>>1894515>DadFirst took me camping when I was 3 moths old. Plenty of fishing trips and random day hikes too.
>Ray JardineI grew up in a place where no one went hiking. Trails in the woods were used for hunting and four wheelers (and occasionally three wheelers in those days; this was the mid-90’s). I was a 12yo lanklet when I was introduced to backpacking by the Boy Scouts, who insisted on taking as much extraneous gear as humanly imaginable. That was basically what everyone did. You’ve all see the pictures. I loved the outdoors, and I enjoyed hiking, but man it was definitely some type two fun.
Sometimes around 1998 when I was 16 I stumbled upon Jardine’s first book, which was written in 1991. This was before the internet. It really opened my eyes, and got me thinking about better ways to enjoy my time outside.
I still don’t like the term “ultralight hiker.” I think it’s pretentious or something, like because you saved pounds on your pack weight your self importance has increased. But it really changed my entire outlook and made trips so much more fun. It was less of a marathon and more of an enjoyable saunter through the woods.
