I grew up in a poor, old industrial section of Rockford, Illinois. No camping, or forest land for miles around. I moved to Hollywood, Ca. when I was fourteen. There I met a guy named Larry Gill. Larry took me on my first real camping trip. We went to the Sequoia Forest and I can tell you that, for me, packing has not gotten any easier...

There were about eight people on the trip, we all took a small daypack with lunch and snacks and hiked about 14 miles to a campsite called "Peck's Cabin". After we arrived, a helicopter flew in and landed long enough for us to unpack all our gear and supplies for ten days. Larry and his wife were sleeping on a waterbed mattress that night.

That was my introduction to camping. Since then I've almost always had to haul all my own gear <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Bill