I think I do have a spreadsheet on that.
I don't think it's a spreadsheet.
Right.
We have a spreadsheet, but we don't keep up on it.
It's true.
That's very true.
Yeah, we don't.
I mean, it was a great idea when we started.
It was probably drinking when I started it.
Probably.
(29:17):
Well, yeah, I mean, true.
The next line in here is physically and emotionally, I felt, which kind of goes back to our previous
episode about, you know, mental health aspects of our outfits of hiking.
I think that's a great one to put.
I think especially, you know, not to keep poo pooing on the hiking in the rain.
(29:40):
But certainly when we were hiking in the rain, my answer to that would be different than
when it was like seventy five and sunny.
Absolutely.
Now, and I think maybe while we were hiking in the rain, I might have uttered those words
never again.
I mean, to be completely honest, now looking back on it, I would I think I just need to
(30:08):
make some gear gear choice changes.
I mean, to be transparent with the listener, when Mike and I were hiking in the rain multiple
times, we had to talk each other out of quitting and calling for a ride.
Yeah, because there was a road like 100 yards from us.
Yeah, yeah.
(30:29):
We we had we had we were so soaked that we crossed a road at one point.
People slammed on their brakes.
Very, very nice people from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan slammed on their brakes and backed
up, rolled down the window and asked if we needed assistance because I can only imagine
(30:52):
how drowned we were soaked through and through in the middle of August in 50 degree weather,
which I agree 50 degree is not like terrible.
I'm not saying 50 degree is the worst weather you can have.
I mean, especially it was what like a high of 12 today or some nonsense.
(31:16):
So I get it.
50 degrees is not the worst, but when you are soaked to the bone and you plan your trip,
assuming it would be in the 70s and 80s, 50 degrees is hard.
Right.
Me.
Oh, small caveat to that is that it did say it was going to rain.
We did plan for rain when we left.
(31:39):
It said it was going to rain, I think, for an hour.
I thought it was like an hour.
And then it was like going to be all sunshine and rainbows.
And then it turned into just two days of rain.
And then the last day was finally sunny and we're dry now.
(32:00):
But yes.
But the first day was gorgeous.
The first day was like perfect hiking weather.
Oh, yeah.
And we set off and it's like, oh, it's going to be the best trip.
Anyway, that's getting a little off topic.
So and then the last line in here is overall rating for your trip.
So four stars would recommend.
Right would recommend.
(32:20):
Right.
Exactly.
But so those are the things in the actual printed journal I have.
I think they're all great.
That's perfect because it even incorporates the gear thing.
And yeah, like I said, I've never been a creative writer.
I've never really put any forethought of like, oh, would I want to write this down to remember
it in the future?
Because like I'm like I'm that dumbass kid in school is just like it was fun.
(32:44):
I liked it.
That's all I'm going to do.
Right.
Like and right.
It's I just but like that gives you kind of like a little bit of a guide.
And then to incorporate the gear thing, the nerd is coming out in me and just feel like
I've got the Elb's Mountaineering Coda one no leaks.
(33:05):
It rained for two days like.
OK, but the no leaks thing, like I think that's legit.
I think we should be notating stuff like that.
Yeah, your tent your tent pole broke.
So like what did we do to remedy that?
Like we had some duct tape and a stick or whatever.
And yeah, that worked fine.
Like OK, these are things to know in the future that it works and you can do it and also to
(33:29):
remember in the future, like 20 or 30 years down the road, like, oh, yeah, like fricking
tent pole broke or even 20 to 30 years down the road.
You know, like I don't I don't assume you and I are going to stop doing this anytime
soon.
You know, when we started out, it was like we were we're going to do this one time and
(33:50):
see how it goes.
That's how we started out.
And I would assume a lot of people start out that way, where it's you're not necessarily
committing to a 30 year hobby, right?
You're going to say like, let me go try this one time and see how it goes.
Maybe you have a good experience that first time.
So you do it again.
Well, now suddenly you're Mike and Shawn and we're five years in and we didn't keep track
(34:11):
of all this sort of stuff that I wish we would have kept track of now.
But OK, so then fast forward another 15 years from now or 20 years from now, it might be
funny to have some stuff written down to look back and be like, can you imagine we started
out with single person tents?
Oh, right.
Like we started out with that camp.
(34:32):
So like, oh, my gosh, we were such amateurs.
You know, like that sort of stuff might be fun to have written down somewhere.
Right.
Where we're raving and like we rave about like most of our gear these days.
Like we have some that we're just like, but most of it is just like, yeah, I actually
love this and the weight and like all that kind of stuff.
But we had like even the dehydrated meals we take like full disclosure, Mike and I have
(34:58):
not tried every brand of dehydrated food or backpacking meal that's out there.
And we sit here and rant and rave about like, I just like the mountain house and I like
backpackers pantry.
And that's like where our comfort zone is.
There might be people we might come across a brand that's like, oh, my God, this is like
gourmet food.
Right.
I would never go back to that.
(35:20):
Sorry if you're listening backpackers pantry or else.
Right.
I would never.
I'm never going back to that shit again.
Right.
You know, like it would be funny to know that stuff, to be able to look at it and like,
you know, I mean, to this day, like, I don't know, I still like me some mountain house
cream and macaroni and cheese like you like your mac and cheese and you like your biscuits
(35:40):
and gravy.
I mean, yep.
Yeah.
Am I am I chicken Alfredo?
And your chicken.
Mike is a very predictable.
Oh, yeah.
But it works.
And but well, that's the thing.
We'll get what you like.
Yeah.
Why deviate from it if you're going to be out there miserable?
(36:01):
I'm just hungry.
Well, no, I mean, like if you got let's pretend you got one that you don't like.
Right.
Why?
Why deviate from the ones that you know you like?
Well, you could get one that you don't know if you like.
And now you're going hungry.
Well, and people may not have listened to like the first episodes about the food and
all that stuff.
(36:21):
I'm just a meat and potatoes, no veggies, like very picky eater.
So if you have kids or you know a child, if they're at the age of like six to eight years
old, like that's that's my diet.
Nuggets and macaroni and cheese.
Perfect.
(36:42):
So that's if if I can find something that's if there was a thing that was just like plain
rice or like a seasoned rice without any veggies in it and some steak like mountain house, if
you're listening, make something like that.
So but they might make something like that.
There might be a different brand that there might be a different brand that makes up any.
(37:06):
Realistically, I am not the norm.
Most people will tolerate some veggies or whatever.
So they'll throw some carrots or some celery or whatever in their green crap that I don't
know what it's called.
And most most people are OK with that.
Turns out I am not so much so.
(37:29):
I'm not going to ask them to cater to me specifically unless they want to.
I could create some child friendly dishes with Mountain House or whoever.
So contact me at Shawn Mike Hike dot com.
Shameless self promotion.
(37:50):
I am willing to put myself out there for a cause.
So and I guess another way you could journal to.
So this is kind of a way that Mike and I are currently journaling.
I don't love this way, but like this is another way there's have you ever heard of like photo
journaling?
(38:11):
So one of the things you can do, like with with this like printed out journal that I
have, one of the tips that I read online when I was reading about like actually journaling,
you're hiking one of the tips of the quote unquote the Internet recommends you do if
you're actually doing like the printed book version of journaling is you're like, get
(38:32):
some photos from your trip, actually printed out and paste them into your book or actually
like clip on a map of your trip or clip on something like that.
Keep that in the book with your stuff.
So that is an option or that's almost like turning it into like a journaling slash scrapbook.
(38:55):
But yeah, almost like scrapbooking.
Yeah.
However, another way you can do it, same sort of concept, but like you can just so again,
we all take our phones with us everywhere because everybody on the planet is addicted
to your smartphone.
One of the ways that you can record things is just taking a photo journal of your trip.
(39:16):
Now what I don't like about just photo journaling and like digital photo journaling.
Yes, it tells us where we were.
You and I Mike, we were talking about like, you know, I can't remember, you know, 20 years
from now, am I going to remember where I was when it was raining?
Right.
It turns out I can look back into my iCloud photos and be like, okay, this was our hiking
(39:37):
trip and we're wearing rain gear and everything's wet.
Everything's wet.
This must be the trip.
But it doesn't really let you add notes in there along with it.
So yeah, you've got pictures of all your stuff, but it doesn't let you in the current phone
situation that I've got going on right now.
Right.
Doesn't really let you, okay, yeah, you took a picture and yeah, you can remember it, but
(40:00):
like I don't have a way to add notes to it.
There's no notes.
There's no caption.
There's no.
I don't have a way to say like, okay, see this rain jacket in this photo.
This rain jacket sucks.
Never buy this brand again.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Like all the more reason again to keep.
I understand people take photos with their phone and I think that that's going to help
(40:20):
them remember things forever.
And it does don't get me wrong, but it doesn't tell you the whole story.
So I am not personally putting my stamp of recommendation on doing just taking pictures
as your way to remember all the details about your trip.
I don't think it provides the full story.
Right.
And the just, just a picture or just, I mean, really the combo of the two works.
(40:46):
I think the description or the journal, the physical, like verbal journaling is the better
way to go.
If you're only going to do one or you could, you know, do your verbal, whatever, write
(41:06):
down journaling and then you could say, see photos in whatever from the.
Sure.
Yeah.
You could do that.
Sure.
I mean, that'd be an option, but tons of options out there, but I am excited to start using
this like write down journal.
I think that is going to be the way to go.
I think that that will my only concern and this is why I'm a fricking tech gadget guy
(41:33):
and love technology is my concern is, okay, we're going to put everything in this book
and then what if the house burns down?
You know, like it is your.
Well, like, well, I was going to say also it's heavy and you're not going to take it
with you.
So that's a good point.
I, you're, and you're absolutely right.
I am not going to take it out on the trail with me.
Like it is big and heavy enough that I'm not putting it in my backpacks.
(41:56):
Well, I mean, cause having for bed, like it's, it's a book.
If you have it in your pack and your packet soaked or ruined or whatever, your books were
ruined too.
So my idea was before we started recording this was take a picture of the page.
So you know, the stuff you want to put in there, put those notes on your phone and then
(42:16):
take it back and put that in the, I don't know.
And then when it's at home, if your husband's don't put it in a fireproof safe, like, I
know what I actually think I might do is I might use the actual book to be like what
it's meant to be is an actual book and actual log of our trip.
And then I think when I fill out a page, I'm probably going to take a picture of that page
(42:37):
and put it in the cloud.
Yeah.
Just so that I have like a backup scanned quote unquote copy of it.
Yeah.
That's not a bad idea.
Cloud somewhere just in case I could always rewrite it or I'd have a reference to it.
I mean, they are memories frozen at times.
So they are memories frozen in time people.
(42:57):
But yeah, I mean, I guess all of that to say, if I could sum up this conversation, just
to reiterate what I said at the beginning of this episode, do as we recommend and not
as we have done.
Like I really do.
(43:18):
Yeah.
Looking over the last five years, I wish we had done a better job at keeping track of
some of this stuff.
Yeah.
I think we can kind of go back and like piecemeal it back together fairly accurately.
I look forward to trying.
But I'm already forgetting stuff.
Yeah.
I look forward to trying.
Right.
(43:38):
The gear stuff, I already we've gone through how many sleeping pads and how many.
Oh, exactly.
You know, like so.
Yeah.
Most of the gear we know, but some of the gear is going to be a little bit different.
So I look forward to going back in that challenge and seeing what we remember.
(43:59):
It's better to do it now than five years out from now.
So for sure.
Right.
Well, and if you don't know, you don't know.
So like, hopefully by us even mentioning this, hopefully this will help somebody that is
new to this.
Think it is worthwhile to do from the very beginning or darn near the very beginning.
Absolutely.
Because waiting as long as we have waited and then wishing we had.
(44:23):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, this whole episode, I've just kind of been thinking like, man, I really wish
we would have thought even thought that it was like a thing like I never even thought
to like keep track of stuff in my everyday life.
Like, I just don't think to keep track of shit other than spreadsheets that I do keep
track of.
Well, and the things that we kept track of, it's like the nerdy stuff.
(44:46):
It's like, oh, we did this mile marker to this mile marker.
Right.
Was this many miles and like that stuff's important.
Don't get me wrong.
The percentage of our trips has been on the this percentage is on the North Country Trail
and this percent like I've got high charts.
I got this pivot table going on.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Nerd.
Yeah.
(45:06):
But yeah, I mean, so that's that's what I got.
Do you have anything else before we wrap up?
No.
I just like I said, I keep reiterating.
If you feel like it's not necessary and you don't think you're going to enjoy journaling,
give it a shot because I really wish that we would have started in the in the past.
So yeah, but yeah.
(45:29):
But if you if you have other methods that that we haven't mentioned or like something
that works for you to like how you remember where and when and what gear and all that
stuff, let us know.
We're happy to hear it.
Or is there like a category that Mike and I haven't thought of that you do journal and
has been handy or you're super glad you did?
Because clearly Mike and I had a blind spot to the whole journaling thing to begin with.
(45:54):
There are probably things that people journal about regarding backpacking that we haven't
even hasn't crossed our minds even.
Oh, you got a category or something that you keep in your journal that we haven't thought
of.
And I'm asking you on a personal level, please share so that I can start keeping track.
Right.
(46:15):
Right.
We're new to this journaling thing.
We need ideas and all of them.
So yeah, if you have any of those ideas, you can send us send those to us in our email,
which is Shawn Mike Hike at gmail.com or you can send them to us via social media.
We're on all the major socials at Shawn Mike Hike or directly on our website, Shawn Mike
(46:36):
Hike dot com.
If you've enjoyed this episode or any episode, please share them with a friend.
It certainly helps.
And until next time, go take a hike and journal it.
There you go.
Thanks, everybody.
We'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Thanks, Shawn.
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