Tried a new route in the Sawtooths and it made my old favorite feel boring

For years, my go-to weekend trip was the Alice Lake loop in Idaho. It's a solid 18 miles, but I knew every turn. Last fall, a friend talked me into the Toxaway-Fishhook Creek loop instead, which is about 23 miles. The difference was huge. The Alice loop is pretty, but it's mostly forest walking until the lakes. The new route had way more variety right from the start, with open ridges, a crazy waterfall, and these big views of the whole range. I saw way fewer people too, maybe three groups the whole second day. It made me realize I was just hiking the same trail out of habit. Has anyone else switched up a familiar route and been totally surprised by how much better a different one was?

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3 Comments

jessel356mo ago

Honestly, I'd take the comfort of a known trail any day. There's something to be said for knowing exactly what's around the next bend and not having to worry about the map. New isn't always better.

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hunt.kevin6mo ago

But what if the new bend is better?

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troy_murray84mo ago

Read something recently that said sticking with what you know actually lowers your stress hormones while you're out there. That makes sense to me, I've noticed I sleep way better after a familiar ride than one where I'm constantly checking my phone for the trail. Plus, the new bend might be fine, but it could also dump you into a swamp or a dead end that takes an hour to backtrack from. My buddy Bill tried a "better" reroute last fall and ended up pushing his bike through a creek for a quarter mile. Trusting the map over your gut can be a gamble, that's for sure.

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