In 1972 I bought my first backpack from K-Mart. It was bright yellow, had a plastic jointed external frame, and had no waist belt. It was fantastic! My first trip was in the Great Smokey Mountains. I lost all my food to hiker savy bears, had an Army Surplus rubberized poncho for rain gear, and a $35.00 waterproof nylon tent that filled with condensation everytime it was pitched. Lessons learned. I was poor and had little money to spend on more expensive equipment, but eventually I was able to upgrade. My hiking expanded from the midwest and Smokies to the Wyoming Rockies. I took up rock climbing and mastered the basics of mountaineering. I was still limited to one or two major trips per year, so my learning curve remained pretty gradual. I was finally able to climb Gannet Peak and the Grand Teton, Wyoming's two highest peaks. Because I was self-taught and had few friends that shared my interests I made numerous mistakes and had more than my share of trip disasters (bad food, failed equipment, trial-and-error technique, and numerous cold and miserable exposed nights). Somehow I stayed safe, never lost interest, and remained motivated to learn more. Next - Good Enough Outdoorsman