The PCT Appendix

Hi Lori,  I use a water brush to apply color from watercolor pencils.

Hike Guy,

I’m amazed by your journey and your journal notes capturing your experiences. You were correct in looking at the job situation as providing you with this wonderful opportunity. But the goal setting and drive are all you.

Check out the Quiver leather pen holders made for the Moleskine notebooks. This tool just might allow you to keep your pencils tethered to your notebooks while on the trail.

They’re at http://www.quiverglobal.com.

Awesome work Kolby.  Love the color in the sketches.  Even when I’m not traveling or hiking I still keep an “illustrated journal” which is basically sketches + words.  Like you mentioned in one of your posts, it keeps the memory alive. Thanks for sharing such great work.
…dave

Hi Dave,

Taking a straight edge (a Trivial Pursuit card I found) and making the index (work sheet) in the back of the book would be the first thing I’d do with my journals. The work sheet would be blank as I start, of course, but every day I’d record the day’s mileage, campsite, latitude/longitude, etc. in the matrix.

The way I design my work sheet changes slightly with each journal I make. The biggest mistakes I’ve made is
1) labeling more than a page or two of these work sheets at a time. I’ve wanted to add a category but the worksheet was made and labeled. I’d have to look for white out in the next town to adjust it.
2) Not leaving enough pages in the back of the book for these work sheets. Since I don’t know how many days I’ll take to fill a journal, I don’t know how big to make my work sheet. I’ve now left at least 10-20 extra lines (or days), just in case I fill the book more slowly than expected.

For your second question, I bought four journals online prior to leaving on the hike. I only carried one journal at a time and left the others with my friends, who resupplied me with my gear when I requested it. If I do another long hike again, I’d probably keep my journals in a bounce box, “bouncing” them up the trail via post offices along with other gear that I’d eventually use (ex. batteries, first aid, boot laces, etc.) There were times when I requested a new journal too late and had to write much smaller than normal, which is VERY small to most eyes, in order to conserve pages. I’m considering to use a larger journal myself for my next trip, allowing for a larger “canvas” to do watercolor paintings while hiking. It will be a tough decision since the small journals fit perfectly in my breast pocket. It is much easier to journal on a regular basis when your notebook is always within reach.

SO BEAUTIFUL!!  Thanks, too, for showing the behind-the-scenes how-to and prep that you do with your journals.  I love the back story.  Your watercolors are such a wonderful memento of your travels.