Re: letter of introduction

Merle,
I traveled the road you are considering, and encourage you to go for it. My last camp-out with the Boy Scouts was in 1959. My first backpack trip was 47 years later in 2006. My suggestions are:
Upgrade your knowledge. Raise your expectations a bit over what you used to do. The lightweight technology makes the sport much more accessible. The local Sierra Club's beginning backpackers course was very helpful to me. I also got certified in Wilderness First Aid, for peace of mind on long trips to remote mountain areas.
REI and Cabella's are good sources for gear, but not the lightest. 
Food is about one third of my pack weight. Eastern European and Asian food markets offer dehydrated foods that give variety at low cost. 
Keep adapting, by making one gear change per trip. Better to have one item fail than several. Upgrading one item per trip will keep your gear up to date and in good condition. This spreads the financial pain also.
Good Luck!
Patrick


--- In [email protected], Good Grief  wrote:
>
> I am an older male from the midwest. Recently my wife and I have discovered Canoing and have thought we might try a little camping and backpacking. We have not done any backpacking since were were young- about 40 yrs. ago. However, I don't think it would be that hard to remember some of the things I learned in boy scouts. I was interested in joining to get ideas on backpacking and maybe some resources to help us when we start planning our summer trips. 
>  
> Thank  you for considering our membership
>  
> Merle
>