Since I asked the question, I will go first.

For the past 10 years or so my wife and I have been going to Colorado for a weeks vacation in the summer. I usually do day hikes and shoot air rifles while my wife sits in the cabin or on the patio reading or watching movies. The first year or two, I didn't carry any gear except for a day pack with an extra jacket and hat and some water.

One day, I was about 3 hours from the car and the sole on my hiking shoes busted all the stitches back to the heal. I didn't have anyway to secure the sole to the boot. I had to raise my foot and let the sole flop forward before putting my foot down. I got pretty sore from the odd movement before I got back to the car. The second event happened later that year when our family went for only a 30 minute or so hike at a state park. My two or three year old daughter fell and scrapped her knee and I didn't have any way to patch it up. We were lucky to pass some Boy Scouts who were prepared and gave us a bandaid.

Those two events made me realize that I needed to do better than that. Once I started doing some internet searching, I found several sites that steered me in the right direction.

Now, I tend to take too much gear plus I make my girls who now hike with me each carry their own gear.

How did you guys get started?

David Enoch