I guess I've never been real big on technology, especially when it comes to the outdoors. I don't own a GPS, an altimeter or an iPod, for example, all hot "must-haves" on the trail today. About the most advanced thing I ever carry into the woods is a camera. Even that's been just a simple point-and-shoot Olympus 35mm slide camera. After five years of abuse, though, it finally died on me last year while I was rafting, mountain biking and backpacking in Utah. And I've been bumping along with a cheapie ($39 at a Salt Lake City Walgreen's!) camera ever since. It was time for a new one, and--whoa! stand back!--a digital one at that.

Now, when I bought a cell phone earlier this year I thought for sure I was the last person in Maine to do so. The Madison Avenue marketing people would certainly not categorize me as an "early adopter," the term for those people who jump on new products. Nope, not me. I like to wait and see and wait and see...

Well, I have indeed gone hog wild with technology again (what's happening to me?). I actually went and bought a digital camera. Can you believe it? Am I again one of the last people around to get one! Seems so.

After doing plenty of research and waiting long enough for prices to drop, I went to Best Buy to take the plunge. I settled on a Nikon Coolpix 3200, a sweet little 3.2 megapixel camera. As far as I can tell, it seems pretty easy to use and it's lightweight--perfect for the trail. Just enough, but not too much.

I tried it out it this past weekend while mountain biking up north. No problems so far, but I'll keep you posted. And I'll work on getting some photos posted here for you to look at.