Glen, you speak of the direction that I am heading as well. I'm in my mid-70's and, with one exception, I will seek peace, beauty and solitude from my backpacking trips in the future. My one exception to this is that I still plan to hike the John Muir Trail one more time in 2013. I will have to spend quite a bit of time to physically prepare for the trip; my endurance has slipped a bit the past few years. But, being retired, I have the time to do the workouts I will need to do. Other than that, I plan to take it a lot easier for whatever time remains of my backpacking years.