Hands down it was my dad. No question. From the time I can remember he took me fishing in the mountains. He made it very clear it only took a second for things to turn on you, and you gotta be able to take care of yourself.

When I was about 8 my neighbor gave me a copy of the Boys Scout handbook. At that age and time, that book was the ultimate.

And then there was My Side of the Mountain. What an awesome book. In fact, I went back and read it less than a year ago because I recently had a daughter of my own. Still a great read.

Wow. The memories this thread brought to the front. Very cool.

m