Nice story LtBk,

Sometimes the seeds we plant bear fruit years later.

I was taking the train to Roanoke to do an AT section. I used the spare time to sort through my gear and repack the pack. A young girl on the next seat was traveling with her grandparents. She was fascinated by all my gear. She was asking all sorts of questions about the gear and the backpacking process. I hope maybe she grew up to be a backpacker.

Our first backpacking trip was on the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. June 2008. I took my 12 year old and 18 year old sons. We did 375 miles in a month. In 2011 another son and I did 2 weeks on the AT, NOBO from Hot Springs. Since then each of our 4 sons and three of the four daughters in law have backpacked with my husband and I, Ice Age Trail, Superior Hiking Trail, Appalachian Trail. Now we are looking forward to taking the grandkids on adventures. What amazing bonding happens when experiencing nature together. What wonderful memories we share.

I've taken 2 nephews, separately, on overniters. They each said they had a good time but neither of them ever wanted to go again.