Don't be afraid of older gear, dbzillion. When I started my first thru hike of the AT at age 60, everything I had with me or on me was at least twenty years old (couple things were fifty). The youngsters wanted to give me the trail name of "Antique Road Show." They assured me this was a reference to my gear, not my age (yeah, sure). The laugh was that they also marveled at how light my pack was (and that I made it all the way while many of them did not). Some of that gear made it all the way on my second thru hike ten years later, and is still in my pack.

I applaud the work you are doing and also encourage the healthy way you propose to deal with the inevitable stress. Incidentally, I second Glenn's comment on state parks. I have actually used a fairly remote corner of a city conservation area because I can walk there from my home (and because it is very lightly patrolled by a ranger who was once a student of mine). Best, jcp