Vacationing in a cabin is not really camping. If it is a true rustic cabin without electricity or plumbing is okay, but not quite camping. RVing is not camping. It is RVing.

I'll bite. Where did you learn to camp?

My main exposures to camping come from three sources: 1. Boy Scouts - we would usually drive to campsites, set up tents within about 10 feet of the cars and lug some 475 lbs of stuff per person, including coolers, lanterns, big fancy tents, gas stoves, etc. We would rarely venture much further. 2. Boy Scout Explorers - I did this only once, it is kinda for the older kids. I went to Philmont in '87 I think and hooked up with a team of 7 and we hiked for a week with EVERYTHING on our backs. We went up into the mountains and did service projects along the way. It was not deep wilderness because Philmont is crowded and we spent some nights in or near cabins. 3. Wilderness camps, including several vacation Y camps and 4-8 week sessions at the Summer Camp in Northern Wisconsin where I not return to work for a week+ each June. At these camps, you would go out for 3-14 days, again with EVERYTHING you need, all very compact. The food was usually dehydrated or very very simple. You would do most of your cooking on wood fires but have a tiny propane burner for rainy days. The tents were tiny and thin and really did little to keep anything out other than 90% of the bugs. The two primary modes of travel were hiking with backpacks or canoeing with duff packs The canoeing was the best because you got to see both land and beautiful lakes, got to canoe and hike, and spent more time away from the bugs. But there were also some great hikes. And you might would go days without seeing anybody else. My favorite places included the Appalachian Trail, The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness & Quetico (see especially the Border Route Trail), the Upper Peninsula (see especially Pictured Rocks) and anything out west. Ultimately, you forget the bugs and remember the camaraderie, the food, the vistas and the sunsets. And you have to get far away from cabins, electricity, cell service, the internet and RVs to experience it.

Mammoth Cave, LBL, places around Chattanooga, places along the Appalachian Trail, all good. And there are many more. My wife is a city girl. She has no interest. So I have camped less in recent years. One Summer, I'll head out with the kids and she can stay in the cabin or hotel. We'll come back a few days later. I may do it this coming Summer. We would possibly go up near the Border Route in MN, perhaps to Hungry Jack Lake (one of tens of thousands). She could stay in the Outfitter's cabin at http://www.hjo.com/ and the rest of us would hop in a canoe and head over a few lakes to Canada, sleep in a tent, hike up to some overlooks several hundred feet above the water, check out the waterfalls, swim, cook on a fire, etc. When I was a kid, you could still actually drink water straight out of the lakes. Now you have to purify it a bit (or have antibiotics ready ). It is awesome stuff.

I have done some river canoeing (in the Southeast and out West), but I always preferred lakes. I find lake canoeing to be much more peaceful. If you want to stop and relax, you can. Also, lake country tends to have loads of different routes you can pick up along huge complex networks of water and portages while rivers are single roads. Plus, with lake canoeing you get to mix it up, some paddling, some hiking (albeit with a canoe on your shoulders). Stairway Portage, by Hungry Jack Lake (actually, on Rose Lake): 100+ foot climb with a canoe over your head...

Me too. I can't see the picture but a portage with a 100' climb does not sound fun. But I'm guessing the view is worth it.

The stairway connects Rose Lake to Duncan lake, just next to North and South Lakes. Rose, North and South are all on the Canadian border. The northern border of the lakes are all flat lowlands. The south sides all abut a high ridge with spectacular views. Duncan Lake is ON the ridge, as are the lakes to the south. Map, click on "terrain". The Border Route Trail goes over the ridge on the south. On the Stairway portage between Rose and Duncan, there are several flights of steep wooden stairs, there is a waterfall and there is an intersection with the BRTrail.

Camp naked.

Camp naked.

Good plan. This might get a couple corners cut off my YPT card though.