Note taking as an art

It’s really interesting to me how much the memory of an important venture can come back to me after a year and a half of sitting dormant in my head.

Take, for instance, our trip the Boundary Waters – a trip that I was planning on documenting months ago but never got around to doing. I’ve been typing out the notes I took in my Moleskin during that trip and, to my surprise, it’s all coming back to me. Quite clearly, actually.

This memory recall is actually pretty nice. I honestly thought, upon looking at these horrible notes, that I’d never be able to do my Boundary Waters trip any justice. Instead, the notes were just good enough to revive thoughts from deep in my brain. They’re not complete, but they’re a start. I’ll have to add some personal exaggerations and artistic recreations to fill in certain spots, but that’s to be expected.

I’m just happy that my notes, which look like this:

6.3.04 – the drive north
St. Paul, Minnesota north on I35E to Duluth, East on Highway 61 (along Lake Superior) to Tofte, north on County Road 2 to the Sawbill Outpost.

We stopped at Perkins – this is a family tradition that tends to fatten us up for the trip ahead. Duluth was our stop, gas, Perkins, and off again down the historic Hwy 61 (thanks, Bob.)

Insert the Bill Bryson “shit in the woods” quote
Why do we like camping? Why do we embrace the inconvenience, the mishaps – is it a basic need? Kevlar and Goretex?

…will someday look like a coherent piece of literature.

That’s all.

This was lovingly handwritten on October 23rd, 2005