[pct-l] Journaling on the trail

[Jennifer Zimmerman]

I typed on my iPhone because I couldn't think of a better alternative.
 Didn't want to carry a larger device.  I would have preferred to write it
longhand, but I'm sure with the added burden of transcribing I never would
have gotten the entries online - uploading them in town, with added
pictures and often spotty wifi, was enough of a chore in itself.  I wrote
in Notes because it was better than the blog app (which wouldn't do
landscape mode).  It tended to be tedious and frustrating even though I got
faster as I went. A character-to-text deal using the camera would have been
ideal, but I'm not sure if a reliably functional app exists for this.

I wanted to look into using a Kindle for typing - one with a touchscreen,
like the backlit models - since I already carried one for books, but never
found out whether this was a possibility. Sorry I don't have a better
recommendation!


On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 3:35 PM, <kevin at kegphoto.com> wrote:

>  Not trying to be a jackass, but maybe you just need practice typing w/
>  thumbs?  For the reasons you mention I would not bring an iPad, and for
>  me, part of the reason I hike is to get away from screens (except the
>  kind that keep bugs at bay).  For what its worth, I find an iPhone
>  easier to type on than an iPad.  Until you try the iPad you may find
>  it's no easier than the iPhone.
>
> Also, I haven't tried this, but there is a Moleskine that supposedly
> scans into Evernote w/ the camera on your phone.  Evernote claims it can
> read your handwritten text and convert it to digital text.  Like I said,
> haven't used this, but if it works well it would mitigate a lot of the
> duplicate effort of retyping your handwritten journal entries.
> Presumably one must have legible handwriting for the computer to convert
> it.
>
> If your goal is to turn these into a longer story or blog post, I find
> that a few key words written down when in the field is all it really
> takes to unlock the memories when back home.  This outline on paper
> written during your trip could be used when you're back in front of the
> computer.
>
> Good luck!
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 7, 2014, at 01:24 PM, Herb Stroh wrote:
> > One aspect of my recent shakedown hike was to try my hand at journaling
> > on the trail using my I-Phone. The results were totally unsatisfactory.
> > "Typing" with two thumbs on a screen just did not work for me-I may as
> > well of been using elbows. And as I painstakingly sought to capture my
> > thoughts in an efficiency of words, I  watched my I-Phone bleed out its
> > precious battery life one percent at a time.
> >
> > I have considered carrying an i-pad or other such device. Although not
> > perfect, the larger electronic keyboard allows me to type at a reasonable
> > rate. But this clearly raises issues of weight, additional  power issues,
> > and a diva piece of gear that requires special handling. I have thought
> > about dictating entries and sending the audio files to someone to
> > transcribe, but would of course loose the aspect of editing (unless I
> > want to significantly delay posts and review them in town). A
> > dragon-speak type software would be great, but I believe everything out
> > there requires a network connection to function. I have thought about
> > journaling the old fashion way of paper and pen, but to get posts online
> > means a duplication of effort.
> >
> > How have others addressed this? Is the common method to just to type out
> > the entry using your smart phone? I suppose with practice I will get
> > faster, but I think it will always be very limiting for me.
> > FYI, for power I have used the Suntactics battery and was pleased with
> > its ability to provide multiple recharges of the phone. I question how
> > well it will do in recharging a larger device more than once.
> >
> > Thanks all.
> >
> > Herb
> >
> >
> > Herb Stroh  |  Partner
> > Sinsheimer Juhnke McIvor & Stroh, LLP
> > 1010 Peach Street  |  PO Box 31  |  San Luis Obispo, CA  93406
> > P 805 541 2800  |  F 805 541 2802
> > HStroh at sjmslaw.com<mailto:HStroh at sjmslaw.com>   |
> > www.sjmslaw.com<http://www.sjmslaw.com/>
> >
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