Training · · 1 min read · Fredrik Kaada
Keeping a field journal after every mountain day
A few honest notes after each long day teach more than any watch. Here's what I write down and why.
My watch records the numbers. It doesn't record why the second climb felt hard, or that I forgot to eat for an hour. So after every long day I write a few lines by hand.
Three questions
What were the conditions and route? What worked? What will I carry into the next long day? That's it. Short notes I'll actually keep writing.
Patterns over time
After a few weeks, the notes start to show patterns: the fuelling that works, the shoes that rub, the time of day I go quiet. That's the useful part.
Paper or phone?
Whichever you'll keep using. Paper is quicker with cold hands; a phone keeps everything searchable. The habit matters more than the tool.