Hey All! Introduction and Advice Asking

Hey there Backpacking.net Community!
I guess the most inexperienced outdoorsmen may have just joined your forums, but I'm eager to learn. My backpacking experience is limited to the section of the AT from Springer mountain to Blood Mountain- a 3 day stint I did with some friends two years back and had an absolute blast. As of recent- I guess spurred on by a few trips to my friend's deer lease, my new job as a farm hand, and walking at the river by my house with my pup- I've realized how much happier I am outside than being cooped up in my house. So, I As next summer will be my last one before graduating college, I wanted to plan out a trip with 3 of my closest friends to backpack- either in the Redwood Forest or the Pacific Northwest. I figure weekend / longer trips throughout the school year, while being great fun, could provide some valuable experience and training. What I'm asking of you is for some steps in the right direction:
Any books y'all would recommend? Websites I should scour, etc?
While the internet and this forum provide a wealth of knowledge, it can be a little rough figuring out where to start.
Thanks!

Welcome! You've come to a good forum! If you haven't already found them, there are lots of excellent articles for both beginners and those wanting to lighten their packs and on gear selection listed in the left-hand column of http://www.backpacking.net/, the home page of this site. IMHO, that's the best place to start!

Another good site for gear selection is Mark Verber's website. Lots of ideas for gear, from the latest technology to ultra-low-budget alternatives. Also tons of links to reviews and other sites. It's definitely more than you'd want to take in at one time; more like a place you go to look things up or to read one section at a time.

Here's another good article for starting out. Unlike most of the articles on the BackpackingLight site, this one is free: Lightweight Backpacking 101.

Since I assume that as a college student you don't have an unlimited budget, note that all three of these sources have sections on low-budget gear!

As far as books, my top pick is still The Complete Walker IV by Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins. It's the most comprehensive and enjoyable read on the subject I've ever found.

Anything by Karen Berger is also usually pretty good, though not quite as spirited.

Another book, if you want to go really old school, is "Woodcraft" by George Washington Sears. An ebook is available from project gutenburg here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/24579

The best in my opinion is to just start hiking. Meet some people in your area with more experience and hang out with them. While books and the internet are great resources, you can't learn to swim without getting wet.

Does your college have an outing club? Does your community have a hiking club? These are good places to gain experience, borrow or rent gear, etc. Before you invest in any gear, borrowing or renting are a good idea, to gain experience with different types. A lot of our gear items are a choice based on individual preferences, so becoming acquainted with a variety of each item before you buy is a good idea.

The problem with a lot of the old woodcraft books, fascinating as they are, that they focus on techniques which are often either illegal or at least considered immoral (although not fattening, lol!) in today's society--such things as cutting green wood, making bough beds, chopping down snags for firewood, etc. These were fine in the days of unlimited forests and few people, but not now when Leave No Trace has to rule if we are to have any wild lands to leave to future generations.

For some beginner books to look at that have been recommended on this forum recently, go to the "Backcountry Book" section of this forum. Look for the thread started by mi77915 titled "New to Backpacking--Book Recommendations." Right now it's the 11th thread down. As noted in the thread, there's always interlibrary loan for those not in your library.

Another recommendation: Classic on map and compass navigation.

Another favorite, on an important if embarrassing topic

Feel free to come back with more specific questions after you've read a bit!

Since your location is Athens and you mentioned being in college, I'm guessing you go to UGA?

If so, there's an outdoor rec program there, GORP. I taught a wilderness first aid course for them last winter, and they do lots of outdoor activities, including backpacking as I recall. They'd probably be a good resource for you to check out in addition to what's already been listed.

Oh, yeah....welcome!

Wow, thanks for the speedy and helpful replies! I hopped over to the book thread and am going to get a few from the library for a nice bit of summer reading. Yes, I do go to UGA and will be sure to check out GORP this school year- I'd always thought it was just a program for the study abroad trips they do. Glad to know I was mistaken. I also appreciate the gear sites, as, yes, funds are very limited for this student, and I'm just a bit OCD when it comes to purchases. I have to research everything about something before I buy. For now, I'll be perusing the forums.

I would also highly recommend attending a class on administering first aid. You should be able to find one no problem and get certified in the use of basic first aid.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that second hand gear is no good. You can find some good stuff, and often with a little TLC and a few minor repairs you can get some great gear on the cheap. If you are replacing(or acquiring) a fairly central piece of gear I would recommend a trip close to a car. Nothing worse than having your "new" tent break down on you in the middle of the night. Speaking as someone who just recently got back into backpacking, I can say that these trips can be real eye openers.