It’s deja vu all over again

Let’s see what this turns up: What place (or hike) have you not done in a fairly long while that you’d like to do again?

For me, it’s the southern part of Shenandoah National Park, along the AT - the part that hasn’t been “improved.” In particular, I remember a campsite beside a small waterfall - or at least I think I remember it. Probably been 15 years since I’’ve been there.

There is a wonderful loop in the Grand Canyon that I haven’t done in in about ten years. It starts at Hermit’s Rest and descends the Boucher Trail to Boucher Camp for the first night. The next day is from Boucher Camp to Monument Creek on the Tonto Trail crossing Hermit Creek enroute. The following day is from Monument Creek to Horn Creek still on the Tonto Trail. You cross Salt Creek and Cedar Creek and traverse “The Inferno” on this stretch. Horn Creek is a lovely place to camp. The next day is back to the rim on the Tonto and Bright Angel trails by way of Indian Gardens. I’m thinking about a repeat this coming spring if the fates allow.

I always wanted to repeat the route in Washington's Glacier Peak Wilderness that I did with a small group in the mid-1970s. It's the Spider Meadow/Image Lake/Buck Creek Pass route. Parts of it have been closed due to fire the past few years. Now I'm too old for it, since it's a pretty rugged route.

I also wanted to repeat the route I did with my parents at age 9 in Wyoming's Wind Rivers, and I did do part of that!

Maybe all of them. I'd like to do the loop around the Three Sisters here in Oregon again. I did it with a friend maybe 12-14 years ago. We only had four and a half days, so that's what we did, but a week would be better.

There are hikes in the Wallowas, Strawberry Mountain (both Eastern Oregon) and the Upper Enchantments in WA that come to mind, also, but the real jewel in my memory is my one trip to the Sierras in 1980.

We went in at Taboose Pass (tough trail with a way-too-heavy pack, about 50 pounds), then down to the Kings River, along the PCT/John Muir trail over Mather Pass, down to Palisades Lakes. Then cross country to Amphitheater lake (I think we found part of the old JMT partway there). Then we climbed out of Amphitheater lake (slightly scary for me) and over to Dumbell Lakes. Next to Lake Basin, over Cartridge Pass, across the river a few times, back up to Taboose pass and out. I think we spend 9 days, every moment surrounded by breathtaking scenery. I don't know how I'd fare these days, but with lighter gear...maybe.

Well, I'm with Bill on that question: all of them (or at least most)
However, what has been going through my mind lately is to repeat the trip I did way back in 1985, traveling alone hitchhiking and backpacking. That was the trip that really gave me my passion for backpacking <3 It is special to me because I was so young and innocent and bright-eyed at the time.
I began backpacking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California, then on to the Queen Charlotte Islands in BC, Chilkoot Trail in Alaska, Kluane Nat'l Park in the Yukon, Banff, Yellowstone, Hawn State Park in Missouri, and finally, a wonderful long trip in the Ventana Wilderness in Big Sur.
I knew so little about backpacking and my gear was so crappy! I must have had an angel on my shoulder because I was blessed with abnormally good dry weather on the trails and many wonderful people who picked me up hitchhiking for something like 7000 miles. I think I need to do this again soon (well, minus the hitchhiking, I'm kind of old for that

There is that old saying, "you can never go back home again". I really believe this. Most repeat trips I have done seemed less wonderful, probably because you can never repeat that "first time" exploration experience nor the mental state you were in at that time. I prefer to always do new routes and explore new mountain ranges.

My first ever memory of hiking, I was only a toddler, my family and I went on a day hike in what I believe was the Colorado front range. We were up on a low ridge or bald, the trail was easy, the weather was perfect, and the wildflowers were in bloom. I would really love to find that place again, but unfortunately, the location is probably lost to memory. The only one who could possible tell me would be my dad, but I doubt he remembers. And, I don't blame him; how can you expect someone to remember one day hike from so long ago in a life full of memories.

Another one, the only time I've been to the Grand Canyon: Back in college, some friends and I were dropped off in Grand Canyon Village and told to be back in 1 hour. We used our time to hike part way down Bright Angel Trail. We always said we would go back and hike all to way to the bottom at some point (we didn't know to call it Indian Garden at the time). Well, I can't remember the exact year this was, but it's been almost, if not more than, 20 years now. Our group has moved apart, started families, careers, mortgages... I don't think it will ever happen. All the same, I'd like to go back with or without them.

Decades ago (don't remember the exact year) in my Army days I was training in England on TDY. We got a three-day weekend off at the end of the exercise and before we returned to the States, so two buddies and I did a 2-nighter on the Thames Walk (I think it's called that). Was a hoot, I'd love to go back and do it again some day.

The reality is that issues in my personal life are unlikely to allow me to roam very far or very long, confining me to backpacks within a couple hundred miles of home, but if I'm allowed to lay aside reality for a bit, I'd revisit Banff Park and hike up to Pulsatilla Pass again.

When I was there in the late 1970s it was so remote that I was able to approach pikas, who ignored me as they busily harvested grasses twenty feet away. I had several ptarmigans blithely wander into my campsite, and a local herd of about 15 bighorn sheep -- who knew enough to run away from me, unlike the pikas and ptarmigans. I never saw another soul while I was camped there for three days.