Journal Prompt #15 – Kids

Where is your favorite place to eat out? How often do you get to go there? Is it only for special occasions? What do you usually order? Do you think you could make similar food at home?

Journal Prompt #14 – Silly

Would you rather be a fire breathing dragon or a bear with wings? Who would win in a fight? What is your favorite mythical creature and why?

Journal Prompt #13 – Anyone

Do you know a foreign language? Which one and why? How has using it benefited your life? How to you practice? If you don’t know a foreign language, why not? Do you wish you spoke one? How can you start learning?

Journal Prompt #12 – Adults

Do you prefer city, highway or back road driving? In city driving, what irritates you the most? How do you entertain yourself in highway driving? What is your favorite back road to drive on?

Journal Prompt #11 – Teenagers

Which teacher has been the most influential in your life? How so? Has he or she given you guidance outside of the classroom? How have you shown him or her your appreciation?

Journal Prompt #10 – Kids

What is your favorite home cooked meal your mom makes? How often do you get to have it? Is it better than when other moms make it? What do you like to drink with this meal? Would you eat it every day if you could? What’s second best?

AT Thru Hike Start Date: 4/12/2010

TODAY! I’m in Nashville, Tenn. doing my final preps at grocery stores and REI with my co-pilot, Audry and her dog, Marley. Later this afternoon I will reach Springer Mountain in Georgia and be HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL! Sweeeet. I’ll post my final gear list when I have time, but it has been modified and I feel super ready to do this. Money is going to be tight, but that’s the point; living minimally on a whim within and close to nature.

For now, the advice of Julie,  my farm buddy in Telluride, echos in my mind:

1) “Be careful of extracurricular activities, ie. climbing trees and rocks for fun… but if that rock looks sweet… it’s absolutely worth it”

2) “Be flexible and adventurous”

Here I goooo!! hollaaaa

Journal Prompt #9 – Anyone

Have you ever grown something (like a plant)? How long did it take and was it tough? What did creating life from a seed feel like? Did you feel any special energy from the room it lived in? Will you grow anything else in the future? Maybe plant an entire garden?

Journal Prompt #8 – Adults

Describe both the best and worst jobs you’ve ever had. Was it the actual work or the people you worked with? How long were you at these jobs? What’s your dream job? What are you doing to make that dream job a reality?

Journal Prompt #7 – Teenagers

Who is your current crush on? Does he or she have any idea? Do you want to tell him or her? Why is he or she so special and why haven’t you told anyone? List some of your fondest memories with him or her.

Journal Prompt #6 – Kids

What cartoon character are you most like and why? Is it looks or personality? Dose this character have any other traits you would like?

Journal Prompt #5 – Silly

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why? Would other people have super powers too? Would you use it for good or evil? Would you tell people you had this super power? How would it change your life style?

Leaving Telluride for the AT!

Today I leave Telluride! I’m no where NEAR ready to be on the trail, but hopefully after a few hours at REI I’ll have my gear together. First I’m headed out to Moab for a few days of camping with my buddies before we all go on our separate adventures.

The gear I have so far:

My dads sleeping bag that’s about 30 years old
A full length therma rest
A knife given to me by Sam. Thanks dude!
1 pair of shorts, 3 pairs of socks, 2 thermal shirts
Toe nail clippers
My sweet Merrel shoes
A book: Desert Solitaire
My journal
Sunglasses
2 nalgeens
A few stuff sacks/bear bags
A burner made out of a tuna can
aaaand some other odds and ends I probably won’t end up needing

Stuff I plan on getting at REI:

Either a tarp/bivy combo or a small ultra light tent
Approx. a 70 liter back pack
Cooking pots
1 rain jacket
Fuel
First aid kit
Trail Guide
Trekking Poles
Knee Brace

Aaaand some other stuff I’m probably forgetting. Once I get on the trail and get my pack situated after a week or so, I’ll post the official list of my gear. I’m pretty sure hiking enthusiasts are super into knowing what you pack and how much weight you end up with.

I’m going to try to make my pack pretty light, but not going crazy spending hundreds of dollars on gear (besides my back pack and tent). I guess I’m supposed to have around a 30lb pack when it’s fully packed, so I’ll aim for there and see how it goes.

Sooooo, it’s time to finish organizing my life and head out to Moab/Goblin Valley. Peace out yall!

-David

Journal Prompt #4 – Anyone

Write about one time you stayed up ALL NIGHT. What did you do? Who were you with? What did you eat? How late did the sleep the next day? Would you do it again?

Journal Prompt #3 – Adults

What financial troubles are you dealing with right now? Are they affecting your personal life? What could you do to avoid new ones in the future? Has anyone been supporting you financially and do you think you will be able to pay them back? What most annoys you about money?

Journal Prompt #2 – Teenagers

What subject are you best at in school? Why do you think you’re better at it than others? Does the teacher make any difference? Have you always been interested in that subject? How has it applied to the “real world”?

Journal Prompt #1 – Any Age

I have just decided to embark on a 6 month journey to hike the Appalachian Trail.

What sorts of adventures of journeys do you day dream about? How realistic are they? What would you have to do to actually pursue this passion?

Hiking the Appalachian Trail very likely…

After a little advice from my parents, it looks everything has come together to allow me to hike the Appalachian Trail this summer. I’m both excited and nervous, but above all, I know it will be a super unique experience I can’t truly fathom at the moment.

As I mentioned in a seperate post, I plan on having a journal prompt published for each day I’m on the trail. This way there will still be a steady stream of information out there for you guys.

Also, I’m going to use iheartjournals.com as a venue for my own personal hiking blog. I don’t plan on keeping a strict blog while I hike because I don’t plan on keeping in much touch with the “outside world” and technology. However, I’m sure there will be certain emotions and experiences I feel the need to share.

I do plan on keeping an extensive trail journal and dream journal. I’m particularly excited about keeping a dream journal to see what sort of thoughts are floating around my sub conscious during the trip.

I’m heading to Georgia in as soon as 4 days. Woah.

-Telluride, CO

Daily Journal Prompts

So it looks like I might be hiking the Appalachian Trail this summer. It’s a walk through the woods from Georgia to Maine and takes 5 to 6 months.

Since I will be idle from iheartjournals.com for most of my journey, I’ve decided to begin a project for the web site.

I am creating enough journaling prompts for each day I’m on the trail. Each day, iheartjournals.com will have a new journal prompt for you to use in your own journal.

Keep coming back to this site any time you need some inspiration for your journaling writing. I might even discuss my own journaling experiences while traveling through the woods.

Wow, writing feels good in my soul

Sometimes it really amazes me. It’s easy to write about how beneficial keeping a journal is, but sometimes harder to live by it. After finally writing in my new journal for only about 20 minutes, I felt such a relief. I had some thoughts whizzing around my mind that needed to be written down. It’s like a breathe of fresh air.

Plus, I started brainstorming my very near future. The ski mountain here closes in less than a month, so off season and summer will be approaching rapidly.

For inspiration I wrote down words that have been in the forefront of my mind like: Alaska, solitude, camping, Appalachian Trail, guitar, etc. It gave me a great sense of what’s really on my mind and what direction my instincts will take me.

I recommend this exercise to everyone. It’s a simple method of word association and some of the words that come to your mind might surprise you.