delaying the truth...

[Megapixel]

Is there enough reason to change the actual dates on your online hiking journals so that someone wouldn't be able to know your exact location? I'm thinking it's pretty far fetched for someone to follow you and track you online for the purposes of foul play, yet stranger things have happened.

[Miner]

I've heard storires that a few woman have been stalked by strangers through their online journals. So if you are concerned about that, you may keep your journal updates 2 weeks behind so they won't know where you currently are. And yes, you could just post your entries under a different date too. As a guy, I kept my PCT journal updated with the current date as I wanted to be stalked by trail magic of those following my journal. Alas, it didn't really work in practice.

[swjohnsey]

They are after me!

[Penguin]

I knew a girl with a journal that had a stalker bring her pizza on the trail.

I want a stalker.

[Megapixel]

interesting responses.

[10-K]

Is the date even relevant? When I read journals I don't think I pay much attention to the date - wouldn't matter to me if they all said 1/1/80.

[Roots]

although I think it to be a little far fetched, I know it could happen. I did my trailjournal by sending in entries, that I hand wrote, to my husband. I would mail them home so my journal was always about a week behind where I actually was on the trail.

[shelterbuilder]

They are after me!

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that "they" aren't after you!

But I agree with Miner - keep your updates behind by several days to a few weeks (vary the delay if you're REALLY worried about being followed) and you won't have THAT to worry about.

[Slo-go'en]

I knew a girl with a journal that had a stalker bring her pizza on the trail.

I was at Kincora hostel when a half dozen pizzas showed up... apparently paid for by someone who was following the journal of a young woman who mensioned she was at the hostel.

[fredmugs]

Paranoia will destroy ya.

I'm reading PCT journals right now and dates are relevant so I can look at when they hit the sections with all the snow. I imagine dates are relevent on the AT regarding water.

[sbhikes]

You can keep the actual dates accurate (easier than trying to maintain a lie) but just update your journal with a delay. Some people will be able to calculate where you should be but others won't know or won't be bothered to try to calculate.

I had a stalker find me on the PCT. Stalker is a bit too harsh a word, but it was odd to be walking along the aqueduct and have a total stranger know who I was. The man had been emailing me before, too. And he told me he hoped I would keep my journal up-to-date. I had big lag times, though. Never saw him again.

[stranger]

Is there enough reason to change the actual dates on your online hiking journals so that someone wouldn't be able to know your exact location? I'm thinking it's pretty far fetched for someone to follow you and track you online for the purposes of foul play, yet stranger things have happened.

I find this fairly disturbing, even the very concept (of people being worreid about being stalked)...if I had any concerns about my safety because of an online trail journal I probably wouldn't use one, end of story.

Besides, online journals are not accurate anyway, nothing ever will beat the personal journal for yourself, and only yourself, to truly reflect on your experiences. I find with online journals, people know others are reading them, and write accordingly.

I think a better system would be to hike the trail, keep a personal journal, then when the trail is over, post an online journal. This will save you heaps of time in town as well, it's amazing how many hikers will stand in line at Bluff Mountain Outfitters in Hot Springs so they can spend their 15 mins posting about what the last 20 hikers posted about.

[Slo-go'en]

it's amazing how many hikers will stand in line at Bluff Mountain Outfitters in Hot Springs so they can spend their 15 mins posting about what the last 20 hikers posted about.

Lots of hikers have friends, family and/or co-workers who like to follow thier trip as they go along. I suppose one could have a private on line journal that only those you want to view it can (facebook would be one way), but most of us take the easy way out and use trailjournals or postholer.

[Walkintom]

I thought the whole point of cyberstalking was that even stalkers don't have the work ethic that they did in the good ole days.

I don't think I could be OK with redefining my timeline just to throw off a theoritical stalker. Course I have never been stalked either.

[Turtle2]

As our small group was preparing to cross the highway going toward Pawling, NY, a red car pulled up and called one of the guys by his trail name. The guy in the car had been following Bird's journal and expected him to cross the road that day or the next. Kind of spooky but he bought all 5 of us a fantastic breakfast! Nice man but could have been different. Bird had no idea who this man was.

[Trailweaver]

I think there's a difference between a stalker and someone who's just following a hiker's trail journal out of interest. I started reading trail journals last year and followed several hiker's journeys. After reading them for weeks, I felt like I would like to meet them in person. I would have enjoyed buying them a lunch or sending them a care box or something. I wouldn't consider this stalking at all. I would consider this friendly southern hospitality. . . sometimes I think people are too paranoid.

A stalker is someone who would follow you into the woods and not have your best interest at heart. I don't think most people have to worry about this, but I do think it's best to think about what you're posting and keep it non-personal for the most part. Women hiking alone should be smart about posting where they are. Unless someone shows up several times in a row to "buy me breakfast" (or pizza, or whatever), I wouldn't worry about it.

[stranger]

Lots of hikers have friends, family and/or co-workers who like to follow thier trip as they go along. I suppose one could have a private on line journal that only those you want to view it can (facebook would be one way), but most of us take the easy way out and use trailjournals or postholer.

Don't get me wrong, I've used Trailjournals before...however, if I had a genuine concern for my safety due to the fact I was using Trailjournals, then I think it makes more sense to simply not use it than making up false information to throw someone off in the extremely unlikely event they had nothing better to do than stalk a thru-hiker.

It kinda reminds me of people who drink Diet Coke...if you were seriously concerned about your health you wouldn't be drinking soda.

I agree Facebook probably makes more sense, where you can post photos, and write plenty of long ramblings, even chat, and control who sees it.

[max patch]

Females have been stalked; its a fairly simple matter to figure out when someone is going to pass a trailhead if the posts are updated recently.

Another matter to consider is that some people get their jollies by posting lies in guestbooks. Do you really want your spouse/kids/parents/in-laws/co-workers to read that you are having a hot sexual affair complete with names and dates on the trail when it is not true?

Do you really care that some yahoo from Topeka KS that you've never met and never will meet is reading your journal? I really don't understand the interest in page counts.

[Camping Dave]

I was at Kincora hostel when a half dozen pizzas showed up... apparently paid for by someone who was following the journal of a young woman who mensioned she was at the hostel.

The lesson is, keep your journal up to date and claim to be a woman whether you are or not. Dudes don't buy pizza for unknown dudes.

[RITBlake]

I was at Kincora hostel when a half dozen pizzas showed up... apparently paid for by someone who was following the journal of a young woman who mensioned she was at the hostel.

Good attentions or not, that is downright creepy to me.