One of the things he opened my eyes to was the "tyranny of photography." Because backpacking was, at first, a "big adventure," I felt obligated to take pictures. It was a chore, and eventurally a pain - this was before the era of digital photography, so there was a bulky (by today's standards) camera, and all that film to screw around with.

Then I read The Complete Walker. Suddenly, I realized I didn't have to take pictures, so I quit, mostly - and, just like Colin said, I started looking and remembering and understanding. I still took a camera to the big places (the first trip to Isle Royale and Mt. Rogers, for example), but not on "regular" trips. (I've backslid a little, seduced by the simplicity of digital point-and-shoot, but still only carry a camera less than half the time.)