I am in the process of purchasing a home on 5 acres; mostly wooded with a creek running through the backyard. This will be a lifestyle change for my family and I, with many opportunities for new hobbies and activities that will change our lives for the better.

For us here on BWCA.com, we have a passion, respect and LOVE for nature and the many physical and mental benefits that come with being close to it. There are also many who, when canoe tripping or hiking, journal their trips and experiences.

One of the activities I really am interested in is journaling and documenting weather and what is happening on my property according to the seasons. This would include gardening, birding, deer activity, morel mushrooms to name a few. I also plan on working with the local experts to develop a management plan for maintaining a healthy and diverse wooded lot. So planting trees and other activities related to this would also be journaled and documented. This may lead into some photography, which I confessed in a previous thread, I have no gifts or experience in.

What I would love to know is;

Do you journal regularly outside of canoe country? Specifically in regards to the outdoors?

What recommendations do you have for a beginner?

For those who are experienced, what have you learned over the years?

Any other comments or suggestions are encouraged!

My plan is to begin January 1, 2021. I am really looking forward to the end of 2020 and a new year of possibilities and new experiences!

J

That sounds amazing and something your kids and grandkids and others will really enjoy. The best way to go about it is to start! I wouldn’t know if you need several journals...one for each activity, or an account ledger style book with columns you fill in, or a diary of sorts where you ramble on each day about all the things that happened 8n each area you want to cover.

I like a conversational journal myself, perhaps some sketches, and definitely hand written. You can always move your notes to computer if you want, or when
The kids need to learn typing on a keyboard using all their fingers.

Good luck. Be sure to post some of your entries so we can live vicariously thru your family :)

If your into the weather and recording it in a journal or almanac - I highly suggest a home weather station. I have personal detailed records for where ever I've lived (out side an apartment from 1999 to 2002) since 1983 to yesterday. Much of the activities you listed are driven by the weather- and hence another reason to document such with a climate journal so to speak.
I've worked professionally in the weather field for 22 years and should be able to answer any questions you may with a home weather station. I've had many and experience with million $$ systems. Truth be told- you can get a damn good weather station for about $150-300. Anything over $300 or so your really paying for the brand.

About five years ago my wife and I purchased a lake cabin in Northern Wisconsin with 20 acres of woods. I have been doing what you describe since the day we closed on the property. I write about when the loons arrive, when the lake freezes over, when the first snow arrives, interesting bird on the feeder, bobcat on the game cam, wolf tracks on the hill, when I installed the flying squirrel houses, first bat in the new bat house, who visited and what we did, when I build a new trail, when we planted milkweed seeds, when I completed a canoe restoration, sometimes just whatever thoughts I have about what I'd like to do up there, etc. I can type considerably faster than I can write but somehow hand-written feels right to me for the journal. I've filled one and am in the middle of the second. I also keep a separate phenology chart with some of those markers- ice out, first snow, first ice, loon arrival. It's easier to compare rather than pouring through yearly entries trying to find those.

As far as advice goes all I can tell you is it's easy the first year because of the excitement of having a new place. Then, for me I found if I get behind it becomes a chore. So my advice would be to try to write regularly. I'm an early riser so if we're leaving on a Sunday I use that 4:30AM quiet time (usually by headlamp or candle to allow others to sleep- it's not a large cabin) to write about the weekend/ week that just occurred. If I put it off until it's time to go it's easy to say, "I'll just catch up next time". Do that three or four times and now it feels like a job you're not getting paid for. There have been a few times I thought about giving up on the journal and it's always when I'm three or four entries behind- so I try to avoid that. I think it would be harder if I lived there full-time because I have the "we're leaving" as my cue to make an entry. Perhaps you'll be committed enough to just write as you feel the urge and keep up. Or, perhaps you'll need to commit to every Sunday night writing at least something.

Be satisfied with a few sentences written now rather than thinking that you'll have a lot more to write "when I have more time". Having said that I have entries that take three or four pages too. I think it takes more determination than you'd think to keep a journal going for five years.

We already enjoy going back through the journal(s). We'll say "didn't we kayak in December a few years back", and then we'll go to the journal and find an entry, "yes, we went to x lake on December 7th and paddled". Is this the earliest the ice has gone out since we've had the place? And so on.

I like Mocha's suggestion of including a few sketches. You'd think as a former art teacher I'd have thought of that. Nope. No sketches in my journals. I'm going to use that suggestion and add an occasional sketch too.

Enjoy your new place.

I keep a journal, off and on, of my life outside of camping. Like OnePaddleShort says above, get into a routine of when you do the entry. Because it can feel like work if you have a lot to summarize. Pick a time, early morning, just before bed, and commit to it. I recommend not right before bed because some nights you might be real tired and it becomes real easy to skip the entry and sleep instead.

Not every journal entry needs to be Shakespeare either. Sometimes it might be nothing more then the temperature for that day and that is about it. For inspiration, look up some of the journal entries of Aldo Leopold. Aldo Leopold Phenology entries probably one of the most famous people for utilizing their journal for scientific study.

And if you don't have any yet, get books that identify the flora and fauna of your area. Trees, mushrooms, birds, animal tracks, native plants. Once you start to recognize and identify all this by their name, that's when you start to know your home.

I really like the “Rite in the Rain” notebooks when in the field. They have a heavy waterproof paper and good binding. You can use a mechanical pencil or a regular pen to write with. Gel pens will not work on this paper. They come in a load of sizes from pocket sized to full page, with lined or graph paper ruled. You want something to last and these are the ticket.

My preference is for the classic Chemistry Notebook . Sturdy, compact, decent paper (can use any type of pen or pencil), cover stiff enough that it serves as platform to write on.

Thank you for the valuable feedback. Here is how I plan to begin.

I did receive a weather station as a Christmas gift. In the larger scope of weather stations, this one is on the less expensive end, but will be a good starter.
I definitely do not want this to become a chore as time goes by and I want to maintain a consistent log of weather and activities. For this reason I will begin with a two book system approach.
The first "book" will be a weather notebook for logging the daily forecast. This will not take a huge commitment of time while collecting the most important local weather information.
The second "book" will be a journal for documenting "activities" and "observations." I will only document when a project takes place, or an event in nature (whether plant or animal related) is witnessed. Since I cannot draw or sketch (good suggestion!), pictures will be included as much as possible.
For quick referencing past events in the future, I plan to make a short note in the weather notebook like, *"first hummingbird arrived" or *"planted trees today", with an asterisk. This will be the symbol that this event was documented in further detail in the "activities" and "observations" journal.

I probably have put more thought into this than necessary, but I am somewhat of a nerd when it comes venturing into something new and maintaining organization :)

J

I am looking forward to retiring in Ely in a few years. I would like to start keeping track of some things in this way too.

It seems like there are two categories of things to journal about. One would be weather, when loons arrive etc. that are really statistical. The other sort is emotional or philosophical information.

For the statistical stuff, I wonder if there is some software that could compare statistics over years of recordkeeping so that you could learn in that way. I suppose Excel could be used in that way. Does anyone know of any more tailored products like for this purpose?

Don't get stage fright from writing. If you ever get stuck, write as if no one is ever going to read it... the process is more of the product than you think. I encourage you to try sketching your observations. It will emphasize, solidify, and characterize your observation more than a photograph imo. It is also faster, which will be important in the long run of this journal fitting into your everyday life. Focus on consistency. Write everyday, even the smallest thing. I recommend keeping the journal out in your path of routine... it will help you and others remember to keep up with it.

Have fun, congrats on the new venture.