Hi, Samantha - welcome aboard. I'm from the Dayton area - we've got a nifty little trail called the Twin Valley Trail, if you get tired of Old Man''s Cave, Zaleski, etc.

You might want to wait to decide on an internal v. external v. frameless pack until you have the rest of your gear figured out (or at least a first pass at it.) The volume and weight might influence your decision a lot.

Having said that, if you're predisposed toward the external frame, take a look at the Osprey Atmos/Aura series. They're a modernized version of the Cruiser you liked so much (I'm old enough that I remember those - and the Camp Trails Adjustable II packs they were cloned from.) The packbag is internal frame, but with lots of pockets (a la externals); the suspension is pure external frame, from the peripheral wire to the trampoline mesh backband. I have a buddy who swears by his; I've used it, and liked it, but I like my Deuter ACT internal frame suspension better. The Aura is the female-specific model, but if it doesn't fit you right, try the Atmos (male-specific). Best of all, the Atmos/Aura packs only weigh about 3.5 pounds.