Quick question…who has the most read trail journal? I am looking for a good story while out at sea (work on a cruise ship). Trying to find a journal with really good humour about hiking. As raw as it gets! Thanks for any input!
Sirkus
Most read journal?
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#2
If you’re going out to sea, I suggest reading “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage,” by Alfred Lansing. After his ship was crushed in the ice near Antarctica, he and his crew spent six months floating on sea ice until they finally made their way to safety in New Zealand.
During this ordeal, Shackleton stuck to his guns and didn’t suffer one split infinitive or abused apostrophe. :lol
Grammar Coach
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#3
The above suggestion is a book, of course, and not a journal. Don’t know of many journals of a sea hike.
Grammar Coach
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#4
Do you have Internet access? If you do just select from the list. Almost all that I’ve read have some good humor. If most of the hikers were like us, we didn’t have time to put everything in our journals. But when we get together with other thru hikers the stories just roll out. We have a hiker here at our home as I type this (Sunrise GA-ME '02) and we’ve set up at late many nights laughing about the things that happened on our hike.
If you have the Internet, sort through the early years on this site and work your way forward. Most of us tried to let family and friends see some of the adventure we were experiencing.
Papa Smurf and Flame GA-ME 2002
Papa Smurf
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#5
Since you asked and some will dawdle about answering a simple question.
The most read journal is far and away Jan Liteshoe-At 2003.
Remarkably her journal has over 390,000 hits and counting. That’s a lotta hits! The journal would be worth your time.
Regards,
Clark Fork in Western Montana “Where seldom is heard a discouraging word.”
Clark Fork
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#6
My favorite journals were by poptart 03 and day tripper 05. Cool chicks w/ humour. Most male journals on this website i just do not find very entertaining or humorous.
king tut
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#7
Officer Taco’s 2004 journal (AT) has 222,237 hits, and I believe it has been pretty popular. I really enjoyed his humor, realist attitude, and style. Not everyday was humorous but the most of it will make you smile and it will keep your attention. And it is complete, so you won’t start out reading about Georgia and then the writer/journalist gets bored or quits. Check it out.
LARRY
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#8
So far, and it’s still early in the '06 NOBO journal season, I have to vote for Boulder’s. He is a good writer, and lets you into his soul every post. His description of the AT thru-hiker experience is spot on. Unfortunately he’s recuperating at Standing Bear Farm right now (well, right now in his journal anyway) but if March’s posts are any indication this will be one to follow.
Skyline
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#9
jan is tops, yogi and tha wookie are both good reads…i enjoyed papa smurf and flame, and knowing them at home is a good plus.
one that rarely gets mentioned is “Then the Hail Came” you’ll have to google it…seems like it is from 1983 or something like that…george steffanos, an oldie and goodie
there really are far too many good well rounded journals to just mention these few. each has a distinct flavor and a journal i like may not be the one that sets yer world on fire. Pick thru em, and see if they are even readable to yer personal likings and read the whole thing or just bits and pcs…they all are good in that respect.
burn
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#10
I have to enthusiastically second Burn’s suggestion of “Then the Hail Came”. This is simply IMHO the best book written on an AT thru hike. I like it so much I bet I have read it 20 times.
Big B
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#11
One of the funniest online journals i read was “belcher’s” 2000 at hike. It’s not on TJ anymore, but I think this is where you can find it: pbtrippin/geocities.com or something like that. great insight from a woman’s point of view. Of course there’s always bill bryson’s “walk in the woods” which is a book, but many a hiker found this print to be about as funny it gets concerning hiking… happy safe seas mate…
rippin reils
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#12
Thank you for your suggestions! I’ll be sure to check each of them out. I have got the AT bug (had it for over 10 years). Been hiking a lot around Europe (Born in Maryland, live in Finland) but am looking forward to getting a chance to come home and thru-hike it. Have been reading a few journals once and a while the last few years. Love the ones that someone actually took the time to put their experience in words. Not the ones that just say “woke-up,ate,hiked,ate,went to bed”. The ones that make you FEEEEEL hungry, tired, sore, wet…and so on. And then the journals that make you laugh so hard you need to change your undies after…the best…
Sirkus
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#14
People here have been talking about AT journals … In my opinion, another good journal is Roni’s 2003 PCT journal. A good, funny, and informative read.
Cuppa Joe
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#15
Hi,
If you want a truly sea-based journal I suggest you check out;
The Atlantic Four - a journal of four guys (Brits, yay!) who in 2005 rowed across the Atlantic. Their journey took less than 40 days (of graft) - the previous best was set at 55 days.
The journal is not as easy to read/navigate now as it was when the despatches were posted “live” but you can still navigate your way around quite easily.
On this site? I’d go for Jan Liteshoe 
sastrugi
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#16
No Name NewlyWeds 05 is a humorous, beautifully written journal by, yep, two newlyweds. Special and memorable, especially last entry as I recall “…best part of the trail…” - a loving tribute to his wife. It would make a great short story. And they got an angel flight home from Maine to Virginia. My favorite of all 05s.
hi and bye
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#17
The first journal I ever read was George Steffanos’ Then the Hail Came . It’s different than the type of journal you normally read on-line because it is grouped by sections instead of by days.
Stalking Tortoise
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#18
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#19
I don’t usually read journals because I never have enough time, but I have read about 3 pages of Liteshoe’s and I have to say, it was the best 3 pages I’ve read. 
Stumpknocker
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#20
It is hard to say who has the best but one of the first journals I read was Stumpknocker and seeing your name on the list here reminded me of it. It was a great journal.
Mr. Pibb